Glued to games
by Scott Rigby · first published 2011
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2recommended by
2HN commenters
2012–2023first – last mentioned
100% recommend
This book offers a practical yet powerful way to understand the psychological appeal and strong motivation to play video games. Video games have come a long way, from Atari's pinging, monochromatic Pong to the garish mayhem of Grand Theft Auto and the stylish sophistication of Beatles Rock Band. And it is no longer just teenagers that are hooked, audiences both young and old can't seem to get enough. But while "video-game addict" has become a common term, are these games really physically and psychologically addictive? With video game sales in the billions and anxious concerns about their long
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…played a lot. More than I care to admit. One day I became interested in game development itself, and started reading about the psychology of why we play video games. I became fascinated by a book called "Glued to Games"[1], which looked at the question through the lens of self-determination theory. It suggested that we play games to satisfy our basic human needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. As I read the…
on “Ask HN: How can I come to peace with the years I wasted on pointless things?” ↗…all about feeding intrinsic motivation with tight feedback loops. Self-determination theory and Reiss' 16 Intrinsic Motivations provide much better frameworks for understanding games. Rigby and Ryan's Glued to Games looks at SDT, and Radoff's Game On has a section of the 16 motivations. For anyone interested in achieving the stated goals of gamification, but is concerned on how to do it right, should probably read…
on “Gamification is not entirely bullshit” ↗You have to first define what makes a game “fun”. The theory outlined in Glued to Games (Ryan & Rigby, 2011) suggests that games we perceive as “fun” are actually satisfying our basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. If you satisfy your need for competency by playing video…
on “To unlock drink verification can” ↗