Some in the entertainment world have learned that the tricks of yesteryear are no longer applicable. ‘Yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’ as the saying goes. New avenues are necessary, and so is an intelligent approach.
Psychology has proven to be an enormously helpful tool to bridge the impact of behavior on consumption. It’s a method of understanding how people make choices that involve their time and money.
The gambling industry, with its complicated reputation in the entertainment sector, has long been in a back-and-forth between maintaining a consistent model and refurbishing its offering.
Apart from the inevitable technological evolution that it has showcased, gambling has also moved into a space of gamification. It has implemented much of its set-up by harnessing video game strategies, but also by retaining a sense of identity based on luck.
Leaderboards and limited-time rewards within the tournament sphere are two of the most important developments on this front. They are universal carryovers with a lot of market value.
For this reason, we have chosen the gambling industry to highlight how the psychology of leaderboards and limited rewards works so well. This article will clarify traits and connect plenty of dots!
Why psychology fits so well with game design
Game design, in most cases, follows several principles that aim to bring immersion and engagement.
These are not buzzwords, nor are they necessarily universally applicable. Each developer finds their footing based on the priorities of their creation. It’s a matter of finding the right package, but also setting up a digestible pace.
When you factor in psychological entries, they bring even more depth.
However, do these principles apply to a field like games of luck? Does the ultra-simplistic mechanism support psychologically-driven game design?
Let’s assess these details in the context of gambling.
- Immersion means masking the potential tedium of repetition. You feel like every hand you play is part of a developing reality.
- Narrative design, especially in slot machine-like games, is essential because it gives the title a broader sense of identity. It sets up a grand purpose that feels less repetitive and more meaningful.
- Multiplayer-like features give such games the opportunity to find upside in interactivity. It’s not an iron-sharpening-iron dynamic since there is no skill, but there is something to contest in any way.
In the following sections, we will discuss how both leaderboards and limited-time rewards harness some game design psychology principles.
We’ll do so by getting each of these two methods through the filter of the psychological triggers that we will discuss. Please note that they’re generally applicable to social tournaments, which we will address as needed.
Social proofing brings a level of community-driven engagement
Let’s begin with something that influences a lot of us: the part of the nudge theory that deals with the concepts of social proof.
In simple terms, it is our tendency to adapt to certain behavior that we deem as acceptable and worthy of following. We do so because of its socially-proven value, such as gaining success and popularity.
- Leaderboards show that entering a competition and reaching the top of the standings is something worth mimicking because it brings the prestige of being enshrined as a victor.
- With the idea of tournament rewards, having a consistent influx of prizes projects a degree of competitive prosperity.
Naturally, wanting to reach this level and attaining these socially-proven benefits is an automatic way of securing engagement if you’re a host of social tournaments. This is why the social proof dimension is so important when assessing this phenomenon.
Competition finds structure in leaderboards
Competition is a defining trait of the human survival instinct, having served as a way to attain the highest position within the natural pecking order. As we have evolved as a species and found organized ways of coexisting, we do the same, but within the social contract.
Nowadays, we are looking to find the meaning of the drive that brings us closer to success and development. Sometimes, it’s just something that we do for fun, delving into activities that make us feel a certain emotional connectivity.
Why is there something so important in competition when social tourneys are all about gambling?
- Firstly, social gaming is a sweepstakes-driven method to play, which means that there is no stake involved. This takes away some of the meaning of risk, but emphasizes competitiveness.
- Secondly, it’s a way of bringing even more interesting structural parts into play. If you just need to land the highest multiplier within a spin, your rotations are all about finding the most magnified moment of luck.
- When you see yourself spinning for the sake of climbing a leaderboard, it’s something that you want to continue to feel. With each new push toward the top of the standings, you feel the itch to reach the top of the line.
- Being the one who gets the biggest bite of the apple, that is, the prize pool, feels tremendously satisfying. Why not compete for this benefit?
Loss aversion brings a boosted sense of involvement
This is the FOMO entry. Simple as. You feel like losing an opportunity when you’re not in the mix. It’s the same feeling that you have when you compete, but with unfavorable results that come from bad luck.
Loss aversion is, at the end of the day, a cognitive bias with several rules that bring meaning to avoiding issues. As far as its fit with our topic at hand:
- Competing and losing is something that stings. If you partake in a social tournament and place 3rd, you still get a really nice slice of the apple. However, you do not get that big chunk that the winner gets, which is why the stakes of being the ultimate victor are so high for players.
- If there is a significant difference between the first-place reward and the third-place reward, you may also feel the loss aversion caused by the value of that prize.
- With the limited-time results that you encounter on the market, FOMO applies the very best. If the marketing effort succeeds in painting the entire worth of that incentive, you will feel that meeting the redemption deadline is mandatory.
It’s safe to say that the action that you take to avoid loss aversion is the idea of getting involved in the process for the sake of not feeling the pain of defeat!
Dopamine triggers are a physiological rule
To close out the list, we bring you dopamine: the physiological demon that moves our brain in fascinating directions.
At its core, it’s a chemical. In its purpose, it’s a neurotransmitter. In its profound meaning, it’s a modifier of how we perceive reality because it operates our reward system.
How does it impact what we’ve been talking about?
- You feel the dopamine rush when your brain decides to motivate you toward reaching the top of a leaderboard, which will also shape your mood.
- The same effect may be felt in how you decide wholeheartedly to redeem limited-time offers, which is a way to feel the pleasure that such a reward brings.
Conclusion
As an epilogue to what we’ve been saying, you should understand that these are all psychological movements, but you still have your agency and reason.
Ultimately, in the context of gambling, you ought to have some self-restraint and control to an acceptable level. Please remember this and gamble responsibly!