04.01.2010Gaming is so engaging – why? by Rob Smith
If I could apply the same level of concentration, for the same amount of time, with the same amount of conviction and determination that I can for some games, then my results would explode, I’m sure. I just need to find why certain games lock me in so tightly with so much purpose! I played Dead Space on my 360 for around 13-15 hours total to complete it and have probably spent close to that on Assassin’s Creed II.
The level of engagement is amazing. How can we create that level of engagement for something else like a website or project? What, psychologically makes the experience so good?
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About 6 weeks ago, I loaded up COD4 on Xbox 360 after not playing it for a few months, a quick check of the stats showed I’d played around 18 days (18×24hrs) since I bought it 2 years back.
I put the controller down and logged off, having invested such a massive amont of time in a largely hedonic experience I felt I had achieved very little with it.
I find that my usage online can roughly be broken down to 3 types
- functional (banking etc.)
- work / research (reading, discovery, analysis etc.)
- escapism (social networking, blogs, funny pics etc.)
Psychologically it depends on the website, as escapism for others could easily be browsing shopping websites, car websites, bargain websites without a specific need for the content but rather as a hedonic experience.
Interesting, if this immersion could be applied to actions where we are not naturally motivated
January 12th, 2010 at 12:21 am
Thanks for contributing Barry. Yes, quite scary to a certain extent isn’t it?! I just find it so interesting how high the level of motivation is for something that is so ultimately pointless in many ways (in terms of lifetime achievement anyway) – fascinating.
January 12th, 2010 at 11:36 am