3 Gaming Tactics to Supercharge
User’s Motivation 5 min read

Whether it’s winning EPIC boss
fights, Game: Shank

Solving ENDLESS puzzles,
Game: FEZ

Or failing AGAIN AND AGAIN...
Game: Flappy Bird

One thing is certain.

GAMES ARE
HARD WORK

AND GAMERS
DON’T GIVE UP

Read on to learn how
games keep players motivated using 3 crucial steps.

Please allow me to introduce
myself first

Hi, I’m Dori Adar. I
write and talk about the intersection of video games and non-game consumer products. www.DoriAdar.com @ Dori Adar

3 STEP MOTIVATION MODEL 1.
Aspirations and Social Proof 2. Milestones 3. Small Victories

3 STEP MOTIVATION MODEL 1.
Aspirations and Social Proof 2. Milestones 3. Small Victories

That’s the opening screen of
Monkey Island (™). When I saw that as a kid, 25 years ago, I was like...

Hell yea!
Me too!

Kids these days have different
aspirations.

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, a mobile
game by GLU, was all the rage on the app stores in 2014. (Rage = $200 million in revenue) Source: Forbes

Both games inspire their users
to BECOME SOMEONE.

Both enhance this goal with
SOCIAL PROOF.

Each character in KK has
a very visible “celebrity rank” as a constant reminder of the main quest.

And there’s Kim the primary
role model.

In Monkey Island everybody is
a goddamn mighty pirate

But you.
...except for YOU

3 STEP MOTIVATION MODEL 1.
Aspirations and Social Proof 2. Milestones 3. Small Victories

It might take weeks of
gameplay to become a pirate/A-lister.

That’s why it’s so important
to set milestones along the journey.

Finish these trials and become
a pirate in Monkey Island.

Make it to the next
celebrity level on your way to becoming an A-lister.

Milestones assure users they are
on the right track, and should always seem within reach.

3 STEP MOTIVATION MODEL 1.
Aspirations and Social Proof 2. Milestones 3. Small Victories

A journey of a thousand
miles begins with a single step.

Each step is a small
victory. Games give us plenty of these.

In Monkey Island, each time
an item is picked up, or better yet, is used: It’s a small victory.

Acquiring fans by participating in
events and dates are KK’s small victories.

Each time the user logs
into the game she gets her fix of small victories.

That’s how playing turns into
a daily habit.

Let’s take some non-gaming examples
that use this model.

Is an online education platform
for learning code. It is used by 24 mil users.

The ASPIRATION is clear, right
from the homepage.

Enhanced with
SOCIAL PROOF.

This is a
MILESTONE.

And here are the small
steps, the SMALL VICTORIES.

But hey, Learning to code
is BORING… Let’s spice things up.

Is a dating app/game that
has made over 1 billion matches. How do they motivate their users?

Tinder’s go-to-market strategy was to
acquire hot students to be the first users, for social proof’s sake.

It worked. Tinder became the
first dating app to break the online dating stigma.

Tinder users’ aspirations may vary,
but are always related to meeting new people.

The milestones
are the DATES...

And of course small steps
→ SMALL VICTORIES.

Once Alison and I finally
meet... Me Alison

It will be these pics,
SMSs and other small victories gestures...

That keep this new relationship
alive until the next milestone date.

Remember this 3 step plan...
...And motivate your users WITH LOVE!

Feeling motivated? SHARE Wanna get
some more? www.DoriAdar.com Thank you Sarah Keyes for reviewing this slide.