Flow Theory and Self-Determination Theories
When a person is fully immersed in an activity with a balance between challenges and developed skills, they enter a state of “flow”, also called “in the zone”. Individuals are most motivated when they feel that they are in a state of control, when they feel competent, and when they feel a sense of connection. A well-designed game ensures players consistently operate within this flow state, leading to heightened engagement and satisfaction.
That’s the basics of strategic game design. However, it’s important to be able to use these theories for better player engagement.
Strategic Game Design Principles
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Balanced Difficulty Levels: Games should be neither too easy nor too hard. They should offer different levels of difficulty that players can choose based on their skill level. This keeps them in the flow state, rather than feeling overwhelmed or under-challenged.
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Decision Making: Depending on what type of Gimkit Creative game you make, you can include different types of decisions that the players make. For example, you could have a PVP game with the choice of classes, or a game like Henry Stickmin, strictly about decision making
:trol:. Giving players the freedom to make choices, whether it’s character customization, choosing paths in a storyline, or even selecting difficulty levels, gives a better sense of autonomy. When players feel they have a say in the game’s outcomes, they are more engaged, but it’s equally important to not make these decisions too complex. -
Progress Tracking and Rewards: Recognizing player achievements, whether it’s through scores, badges, or in-game rewards, reinforces the feeling of competence. Leaderboards, achievements, and progression systems can be strategically implemented to motivate and acknowledge players.
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Social Features: Multiplayer puzzles, chat systems, or even simple systems like leaderboards can create a sense of relatedness. Players enjoy the game more when they can share experiences, collaborate, or compete with others. Though, in some games, this isn’t possible without changing most of the essence of the game, which is fine.
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Narrative Integration: A strong storyline can provide context and a deeper sense of purpose to the gameplay. It can give off emotions and further connect players to the game world.
I will also provide more information about game designs, and specific styles of game design including some listed in this post, but this was made as an introduction to game design. anyway give like if informational lol
guide?