26 nudges to use in videogames to manipulate the player
In the realm of video game design, nudges are subtle design elements that guide players along the intended path, enhancing their experience without overtly dictating their actions. Here’s a list of nudges used in video games, each with a description, use cases, and examples.
Disclaimer:
- I tried to avoid exploring the nudges listed here from a marketing perspective. I think that there is enough documentation online on how to sell more, but I didn’t find many lists of nudges for game mechanics.
- The nudge itself doesn’t have any moral alignment, you can use it to make the good or bad for the player.
Index:
- Social Proof
- Authority Effect
- Group Effect
- Labeling Theory
- God/Superman Complex
- Gaslighting
- Fresh Start Effect
- Norm of Reciprocity
- Attentional Shift
- Missing Apprehension
- Nostalgia Effect
- Framing
- Hawthorne Effect
- Category Size Bias
- Black Swan Theory
- Mirror Neurons
- Von Restorff Effect (isolation effect)
- IKEA Effect
- Principle of Least Effort
- Risk Aversion
- Endowed Progress
- Creeping Normality
- Sunk Cost Fallacy
- Ovsiankina Effect (Cliffhanger)
- Hedonic Treadmill (Craving)
- Anchoring
Social Proof
95 % of people are imitators and only 5% initiators…people are persuaded more by the actions of others than by any proof we can offer. by Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Social proof nudges players by showing them the decisions or preferences of others.
Use case: You have a choice that can block the players with decision paralysis. By showing them the most common choice, they can feel safer taking that choice.
Examples:
- The shop in League of Legends suggests the most common build for a given champion. This is useful because the player is often in a rush and doesn’t have time to evaluate all the possibilities.
Authority Effect
The authority effect nudges players to comply with instructions from a perceived authority figure.
Use case: Tutorials or quest givers.
Examples:
- In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, one of the first quest givers is the Jarl of Whiterun who guides the player through the beginning of the main quest. He leaves the player with the request of a long journey to the Greybeards (another authority).
- In military-themed games such as Call of Duty, characters with higher military ranks often give orders to the player.
- In open-world games like GTA, the presence of police or other law enforcement can act as an authority nudge, influencing players to avoid illegal activities or face consequences.
Group Effect
The group effect encourages players to work for the good of their group, even if they didn’t choose the group in the first place.
Use case: If the player doesn’t feel the urgency of a task, put him in a group and now the group needs are the needs of the player. It works in both singleplayer and multiplayer games.
Examples:
- Overwatch shows what are the needs of the group in the Hero selection screen.
- in Fallout 4 Soon after escaping Vault 111, the player may come across the Museum of Freedom under attack by raiders. If assistance is given, Preston Garvey invites the player to join the Minutemen, he is promoted to the rank of general, and the main questline starts.
Bonus: Realistic Conflict Theory
This nudge involves competition with another group, fostering tribal traits.
Use case: to focus the player's attention on the enemy and to fight for shared and limited resources.
Examples:
- EVE Online offers large-scale battles, with hundreds of players on each side, fighting over territories in space.
Attention: In online multiplayer games it can lead to prejudice, discrimination, bullying, and harassment. Feelings of resentment can arise in the situation where the groups see the competition over resources as having a zero-sum fate, in which only one group is the winner, obtaining all the resources.
Labeling Theory
Visible symbols can nudge players to pride or hate and it is associated with the concepts of self-fulfilling prophecy.
This nudge can lean toward the Group Effect and can reinforce it if the mark is common among a group of people (NPC or players), or lean toward the Superman Complex if the player is the only one with the stigma.
Use case: Make the player feel unique or part of a minority, creating a distance between We and Others.
Examples:
- The hair and eyes of Gerald in The Witcher.
- Corvo Attano’s Outsider Mark in Dishonored.
- The Mark of the Absolute in Baldur’s Gate III.
God/Superman Complex
This nudge makes players feel like they are the only ones who can save the day. It’s one of the easiest and most abused nudge, but it could lead to a shallow narrative.
