[Game Theory] Risk, Reward and the Perfectionist's Wet Dream Part 1

Today, or I suppose yesterday, I spent hours playing through old Mario games. It all started when I was at my friend Ryan's house. He was playing the original Super Mario Land on his Gameboy Advance. I distinctly remember him complaining about how he had wanted some coins that led him to a trap. At the time, I chuckled and didn't think too much of it. But as the evening went on the thought of this moment triggered something in my mind that led me to think more deeply about the risk and reward of video games and gaming in general. It has always been something that had interested me, but it wasn't until today that I had found it truly fascinating enough to write about. By the way, this is going to be a long article and it is going to incorporate a lot of behavioral psychology and video game references as I attempt to summarize my philosophy behind what makes games fun and keeps people playing.

Often times you might find games offering a plethora of rewards throughout. I would say that most of us keep playing games as long as we are continually rewarded, however it is important that the game offers a variety of different rewards and through different means. This is to ensure that everyone will have a reason to play the game. But for the purpose of this article, I am going to generalize everyone as being either someone who plays a game for pure entertainment to just kill a few hours(simple archetype), someone who plays a game for the sake of completing goals within the game until everything is done(complex archetype), or those who fall right in between these two archetypes of gamers. The typical gamer who is just looking to kill some time will often find enjoyment through completing the levels of the game or finishing the game itself. A good example of this is someone who sits down and plays one of the original Mario games for an hour or two and is willing to let go of the game very quickly after losing a few times. This is usually the result of the loss of the gratification of successfully advancing throughout the game, which can be explained by either a short attention span or just mere prioritizing. This example, of course, is an extreme. The other extreme would be someone who likes a game like Pokemon and tries to actually catch them all. This person typically finds gratification through individual smaller goals set throughout a game that lead up to a final reward which usually marks the end of said person's interest in a game. That is, however, until they decide they want to do it all over again. Now, assuming you have at least an ounce of sanity and are fairly intelligent - because if you weren't, you wouldn't have made it this far - you would fall somewhere in between these two and find yourself fluctuating between them from day to day. As a gamer myself, some days I don't mind spending up to 10 hours in an enormously immersive video game. One where you have to collect things and do side quests, and could spend hours just fighting enemies because the combat system is so refined. But in the same respect, I often times have days where I have plans or am just not in the mood to play a game like that. Sometimes an hour or two of Mario, or a few games of Advance wars is all it takes. So now that we've looked at these archetypes, lets begin to delve into what they really mean.

First lets look at the game you would play to kill some time: the entertainer. The entertainer is typically a short length game, or at least permits you two play for as little as five minutes before it rewards you. In fact, many games that fall under this category typically reward you so fast that there is virtually no depth within the game. To explain what I mean, I'm going to use Super Mario Bros. again. I would be surprised if anyone reading this didn't know a lot about the original Super Mario Bros. Eight worlds, and four levels in each. Every fourth level of the world is a castle and everything you can collect is infinitely available. And did I mention there is no saving? It's about as simple as it gets. And while Super Mario Bros. may be a classic, it is likely that it would not appeal to the complex archetype of gamer. Rarely, will anyone go out of their way to collect every single coin in a Mario level and rarely will that person go out of their way to kill every enemy. Most of the time it's as if you are trying to beat the level as fast as possible. And that involves little dicking around, cutting straight to the reward. Super Mario Bros. is perfect for the simple archetype. In fact, any game you can fully explain in under five or ten minutes probably appeals to this type of person.

On the other hand, there's still the complex archetype. What kind of games appeal to the complex archetype? Well, I would say the vast majority of RPGs, RTS games, adventure platformers and just about any sandbox type of game would appeal to the complex archetype. Although, I would say there are many different branches of the complex archetype. *sigh* I guess I should further explain each of these branches as well.

The first of these complex branches would be the Perfectionist. The Perfectionist is that guy who becomes one with the game. He doesn't skip anything finite and he will try his damnedest to find everything there is to know and do within a game. The perfectionist does not necessarily care about story or strategy, and for this reason is typically attracted to lengthy RPGs. For all you know, he is skipping cutscenes to make time for the level grinding required in his absence of ability.

The second complex branch is the Strategist. The Strategist likes to manipulate the game, and often times strives to spend the least amount of time possible playing a game. If he is playing an RPG he will not train. If it's a RTS then he will cut corners wherever possible. Be it using less supplies, spending less money or even avoiding ocd-like behaviors during the game. The Strategist focuses on a risk/reward mental process while playing the game. He/She is always three steps ahead of the game, and usually has no desire for extra content.

The final complex branch is probably the one I can relate to the most, or at least more than a lot of other people: the Character. The Character is deeply motivated to play the game for reasons tied into the story of the game. Although, not every complex game has a story. Sometimes the character just focuses on what they believe to be the role of their character is, whether it is stated clearly by the game or not. The Character is very attracted to story driven linear gameplay and/or customizable sandbox gameplay, and will often be either severely disappointed or enthralled by the end of the game.

So that's generally how I would categorize gamers based on what types of games appeal to them. I think I generally belong to the complex archetype, and often find myself being a cross between all three branches. When I'm playing a platformer game like Banjo Kazooie or an adventure game like The Legend of Zelda I can be bit of a perfectionist. But I'm primarily a Strategist when necessary and a Character when possible. What are you?