Chapter 10Congratulations! Selecting the Right In-Game Achievements

Overview

• What is an in-game achievement?

• What are the different types of in-game achievements?

• Which in-game achievement is appropriate in which situation?

Introduction

• Achievements are A HOT topic• We need to learn to utilize players to their fullest potential• Only the achievements, which were forethought designed, could have

positive effects on players. • Achievements designed properly could improve the player’s

experience and the quality of a game. • Alternatively, the effects of poorly designed achievements are

undetermined• There are many studies about this topic. Let’s deconstruct how

achievements are currently used in games first

Measurement vs. Completion Achievements

• Measurement and completion achievements describe two distinct conditions under which we reward players for their actions.

• Measurement achievements are given to players for completing a task to a certain degree.

• Their performance can be measured against other players' performance, their own performance, or some standard set by game designers.

• Completion achievements are offered as an award once a task is completed.

• Performance contingent achievements: require skill to complete• Non-performance contingent achievements: awarded for simply being

present

Best Practice

• Use measurement achievements instead of completion achievements to increase intrinsic motivation through feedback.

Boring vs. Interesting Tasks

• Achievements are earned for the completion of a task or series of tasks.

• If a task is boring, the reward structure associated with it has to be different from tasks that are inherently interesting to the player.

• Boring tasks (such as trade skills in MMOs) can be paired with extrinsic motivators, like achievements, in order for players to engage in them.

• Interesting tasks, which the player would engage in without any form of additional motivation, do not need to be reinforced with rewards.

Best Practice

• Reward players for boring tasks and give them feedback for interesting ones. Make achievements for interesting tasks attentional.

Achievement Difficulty

• The difficulty of achievements is addressed twice by designers. • The actual difficulty of achievements needs to be on a level that is attainable but

challenging to the players. • Players' self-efficacy for the task(s) associated with the achievement must be high

enough that they feel confident in attempting it.• Achievements that are too difficult will not even be attempted by players,

and those that are too easy will be completed quickly and won't provide an adequate challenge.

• Player self-efficacy is another important factor that game designers must consider.

• Goal commitment, strategy creation and use, and a more positive response to negative feedback

Best Practice

• Make achievements challenging for the greatest returns in player performance and enjoyment. Phrase achievements and design interactions to increase player self-efficacy.

Goal Orientation

• Players' goal orientation must be considered when designing achievements, as it will influence how they experience a game through goals they set for themselves.

• Performance orientation and mastery orientation

• Players who favor a performance orientation are concerned with other people's assessment of their competence.

• Players who have a mastery orientation are concerned more with improving their own proficiency.

Best Practice

• For complex tasks requiring creativity or complicated strategies, try to instill a mastery orientation.

• For simple or repetitive tasks, instill a performance orientation. Try to keep new players who are still learning how to play in a mastery orientation.

Expected vs. Unexpected Achievements

• Players either know what achievements can be earned before they play a game or they come upon them unexpectedly during play. Expected and unexpected achievements have different effects on players and can both be utilized to improve player experience.

• Expected achievements allow players to set goals for themselves before they begin.

• In addition, expected achievements also allow players to create a schema, or a mental model, of game play before they begin.

• Unexpected achievements are relatively uncommon in video games but can also have potential benefits to players.

Best Practice

• Primarily use expected achievements so players can establish goals for themselves and create a schema of the game. Make sure achievement descriptions accurately reflect what needs to be done by the player and why it is important.

• Unexpected achievements can be used sparingly to encourage creative play.

When Achievement Notification Occurs

• Players must be made aware of their accomplishment• Notified immediately or delayed

• Immediate feedback can improve LEARNING and efficiency• Especially important when using measurement achievements that directly

relate to player performance• Newer players benefit more from this type of feedback than more

experienced players would• Increasingly delayed feedback will be more effective for experiences

players• Careful! Achievement notification during play may disrupt

• give players achievement notification after a natural break in play

Best Practice

• For games with no clear break in play, give immediate feedback with an unobtrusive popup accompanied by a longer explanation available after play.