Use case: make the player feel important in the game world, pushing him to resolve quest after quest.
Examples:
- Any game where the player is “the chosen one”: Skyrim (the Dragonborn), Fallout 2 (The Chosen One), The Legend of Zelda (Hylia’s Chosen Hero)…
Gaslighting
Gaslighting involves changing or hiding facts to create a more immersive and psychologically engaging experience for the player.
Examples:
- In Spec Ops: The Line players are led to believe they are on a heroic mission to save Dubai from a rogue U.S. Army battalion. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the protagonist’s perception of reality is skewed, and the narrative the player has been led to believe is challenged. The game uses this narrative technique to make players question their actions and the morality of their decisions.
- Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is renowned for its “Sanity Effects” feature, where the game simulates various effects to make players question their sanity.
Fresh Start Effect
This nudge motivates players to tackle challenges at the start of new periods.
Use case: The player feels behind and not motivated to play. Offer to start again from a default point.
Examples:
- Monopoly (yep the board game): The money you gain passing the Go square can act as a Fresh Start Effect and get you again in the game with the other players.
- Stardew Valley: If the player dies with his basic tools, the game may provide him with some basic tools or resources the next day to help them recover from the loss.
- Pretty much any modern multiplayer game: Game seasons that reset players’ rank every one, two, or six months (League of Legends, Fortnite, Hearthstone…).
Norm of Reciprocity
Players are nudged to interact with others based on their first impressions. This can be used in both good and evil perspective. Make sure to introduce a character memorably, to make the player stick to that first impression.
Use cases:
- You want the player to connect with another character, or hate him.
- You want two players to connect.
- You want to have a plot twist later in the game.
Examples:
- In Super Mario Odyssey Cappy’s first scene, he offers to replace the thorn-up iconic Mario hat, giving the player new movements and tools.
- In Sky: Children of Light, players can exchange gifts and unlock interactions with a “friendship tree”. See Kind Games: Designing for Prosocial Multiplayer.
- In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Shepherd is introduced as an ally to the player, then sets the scene for one of the most memorable betrayal moments in videogame history.
Attentional Shift
Attentional shift nudges involve regaining the player’s attention through changes in the game. This can also be referred to as pacing.
Use case: Avoid boredom and keep the player playing with longer sessions.
Examples:
- Many open-world games offer different points of interest close to each other, so the player can complete one and quickly jump to the next with a different quest or activity.
Missing Apprehension
The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful motivator in video games. It leverages players’ desire to stay connected with what others are doing, driven by the fear that they might miss out on a limited-time opportunity or event. This nudge is particularly effective in multiplayer games with live events or time-limited offers.
Temporal Motivation Theory (Procrastination Theory)
This theory suggests that motivation decreases as the deadline for a task gets further away, and increases as the deadline approaches. This can be used to nudge players to complete tasks or challenges within a certain timeframe to receive rewards by showing a timer or a clear deadline.
Scarcity Principle
The principle of scarcity states that items or opportunities that are perceived as scarce or limited in availability are more valued by individuals. This can lead players towards purchasing or earning limited-time items or participating in events.
Use case: Make the player engage with an event, or make him return to the game.
Examples:
- In many live service games, limited-time events and skins create a sense of urgency among players, nudging them to participate or purchase before these opportunities disappear.
- Timed quest in singleplayers, like in Baldurs’s Gate 3 the player can save Nere from toxic gas if not too many days pass.. Attention, if abused could annoy the player because it removes agency from choosing its own pace.
Nostalgia Effect
Nostalgia is a powerful emotion that can be leveraged in video games to nudge players towards engagement or purchase. By incorporating elements that remind players of past experiences or better times, developers can increase satisfaction and selling potential.
Use case: You want to replicate the emotions that an older game made the player feel. You want to increase the selling appeal of your game.
Examples:
- Retro Aesthetics: Games such as Shovel Knight and Stardew Valley use pixel art and chiptune music to evoke the era of 8-bit and 16-bit gaming, appealing to players’ nostalgia for the early days of video games.
