Definitive Guide to Video Game Reward Design
Design Game Rewards Players Genuinely Love.
Stop the 'reward treadmill'! This guide offers a research-backed, player-centered approach to creating rewards that truly resonate, enhance intrinsic motivation, and ethically integrate monetization. It is for game designers, developers, and students who want to build deeply engaging reward systems that players truly value—moving beyond simple points and badges.
Master the art and science of game rewards and craft compelling progression systems, balance complex game economies, and avoid common pitfalls like "pointsification" that can ruin a player's experience.
In This Book, You’ll Learn How To:
- Understand core player motivations using psychology.
- Design a diverse "Reward Palette" for different player needs.
- Craft compelling progression systems and anticipation loops.
- Balance complex game economies and tune reward probabilities.
- Integrate monetization ethically, ensuring fairness and transparency.
- Avoid common pitfalls like the "reward treadmill" or "pointsification".
Video Course Also Available
Definitive Guide to Video Game Reward Design
Go beyond the page with this companion video course. It translates the core principles of the book into a dynamic, visual format, packed with fresh examples from modern games. Learn how to diagnose flawed reward systems and design engaging, humane, and effective rewards from the ground up.
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Front Cover
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Give Your FeedbackAbout the Founder
Janne Tyni, Ph.D.
This work is part of IndieUXR's ongoing research into ethical game design and player psychology.