From Pixels to Possibilities: Why do we play games?

Ever wondered what makes people tap their screens repeatedly and glued to their screens, during commute or when they are bored? It is most probably the games they have been playing!

Gaming has become an ubiquitous part of our contemporary lives, whether it is video games, mobile games, board games or role-playing games. You would have noticed people of all ages and walks of life busy playing games on their mobile and digital devices. Essentially, gaming isn’t just about tapping screens, smashing buttons or gaining victory results on the screen, there’s an entirely fascinating world and complex systems behind even the simplest games we play. 

Why do we play games?

1. Dopamine rush

When you play a game, you would have felt a sense of happiness or satisfaction after gaining a kill or after a prestigious reward, right? After which, you would want to play one more time or make one more gamble, just to keep the euphoric feeling of achieving something. 

Read more: The Role of Dopamine in the Mind

Those feelings of victory rush and heightened focus that we experience is the notorious work of dopamine, which is an active part of the brain’s reward system. Dopamine is secreted when we play games, causing feelings of adrenaline, excitement, and pleasure. This is known as a dopamine rush, which is triggered by certain aspects of a game:

• Rewards system: When we play games that offers variable rewards such as mystery boxes, random prizes and gacha pulls, we experience a dopamine rush. Further, getting a surprise reward can make us feel lucky and we end up chasing that rush repeatedly.

• Achievements: Games tend to have incremental achievements and many types of accomplishments to keep us hooked. It can range from leveling up, unlocking new gear to rank achievements against other players.

• Co-operative & Competitive features: In co-op games, collaborating successfully with others and achieving a shared goal can give us a rush of dopamine. On the other hand, competitive games will bring out our competitive spirit to enable us to win against other players and provides immense satisfaction when we triumph over others. After getting a rank or achievement through social features like leader boards, rank systems, etc, we will be motivated to maintain our badges of honor as long as possible.

• Reinforcement: To keep us engaged continuously, game systems provide instant positive or negative feedback that will usually motivate us to continue playing and avoid negative outcomes. Some of the outcomes that would positively reinforce our gaming behavior include new quests, daily rewards, progression, achievements, ranks, etc. When we need to adjust our gaming behavior or strategy, negative outcomes such as bans, penalties, loss of resources, increased difficulty, will discourage us through a negative feedback loop.

2. Immersion

As games are designed to keep us absorbed, gameplay features such as vivid and realistic visuals, evocative music, extensive world-building, powerful storytelling, and intuitive gameplay mechanics can all blend to form a captivating and immersive world for us to escape into. Usually, games can induce an alluring feeling of being transferred into a fictional universe where you’re so involved that you lose track of the time spent playing.

Games can be diverse in the form of style, formats, genres and aesthetics. For example, in games such as Dishonored, Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, etc, the choices you make, how you choose to play your character can determine your future gameplay and endgame outcomes. This adds an extra layer of immersion that can draw people into the narrative and the fictional world. 

3. Sense of adventure

For a lot of people, their daily lives, personal and professional relationships might lack a certain sense of wonder and adventure. So, they turn to games to take a break from reality and day-to-day responsibilities. In games, people can be a different character, go on fascinating adventures, explore vibrant and immersive worlds, fight monsters, meet friends and a lot more. Some of the diverse game genres that are thrilling to experience are fantasy, retro, sci-fi, dystopian, apocalyptic, surrealism, etc.

For instance, open-world role-playing games such as Hogwarts Legacy, Red Dead Redemption 2, Elden Ring, Genshin Impact, etc have visually striking gameplay filled with extensive quests, secrets, and lore to discover and experience.

4. Stress-relief

In our stressful and hectic schedules, some of us would opt for gaming to unwind, relax and relieve ourselves from distress. There are certain genres of games designed to keep us engaged in a casual or relaxed manner. For some people, playing high-energy games, competitive games and social games can act as stress-busters. Games that can reduce stress levels can be categorized based on our play styles:

Cozy and casual games

Cozy and casual games are genres of games that usually nurture a sense of calmness. These kind of games can be played at our own pace, lets us have creative control and includes character customization. Cozy games often involve activities like collecting, farming, nurturing and elements like magic and puzzles. Some common examples of casual games include Stardew Valley, Sims, Minecraft, etc.

Puzzle & Strategy Games

Puzzle & Strategy Games can challenge your mind, require cognitive abilities like  rigorous planning, pattern-recognition, spatial reasoning, decision-making, logical thinking and problem-solving. People enjoy solving puzzles, managing resources, planning strategically and these games are specifically designed to cater to those needs.

Sometimes puzzle and strategy games will have card collection, creature collection, open-worlds, quests that adds a visual element of fantasy to these games. Chess, Civilization, Tetris, Pokemon, Hearthstone, etc are examples of games that fall into this category. 

