Tom Chatfield provides an overview of how games stimulate brain reward processing. Chatfield is game enthusiast who edits the arts and books section of the UK magazine, Prospect. Here are my notes from the TED video.
Chatfield begins by stating he is in awe of the power of virtual games to transfix us.
Video gaming is the fastest growing of all forms of media ($50 billion per year).
People spend enormous time and money on virtual game rewards. Farmville has over 70 million players around the world.
The good news is this gaming teaches us about brain rewards.
Video games produce huge data sets of reward processing.
We have evolved in special ways. Here are seven ways games teach us about brain rewards.
1. Measuring progress aids reward-games use constant score updating to reward players
2. Multiple long and short-term gains--by adding complexity, gamers are less likely to become bored
3. Reward for effort-every time you get something for effort, negative feedback is not very helpful
4. Feedback is frequent, rapid and clear
5. Element of uncertainty- uncertainty of reward is a neurological and psychological gold mine. Dopamine is the brain's reward learning chemical and is released more with unexpected reward
6. Windows of enhanced engagement-in gaming, developers use moments of enhanced memory and increased confidence
7. Social interaction-playing with other people enhances reward and is more likely to keep gamers involved in the game
Video gaming is the fastest growing of all forms of media ($50 billion per year).
People spend enormous time and money on virtual game rewards. Farmville has over 70 million players around the world.
The good news is this gaming teaches us about brain rewards.
Video games produce huge data sets of reward processing.
We have evolved in special ways. Here are seven ways games teach us about brain rewards.
1. Measuring progress aids reward-games use constant score updating to reward players
2. Multiple long and short-term gains--by adding complexity, gamers are less likely to become bored
3. Reward for effort-every time you get something for effort, negative feedback is not very helpful
4. Feedback is frequent, rapid and clear
5. Element of uncertainty- uncertainty of reward is a neurological and psychological gold mine. Dopamine is the brain's reward learning chemical and is released more with unexpected reward
6. Windows of enhanced engagement-in gaming, developers use moments of enhanced memory and increased confidence
7. Social interaction-playing with other people enhances reward and is more likely to keep gamers involved in the game
These principles have implications in business. Real time energy meters could provide immediate feedback on progress in saving energy.
Implications are important for education. We can use game technologies to enhance learning.
Finally, in government we may learn how to reward people to change complex behaviors and combat problems like obesity.
Games teach us the the key role of engagement--how to keep people involved in tasks to promote individual and social engagement. If we can learn from how games promote engagement, we may have something very revolutionary.
Chatfield has written a book titled Fun, Inc where he outlines how virtual games can be a good place to learn new approaches in the real world.
Chatfield is on to an important issue here. Why can't we take some of the principles of popular games and apply them to things like learning algebra or organic chemistry? So far, educational software has not progressed at the speed or complexity of video gaming. Perhaps by learning how gamers are rewarded and engaged in virtual reality games we can provide more effective online educational software.
Implications are important for education. We can use game technologies to enhance learning.
Finally, in government we may learn how to reward people to change complex behaviors and combat problems like obesity.
Games teach us the the key role of engagement--how to keep people involved in tasks to promote individual and social engagement. If we can learn from how games promote engagement, we may have something very revolutionary.
Chatfield has written a book titled Fun, Inc where he outlines how virtual games can be a good place to learn new approaches in the real world.
Chatfield is on to an important issue here. Why can't we take some of the principles of popular games and apply them to things like learning algebra or organic chemistry? So far, educational software has not progressed at the speed or complexity of video gaming. Perhaps by learning how gamers are rewarded and engaged in virtual reality games we can provide more effective online educational software.
