IntoTheVerse — “The Psychology of Gameplay: Exploring its Importance on a Player’s Gaming Experience in Web3.”
Welcome to another IntoTheVerse Journal!
A metaverse that is focused on creating utility, impact and provides players with total control.
“Games were not just a diversion, I realized. Games could make you feel.” (Sid Meier)
In Web3 video games decentralization has projected gaming into a new playing field. The psychology of gameplay has been utilized as an effective factor to create more immersive engagement with players in Web2 games. This becomes ever more important with the transformative nature of Web3.
At IntoTheVerse, we wanted to explore if the psychology of gameplay is still as significant as it was in Web2, and how it will define a player's journey in a Web3 game.
What is the psychology of gameplay in video games?
The psychology of gameplay in video games explores how players think, feel, and behave as they progress through the game. It analyzes psychological factors, such as intrinsic motivation, where players are driven by internal satisfaction and enjoyment. It also monitors the sense of achievement and progression as players overcome challenges and reach their goals. It also scrutinizes their patterns of behavior, especially in open-world games, to create enhanced experiences to ignite a player’s desire for new challenges or levels of difficulty, mastery of skills, or to just enjoy the social aspects of the game.
How has psychology changed how we play video games?
Psychology is often an underestimated area in gaming. It has had a long-lasting impact on the creation of video games, since its immersion in Web2. Game developers began to monitor gamers' behavior as a way to engage them better in future renditions of the game. Now, game developers use psychological principles to design game mechanics, reward systems, and in-game economies and to create a profound emotional cognitive experience with gaming. Psychology has in effect, shifted gaming from mere entertainment to a powerful tool for emotion, learning, and social interaction.
How has Web3 incorporated psychology into its gameplay?
Web3 has been incorporating psychology into its gameplay, by using it in the following ways:
Psychological Gamification Techniques
Web3 games use gamification techniques, which have been created to psychologically immerse players in the gameplay. This involves incorporating reward systems, such as leaderboards, achievements, and in-game rewards to keep gamers enthralled.
Web3 games also prioritize their gaming community, with the games often being developed, alongside community engagement activities. This creates a sense of belonging with players as the social interaction in the community forges bonds and stronger player retention.
Tokenomics and Rewards Promote Satisfaction
Many web3 games add tokenomics, through the use of blockchain-based tokens (NFTs, cryptocurrencies) as in-game assets or rewards. This has a huge psychological impact because it empowers players with a sense of ownership and creates the feeling of scarcity and competitiveness with NFTs.
By enabling players to have true ownership of in-game assets, Web3 games use psychology to create long-term positive emotional investment in the game and establish feelings of real-world value with players.
Transparency Increases Trust and Loyalty
There are increasing psychological benefits of blockchain technology’s transparency because it records every action on the chain, which builds trust among players because they can easily monitor and confirm that the game mechanics are fair. This can also encourage greater loyalty to a brand that showcases all its decisions for players to see.
Some Web3 games incorporate decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) for governance, which allows players to have a say in the decision-making process. This creates a sense of empowerment with players and makes them feel as if they are part of the game’s development journey and invested in its success.
Gaming Economies Place the Power in Players Hands
The concept of virtual economies within Web3 gaming gives players control of the in-game economy by buying, selling, and trading assets. Psychologically being given the responsibility of making an informed decision can give players a sense of achievement and fulfilment.
Psychological Triggers in Gameplay
Game developers also use psychological triggers to push players down specific paths, to test their ability to progress through the game under timed or stressful situations, to evoke a multitude of emotions, such as being scared or angry, and to create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to increase sales of the game.
How can Web3 use psychology to push gameplay even further in the future?
Web3 could have the potential to use psychology to push gameplay even further in the future. To do this, we will need to explore advanced techniques and technologies that leverage our understanding of human behavior. This could be achieved in the following ways:
AI-Powered Personalization
As AI continues to evolve, game developers can implement advanced AI algorithms to predict user preferences, behaviors, and cognitive patterns with high accuracy. They could also customize in-game elements, and create real-world change in real-time to cater to individual players' interests.
Facial Recognition Software Advancements
Game developers can also utilize emotion recognition technology using facial analysis and physiological signals (e.g., heart rate) to adapt gameplay to users’ emotional states.
Predictive Analytics
Predictive analytics can be adapted to anticipate player actions and preferences, allowing the game to offer tailored experiences before players even express their desires.
Neurofeedback and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs)
Advancements in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and Neurofeedback could potentially be used to adapt gameplay in real-time based on players' cognitive states, enhancing immersion, and personalization.
VR and AR environments
Using VR and AR to create environments can expand a player’s senses in a game as they are plunged into a much more immersive experience.
Behavioral Economics Integration
Game developers could implement behavioral economics principles to create virtual economies within games that mimic real-world economic behaviors, offering players opportunities to apply financial and decision-making skills.
In conclusion, the psychology of gameplay still holds a pivotal role in gaming and will continue to shape our experiences within Web3. Understanding and combining psychological principles to enhance a player’s engagement, sense of purpose, emotional attachment, and social preferences, will help Web3 developers craft gaming experiences that transcend entertainment, empower players to explore and learn, and take ownership of an ever-evolving industry. Psychology connects us and helps us create meaningful connections with ourselves, our world, and with others. By harnessing these principles, Web3 can create a gaming experience that will push the boundaries and create new and innovative ways to experience a deep, fulfilling connection.
Stay tuned for more tech articles from IntoTheVerse.
IntoTheVerse is building a mobile-first, composable, NFT-Utility & Impact driven gaming Metaverse.
Follow us on Twitter, and LinkedIn, Instagram, Medium, and join the Discord community to stay up-to-date on news and events.
We are also live on Solana RealmsDAO and CeloHub
The IntoTheVerse team
🌎 Visit IntoTheVerse
👾 Join our Discord
🐦 Tweet with us
� Read with us on Medium
Aimee Gilmore is a Creative Writer at IntoTheVerse. Come say hi to her on Twitter or Discord.