- In-Game References and Easter Eggs: Games sometimes include references or hidden items related to older games. For instance, World of Warcraft is known for its pop culture references and nods to classic games, which can elicit nostalgic feelings from players. Source
Framing
Framing involves presenting information in a way that influences perception and decision-making. By manipulating grammar or the context in which information is presented, players’ perceptions can be subtly guided toward a desired outcome or interpretation.
Use case: Push the player toward a particular choice. Make a negative outcome less negative to the player.
Examples:
- Devil May Cry with its Stylish Rank makes use of cool words even for the lower scores. “Deadly!” (D), “Carnage!” (C) “Brutal!” (B), “Atomic!” (A), “Smokin’!” (S)
- Word of Warcraft had a mechanic that would lower the experience gained from players after two hours of playing, and people hated it. They didn’t change the mechanic but reframed the malus into a bonus. Now the players have an x2 experience bonus for the first two hours of playing.
Hawthorne Effect
The Hawthorne effect occurs when people change their behavior because they know they are being observed. In video games, this can be used to influence player behavior through the presence of an audience or surveillance.
Use case: Make the player aware of the context, making him focused to impress the viewer or to raise the stress level.
Examples:
- The player takes care of his house in Animal Crossing: New Horizons because he could have friends visiting it.
- The presence of online leaderboards or achievements can cause players to change their approach to gameplay, striving to improve their rank and thus altering their natural play style.
- In horror games, you can make the player feel anxious if he has the feeling of being watched.
Category Size Bias (Size Does Matter)
This bias suggests that the numerical or visual size of something affects its perceived value. In video games, larger numbers or visuals can be used to make rewards or threats seem more significant.
Use case: Make something feel more satisfying or dangerous.
Examples:
- When the player hits an enemy, show the damage number bigger relative to the player's strength. You can also change the color for critical hits. See Borderlands.
- Skyrim’s Frostbite Spiders change in size depending on their strength.
Black Swan Theory
Unexpected events in games can cause stronger emotional reactions than expected ones. It must have massive consequences.
Use case: Create memorable moments or plot twists.
Examples:
- Final Fantasy VII: The unexpected death of Aerith, a main character, serves as a Black Swan event that has a profound impact on the story and the player’s emotional experience.
- Red Dead Redemption: The game’s ending, where the protagonist John Marston is betrayed and killed, is a Black Swan event that defies the typical conventions of the hero’s journey in video games.
Mirror Neurons
Humans often mimic the emotions they observe in others. This can be used to create empathy or mirror emotional states through characters.
Use case: Create empathy in the player, make him cry, or angry.
Examples:
- Pretty much any time there is a strong emotion expressed by a character. The effect is increased when the player has a connection with that character.
Von Restorff Effect (isolation effect)
Clear contrasts in meaning, style, colors, or words are instantly noticed and valued. An item that stands out is more likely to be remembered. This can be used to highlight important items or areas.
Use case: Draw attention or convey important information.
Examples:
- In Limbo, the stark contrast between the foreground and background helps players focus on gameplay elements and creates a distinctive visual style.
- in Mirror’s Edge, the red color is in high contrast with anything else on the level.
IKEA Effect
Players value items they’ve created themselves more highly.
Use case: Increase player investment and satisfaction.
Examples:
- In Minecraft and other sandbox survival games, the time and effort players put into building structures lead to a greater sense of ownership and value.
- You want the player to value a legendary item. Make him craft it, instead of making him buy it.
Principle of Least Effort
Individuals tend to choose the easiest or most efficient path.
Use case: Limit players from abusing an optimal strategy.
Examples:
- In Stardew Valley, players may choose crops that require less effort to maintain but still provide a good return on investment.
- Killing boars in MMORPGs gives insignificant experience at higher levels. This leads the player to risk harder challenges for better rewards.
Risk Aversion
People prefer known probabilities over unknown ones. Players could avoid taking action if they don’t know what are the odds of their success.
Risk aversion is the behavior of avoiding uncertainties and preferring a predictable outcome. Remember that for humans loss aversion is greater than the desire for rewards, so a player would not risk losing something if it has not enough confidence in the outcomes.