• For games with clearly defined play sessions and those that require a greater deal of concentration, it is better to use delayed notification.

• Try to give new players immediate feedback and give more experienced players delayed feedback.

Achievement Permanence

• Long after a player earns an achievement, he or she may want to reflect on the experience

• Permanent achievements allow players to relive their former glory • Digitally tangible: earning an achievement • Stored lists: description of the achievement

• Impermanent ones exist only when the player is first notified• Verbal reinforcements

Best Practice

• Give players the opportunity to go over their earned achievements using some kind of stored list.

• Digitally tangible rewards are a great incentive but won't keep the player around after the reward is earned.

Who Can See Earned Achievements?

• Achievements will be shared, but varies by game. • Player’s decision• Social Approval

• Earned achievements that act as a resume• MMOs

Best Practice

• Making earned achievements viewable to other players is a powerful incentive.

• To prevent players from being excluded because of their lack of experience, create achievements for players who take other players under their wing.

• Let players display a few achievements they are proud of to increase motivation and highlight their play style.

Negative Achievements

• Some achievements are given to players when the player fails, he or she may earn the negative achievement.

• Negative achievements are the digital equivalent of pouring salt on a wound

• If players know that there are negative achievements in the game, they will try to avoid them

• But be careful of using it!

Best Practice

• Don't use negative achievements as a punishment for failure. Provide feedback within the system that can assist struggling players.

Achievements as Currency

• Earned achievements could be used as virtual currency in games.• points, coins, or stars and later use them to purchase in-game items or real-

world objects

• Research: Monetary rewards have greater returns on task performance than tangible rewards

• rewards were tied to inputs rather than outputs

• Currency rewards have been shown to decrease intrinsic motivation for the recipients of the reward

Best Practice

• Offer players currency for completing tasks instead of rewards to give them a greater sense of control.

• Reward the inputs rather than the outputs• Use a currency system to enhance a game, but don't attempt to make

currency acquisition the main reason players engage in an activity.

Incremental and Meta Achievements

• Incremental achievements are awarded in a chain for performing the same task through scaling levels of difficulty.

• Meta achievements are earned for completing a series of achievements that are for different tasks.

• Both incremental and meta achievements can be used as a type of scaffolding, a "training wheels" approach used in teaching.

• It's broken up into smaller pieces and sequenced like a training program. • Breaking the task up into pieces also has the side benefit of helping players

create a schema about how the more complex task is structured.• The amount of challenge each one provides are important things to

keep in mind.

Best Practice

• Use these types of achievements to hold the players' interest for longer periods of time and guide them to related activities.

• Make the spacing between incremental achievements, both in time and physical location, separated enough so that players don't feel too controlled.

Competitive Achievements

• Competitive achievements require players to face off with one another in either direct confrontations or indirectly through their scores on solo tasks.

• Some research indicates that competition can increase overall enjoyment and attitude toward a given task.

• Computer science classes in particular have noted success in their implementation of competition to make classes more interesting.

• Other studies indicate that under certain circumstances competition should be avoided.

Best Practice

• If competitive achievements are used in a game, make them available only after players are comfortable with game play and no longer learning the ropes.

Non-Competitive Cooperative Achievements

• Cooperative achievements are earned by players working toward a goal together in a game.

• In multi-player games where players can interact with peers• Reward assists

• Most research supports the use of cooperative environments to improve performance.

• Risks: • Attitude polarization in groups, which often leads to more cautious or risky

decision making as a whole• Process loss, which can take place if the additional workload from

coordinating communication and assisting others hinders group performance.

Best Practice

• To foster a cooperative environment, offering achievements for more advanced players to assist less experienced players is an option.

• The groups for cooperative achievements should be kept relatively small to decrease social loafing and process loss.

• The metrics used for earning achievements should assess individual performances within the group setting.