The Skinner Box - How Games Condition People to Play More - Extra Credits

Engaging design is extremely important in games, but too often simple reward systems are used to keep players playing longer or spending more money on in-game purchases. There are far more interesting and immersive mechanics you can choose to put in your games.

(Original air date: November 24, 2010)
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♪ Intro Music: "Penguin Cap" by CarboHydroM

♪ Outro Music: "Consent (Make Me Dance)" by djpretzel

[ArgoIo]

The paragon of Skinner boxes: Cookie Clicker

[WrathClub]

I love this video. I've always hated Skinner Box mechanics, and I've always been good at realizing when I'm in them, but before this video it was a vague concept and I couldn't really pinpoint what the quality was. So I would have to spend a little while in the box before I put the game down feeling burnt but not really knowing why. I saw this video when it first came out on the escapist, and as soon as it defined this quality something clicked and a bunch of games that I disliked for what I thought were unrelated reasons suddenly shared this trait.

As soon as it had a name I've pretty much been able to identify a Skinner Box mechanic immediately. It may have made me a bit more cynical, because now it's harder for a game to to trick me into thinking I'm having fun, but it's also helped me value my time more and has likely spared me countless hours of my life I would have wished I spent doing something more productive. So thank you for that.

[andrew_cunningham]

The state of flow is a wonderful thing: your'e pinky finger has gone numb and unbendable, you've forgotten the feeling of rage, and blinking is done with great reluctance, but you'll still press that same perfect sequence of keys hundreds of times in a row, trying to find the optimal way to guide that little meaty cube through all those saw blades.

[Ruston]

Well, what else is a pigeon supposed to do if he's closed in a box and a button is the only thing he can interact with?

[PMW]

I like being mentally challenged...
Um, I think I said that wrong.

[phantomstrider]

I tend to think of Dance Dance Revolution as an example of flow. You reach a point where you are simply doing the actions and steps so fast that you're not thinking through them.

[TheDragonCat]

'Ever get lost in a game just because it was a place you wanted to be?'
* Shows picture of Fallout *
UM NO THANKS

[oliverholm]

That "Zen Mode" happens to me often. Especially when I play Sleeping Dogs. I just stop focusing on anything, and start focusing on everything.

[zachruhl]

Just one more turn! says every Civilization V gamer.

[samleheny]

This is one of EC's most useful episodes, only becoming more relevant as game publishers invest more and more in design choices and economies designed to isolate and prey on these kinds of psychological weaknesses.

[pedroscoponi]

Entering flow state is one of the best things only games can provide without requiring counteless months of dedication and training. And it feels so good XD

[jeremysaklad]

Bastion and Transistor nail EVERY recommendation you give. That’s probably why they are my favorite games of all time.

[payalporwal]

As a psych student, this is such a great explanation! Also applies to anything in life, we tend to get stuck in Skinner Boxes wherever we go. Moving beyond that is the real deal. Super cool xxx

[WreptileTF]

What the hell was I doing spending 2500 hours playing tf2? Anyways, I'm gonna go play some tf2.

[zeroburn]

I have also found just the constant rhythmic "plonk" of breaking stone blocks sort of cathartic, and it sort of does the Skinner's box thing when you find an ore vein, 400+ blocks of stone mined to find a dozen blocks of iron and a diamond. That diamond makes the time taken totally worth it, even if a creeper blows you up right after finding it.

[Snowjob]

Pretty much could have titled this video "Destiny: Explained" or something like that.

[tallkevin]

I bet some developers use conditioning without even realizing it. They might think that they are only taking notes from other games. This would be the equivalent if me sampling a song, and that song used a melody from a much older song. I guess it pays to do your homework. Very thought provoking video. Thanks for posting it.

[Klespyrian]

I'm an aspiring game developer, and am always looking for videos like yours to give good advice on different ways of creating games. I will probably end up watching this whole series, and appreciate the time you take to make them!

[AdriaanPretorius]

Skinner's Box is exactly why I quit these kinds of games a couple of years back. I called it 'those games that TELL me what to do, instead of giving me free will', i.e. 'wait 20mins before you can attack again'. If I play a game now and I feel the game 'orders' me to do something 'in order to open that door, you need to find the 5 pieces, bring them to me so I can build you the key', I stop. It takes no skill to play those games.


Brilliant video EC


PS By 'removing those games from my backlog, I have trimmed 600 games down to 85' *sigh*

[Dinofly]

**Super intendant Chalmer voice**

SKINNER!