How to Keep Players Engaged (Without Being Evil)

Why do some games keep us rapt and entertained until the closing credits, while others fizzle out and end up on our pile of shame? Let’s look at some key ways developers can keep players interested (without being evil about it)

=== Chapters ===

00:00 - Intro
01:07 - Pacing
03:11 - Novelty
03:44 - Anticipation
05:36 - Goals
06:58 - Positive Feedback Loops
07:19 - Optimising Systems
07:56 - Fantasising about the Future
08:18 - Compelling Challenge
09:36 - Conclusion

=== Games Shown ===

DOOM (2016)
Assassin's Creed: Origins (2017)
Celeste (2018)
Candy Crush Saga (2012)
Metro 2033 (2010)
A Hat in Time (2017)
Titanfall 2 (2016)
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016)
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017)
Vanquish (2010)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
Dead Space 3 (2013)
Far Cry 5 (2018)
Iconoclasts (2018)
Super Mario 3D World (2013)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004)
The Witness (2016)
Dark Souls (2011)
Bloodborne (2015)
Hollow Knight (2017)
Quantum Break (2016)
Firewatch (2016)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017)
Horizon Zero Dawn (2017)
Stardew Valley (2016)
Monster Hunter: World (2018)
Factorio (2020)
Opus Magnum (2017)
Cuphead (2017)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Spelunky (2012)
Downwell (2015)
Inside (2016)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)
Hyper Light Drifter (2016)

=== Credits ===

Music used in this episode:

Tunnelbound (animeistrash)
Hotel Administration (animeistrash)
untitled 4 (anime is trash)
Tunnelbound (animeistrash)
Hotel Administration (animeistrash)
untitled 5 (animeistrash)
untitled 1 (animeistrash)

Other credits:

Stardew Valley Fixer Upper - Farm Tour and Redesign | thatdenverguy

=== Subtitles ===

[maaaybegreat]

I hate it when mobile games advertise themselves as "addictive". That's not a good thing! There is a major difference between addictive and engaging.

[TeaquestSagas]

Character progression. I love seing my characters grow, be it plot wise or skill wise. Or even something as simple as basebuilding.

[onedeadsaint]

just want to say, thanks for putting the game titles in the corner when you introduce them! I really appreciate that detail and have sought out games because of this!

[cintamaria]

“I-“ video loads for a second “- never finished doom..” the dramatic feeling YouTube gave that.. wow

[Supergforce]

4:20 “the mystery of what’s behind the next corner is what makes the souls games hard to put down”

And not being able to get past the next corner is what makes them easy to put down for a while

[hemangchauhan]

*"Engaging, not addictive"*
THANK YOU MARK FOR CLARIFYING THAT! A lot of people confuse one with the other.

Also thank you for covering this topic, because I had a similar idea in my head about "how do we define good in a game?" and the way you covered it in this video answered a lot of doubts in my mind.
Also, I too found *Titanfall2* far more engaging (and actually completed it) than *DOOM* (didn't complete it).

[toastedbred]

I could not put down Hollow Knight for 5 months straight because my perspective of the world kept getting bigger and bigger, and the promise of finding new things everywhere. Even after 120+ hours of playing, I'm still finding out new things (somehow). But this would eventually end because Hollow Knight's content is finite, that is until I did Godhome, which had the most difficult challenges I have overcome in years. The Pantheon of Hallownest was the challenge that I spent months trying; it was the mountain I had to climb. And when I did it, I had to drop the game for a few weeks because obvious reasons.

[NeverEverFaceTheDark]

I love reading the comments because it just goes to show that engagement is also hugely dependent on the person what they want out of a game.

