Show Me your motivation!

How extrinsic motivation can reduce the effects of

“dominant strategivits” within the action genre

Understanding player motivation is crucial for designing engaging experiences. Particularly in action games, where players seek mastery and excitement, the balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can profoundly impact gameplay.

As a player spends time with a game, the probability of them finding a dominant strategy and abusing it grows. Their intrinsic motivation may stave off the abuse of such a strategy, but players will, more often than not, inevitably resort to relying on their newfound tactic. This is because the extrinsic motivation provided by a game is rarely enough to push players to try other options.

While intrinsic motivation drives players to engage with game mechanics out of personal enjoyment, extrinsic motivation can complement this by incentivizing diverse gameplay strategies, thus preventing the optimization of fun out of a game.

Sid Meier famously remarked: "Given the opportunity, players will optimize the fun out of a game." This highlights the tendency for players to exploit dominant strategies, diminishing the overall enjoyment. Extrinsic motivation, in the form of rewards or incentives provided by the game, can counteract this tendency.

The most commonly used form of extrinsic motivation is the combo meter, which rewards players with a high number in exchange for landing various hits quickly while not taking damage. This, more often than not, tends to fall short, the player is not given a strong enough reason to try and attain a large number other than their own intrinsic motivation.

Some games try to remedy this by tying other mechanics to the standard combo meter. Spiderman PS4, for example, ties its combo meter to its focus meter, the higher your number the faster you build up focus.

This still lacks strong extrinsic motivation.

All that is asked of the player during the combat encounters is to win, and as we’ve stated above, players will find and use the most efficient method. In Spiderman, that amounts to using a web bomb followed by a concussive blast while near a wall. Special enemy types require a change in tactic; in other words, you are motivated to do something different, but when those have been dealt with, and all that remains is fodder enemies, you find yourself back at square one.

The greatest motivator

The style meter

I believe Devil May Cry’s style meter is the best example of extrinsic motivation in an action game.

Tapping into our inner child, the style meter judges and then grades how “cool” you are, and nothing stings more than being told you’re not “cool.”

By judging and grading player performance based on "coolness," it incentivizes players to diversify their combat approach. This system not only enhances gameplay depth, but also fosters a sense of achievement beyond mere success.

It’s simple and easy to understand, punishing you for performing the same action over and over again; the simplicity of the system motivates players to use everything in their arsenal.

You are rewarded for learning your movie list and using all of it.

If you were to find a dominant strategy and try to use it ad nauseam, you would receive a low score.

The Devil May Cry series gives the players 2 objectives:

Win the game and do it with style

In Closing

While the style meter is not a universal solution, its success underscores the importance of balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in game design. By considering both factors, developers can create experiences that not only challenge players but also inspire creativity and experimentation. Ultimately, unlocking player motivation in action games requires a nuanced understanding of human psychology and game mechanics.