There are many components that make a good game. Of course, a game must be challenging, require skill, and be rewarding, but you should not overlook the impact of emotion when it comes to game design. The best game developers understand that it is the emotions that a game triggers that keep people coming back for more. This is true whether it is a complex role-playing game or even a basic casino game like roulette. Whether playing on a mobile device, laptop, console, or any other device, you should not overlook the importance of emotion when it comes to game design. Read on to find out more.
How Games Trigger Different Emotions
Ultimately, video games are popular because they trigger emotions. It is common for a player to experience tension, excitement, shock, disappointment, and elation when gaming, with some games perfectly triggering all of these in one session. This can make playing any kind of game an emotional roller coaster in a safe environment – once you turn the game off, you can go back to life as normal until the next gaming session.
The Psychology Behind Gaming
Gaming can be a highly emotional experience with dizzying highs and crushing lows. This all stems from the brain’s risk/reward system and the uncertainty of the unknown. Every decision that is made in a game creates uncertainty, which releases the feel-good hormones in the brain (dopamine). This can create a surge of excitement and adrenaline, which keeps people coming back for more. This is why even when a player loses a game due to a wrong decision, they will still feel excitement and enjoy the gaming experience (although not as much as if they had won!).
Combining Skill & Emotion
Of course, it is not just emotion that makes for a good game. The best games are those that combine skill, luck, and emotion for engaging gaming experiences. Games reward those who use skill and strategy, which leads to greater rewards. This motivates players to keep playing the game, as they know that the more they play, the more positive emotions they will experience from the game.
Online blackjack is the perfect example of this. Blackjack is a game that can be relatively easy to learn, but you greatly improve your chances of success by using basic strategies. When you play online blackjack, every decision will elicit an emotional reaction, so by improving your chances of winning with strategy, you know you will be more likely to feel the highs of a win. However, there is still the element of chance – even with a strong strategy, there is a chance that it might backfire, which is where the excitement of uncertainty comes into play and the unpredictable nature keeps people coming back for more.
The importance of emotion in gaming cannot be overstated. Games that trigger a range of emotions are inherently more engaging than those that do not, and it is the range of emotions that always keeps people coming back for more.