[mrslake]

1. Pacing & switching between different gameplay pillars ( types )
a. Move between different intensity gameplay
b. Move between puzzles & actions
c. Ensure players having many things to do so they can modulate their own experience
2. Pacing: introducing new mechanics, maps, enemies …
a. Novelty can work even better with
Ø Mystery
Ø Anticipation
Ø Foreshadowing
3. Mystery in narrative
4. Work for a long term goal
Ø Reach a certain level
Ø A big map with many collectibles

[rae-everything]

I find I'm drawn to games where I can build overtly relationships with NPCs. Like Animal Crossing, Story of Seasons, and Fire Emblem.

You may be able to develop relationships with characters through cutscenes and story progress. But, I like to be able to interact with those systems myself. Like giving gifts to my favorite characters in Stardew Valley. Or, even grinding with my favorite Pokémon. As if to build a bond.

[thesnazzmaster]

Personally, when I see a bunch of collectibles and optional things in games, I get overwhelmed and often ignore everything optional.

[kusaashi]

Hades
When I die and return to the starting point, it always gives me the illusion that "I will be able to pass the next hand".

[sabbathjackal]

When the early boss enemies become low budget randos in the late game

[PridPlays]

I personally struggle to finish almost any game, for some reason I generally keep restarting and try to plan better each time.

[spiartslite]

Minecraft, survival mode, difficulty Hard,
2 hours later,
Still playing,
4 hours later,
It took me a while to realise that I was hungry.
I genuinely forgot I was starving.

[jamic]

The Civilization series :
- "One more turn and I stop for today."
(10 turns later)
- "OK, this time I WILL stop after this turn"
(50 turns later)
- "Just... One... More... Turn..."
(200 turns later)
- !"

[chrisbell]

My thoughts on this, a conclusion I've come to only recently:
I am failure-averse. Thus, I "enjoy" games that don't require you to be skilled.
MMOs like WoW, Guild Wars 2, Runescape and Maplestory, all games I've played at one point or another, and are usually the games I have played the longest, don't ask much of you (Unless it's PvP, other players are usually pretty reliably challenging opponents, unless you're like MLG level). The PvE components are mostly a stream of rewards given for time spent, with the rewards being given often enough that it gives me a nice spike of dopamine when I receive them.
The reason I don't really define myself as a gamer, despite my long hours spent playing games, is because I'm ashamed of what I like, and my reasons for liking it. When I'm playing, I get less "enjoyment" out of it so much as it's a way to easily pass the time until responsibility (AKA my job) calls.
I love games, I really do. But I don't play a great variety (despite my long steam library backlog), because I'm too busy playing the games that give me the most reward for the least effort. And now, when a game requires that I put a bit of effort in to get a reward, it fails to grab my attention. So often I look back and think "That is a GOOD GAME, but it just failed to grab me", and I don't think it's because the game fails to have good engagement methods, but because they don't cater to a sop like me who craves recognition for little to no effort.
This leads me to my point.
The kind of games that you like may reflect an unpleasant truth. It may show that you need to reconsider what you like and try to break out of your shell (but only if you really want to, you know, a bit like psychological therapy).
I'm not saying that anyone who plays the kind of games that I do need to change their habits. Your reasons for enjoying them may be entirely different from mine, and even if they're not, as long as it's not really damaging you in any way, you're free to make your own life decisions.
Thanks GMTK, for giving me a reason to do a little self-reflection :)

[jasoncarter]

Something that fascinates me is how I grew to love stardew valley, I started out by not really caring all that much about but I kept going back to it, after a week I was remembering schedules and calling the NPCs by name I only realized I had fallen in love with the game a month after playing it. It was a very fun and surreal experience

[DarylTalksGames]

For me its always been mystery. I love to be told a story or uncover secrets. In-game accomplishments are nice, but they feel superficial to me for some reason. Funny enough, those in-game accomplishments are exactly what keeps the hardcore fans of Stardew Valley coming back for more. It's fascinating that everyone has their own trigger for reinforcement.

[angusgill]

I love it when games have expansive lore that influences and explains the world you play in. It's great when a mechanic used predominantly in something such as combat is explained outside it, say in a cutscene. That makes it seem like the characters actually know about this stuff, and not just the player controlling them.