Use case: Nudge players towards risky actions.
Examples:
- XCOM shows players the odds of success for their actions.
- Hearthstone has a 5% drop rate for legendary cards, but it guarantees to get at least one every 40 packs.
Endowed Progress
The endowed progress effect is the idea that if you provide some type of artificial advancement toward a goal, a person will be more motivated to complete the goal. Individuals are more likely to continue a task if they receive a head start.
Use case: Encourage player progression.
Examples:
- When you level up, the exceeding experience is not lost but it contributes to the experience for the next level.
- An NPC asks the player to build a shelter and offers him 2 wood logs to help reach the 10 needed.
- You want the player to save 10 people from the enemy. Make him save 2 without effort as a side effect of another action, then ask him to save the other 10.
- Mobile games often use daily login rewards that increase in value for consecutive logins. Players who have logged in for several days in a row feel they have made progress and are more likely to continue logging in to gain more resources for a greater goal.
Creeping Normality
Creeping normality (also called gradualism) is a process by which a major change can be accepted as normal and acceptable if it happens gradually through small, often unnoticeable, increments of change.
By utilizing creeping normality, game developers can keep their games engaging over long periods, encouraging players to continue playing as they slowly adapt to new content and changes.
Use case: Introduce new mechanics or changes without overwhelming the player.
Examples:
- Stardew Valley: As players progress through the game, new areas to explore and new crafting recipes are unlocked. This gradual expansion of the game world and abilities becomes the new normal for players as they invest more time into the game.
- Over the years, live service games have introduced numerous changes to their gameplay, user interface, and world design. These changes have been rolled out gradually through patches and expansions, allowing players to adapt to the new normality of the game without drastic shifts.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
The Sunk Cost Fallacy is the phenomenon where people continue a behavior as a result of previously invested resources (time, money, effort). A higher starting cost commitment and smaller costs demanding (during the action) increases the effect.
Use case: make the player engage in an activity repeated times.
Examples:
- League of Legends allows the players to surrender only after 15 minutes into the game. This lowers the chances that the players surrender than if it is allowed just after 5 minutes because the players already invested more time in it.
- In games like Clash of Clans, the player will keep playing just for the amount of time (and possibly money) he already put into it.
- You want a player to keep participating in an event. Make him pay a high upfront cost to participate, then smaller costs to keep getting rewards from the event. This will keep him engaged more because of the player wants to make the initial sunk cost worth it.
Ovsiankina Effect (Cliffhanger)
The Ovsiankina Effect is the desire to complete an interrupted task. In video games, this can be used to keep players engaged by leaving them wanting more at the end of a session.
Use case: Keep players engaged by leaving them wanting more at the end of a session.
Examples:
- In episodic games like Life is Strange, each episode often ends on a cliffhanger, compelling players to play the next installment.
Hedonic Treadmill (Craving)
The hedonic treadmill refers to the diminishing of pleasure or satisfaction over time. Interrupting a positive experience before the player can adapt to it can lead to a strong craving for that experience.
Use case: Keep players coming back for more.
Examples:
- In Candy Crush Saga and other mobile games with an energy system, the game limits the number of lives a player has, creating a forced break from the game. This interruption can increase the player’s desire to play again once lives are replenished.
Anchoring
Anchoring is the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered when making decisions.
Attention: any first piece of information is used by the player as an anchor. If the first quest the player completes gives him 100 gold as a reward, he will expect a similar value for the next quest. If you reward him 50 gold on the second quest, the player will feel scammed. Use the Creeping Normality nudge to move away from an anchor.
Use case: set expectations for rewards or item prices.
Example:
- An item’s initial high price set as an anchor can make the discounted price seem like a much better deal, nudging players to make a purchase. This increases the perceived value of the Loyalty Card in Hades which offers discounts at Charon’s shops.
This list can be expanded, there is no limit to the nudges you can find, leave a comment with a new nudge or an edit request and I’ll be open to adding it and quoting you.
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