Social Games

Social Games help people to connect with their friends, foster new connections and to collaborate as a party to win achievements and rewards. Gaming with friends and family can be incredibly fun, whether it is solving puzzles together, using emotes, doing co-op activities, collaborative events, trivia games, etc. Examples of party or social games: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, UNO Cards, Among Us, Fortnite, Deep Rock Galactic, etc.

5. Storytelling & Narrative

A lot of gamers love experiencing intense, emotional and comprehensive narratives through games. Games that are story-driven require us to make meaningful choices, interpret the complex layers of narrative and synergize in a way that is vastly different from reading a book or watching a movie. 

While playing story-rich games, we tend to experience life from diverse perspectives which can help us understand and appreciate differences in culture, gender, identity, etc. The amalgamation of complex storytelling, aesthetics and interactivity can evoke strong emotions, inspire learning and build emotional intelligence. 

Games like Disco Elysium and Baldur’s Gate are akin to dialogue-heavy visual novels, where we indulge in making meaningful decisions. Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, etc are incredibly intense games that can spark philosophical debates about morality, politics and ambiguity. 

Bartle’s Taxonomy of Player Types

Bartle’s Taxonomy of Player Types is one of the most standard models related to gaming mentality designed by game researcher Richard Bartle to classify players based on their play style and motivations. 

Killers

These kinds of players love to have a crushing advantage over others. They enjoy winning and challenging the game mechanics and rules. They are not usually considerate of other players. Their motivations generally lie in causing change and chaos. Killers are more likely to enjoy badges of honor, challenges, rankings, leader boards, player comparisons and progress bars. 

Achievers

Achievers’ goal is to collect loot, points, rewards, achievements by winning the various battles and challenges in the game. Unlike the killers, achievers do not question the game’s authority, do not look for loopholes and tend to follow the rules of the games. They are motivated by rewards, mastery and enjoy game challenges that bring them unique rewards, gears or items.

Socializers

Socializers prefer connecting with other players through private channels, direct messages and through social networks. They are motivated purely by connection and collaboration. They spend most of their time chatting and interacting with other players. Socializers love collaborating with their fellow players to finish quests or build things that require cooperative efforts. While achievers and killers can be single-mindedly driven towards achieving and winning, socializers are more socially-driven. 

Explorers

Explorers enjoy understanding how the game works, the boundaries of the game, the unknown and unique features in the game environment. They have extensive insider knowledge and don’t worry much about winning or achievements. They experience the game world by exploring, searching for hidden mysteries and wander around just to interact with the various features offered by the game. 

Explorers are more likely to be a major part of the game’s social community including social media and forums.They spend a lot of time in the game and are known for sharing tips, tricks, secrets, maps and tutorials that would support other players. Explorers are motivated mainly by discovery and helping fellow members of the gaming community.

Impact of Gaming

Gaming is expanding into our modern life, social interactions, education, workplace and mental health. Here are some of the various impacts of gaming: 

Cognition 

Depending on the game we play and amount of time spent in the game, gaming can have a positive effect on our cognitive abilities:

• Gamers are known for processing information rapidly and are inclined to make swift decisions relevant to the situation.

• The decision-making and problem-solving expertise of skilled gamers tend to be higher as they are prepared to analyze, reason, think logically, plan long-term and make decisions.

• Gaming can enhance selective attention and filter out distractions. Gamers can focus on multiple things at the same time, while remaining focused on their current task or challenge. They are able to shift their focus immediately when the game demands multitasking in some scenarios and single-minded focus in others.  

• A versatile game environment can improve a person’s adaptability and keep them mentally flexible towards aspects like diversity, gender, culture, etc.

• When people play games that require remembering locations, obscure details and character dialogues, their memory and information-processing power is boosted. 

• Certain games require perfect hand-eye coordination, dexterity, spatial awareness, aptitude for navigation in order to progress. Gamers usually train themselves to be proficient in aiming, navigating and other skills that require niche cognitive abilities. 

• Games can also foster learning, knowledge retention, historical and cultural awareness. Some simulation games such as Flight Simulator can be used as a training environment to learn real-world skills. 

Emotion 

Gaming can be a powerful medium that can influence our emotions, stress levels, resilience and empathy. Here are a few benefits of gaming:

• Improve emotional intelligence by developing social skills, regulating emotions, sharing perspectives with others.

• Encourages empathetic responses towards other people and their circumstances.

• Strengthens our ability to cope with stress, anxiety, depression, grief and other heavy emotions through narratives, relaxation, sense of satisfaction, etc and provides healing, comfort and calmness while navigating challenging circumstances.

• Helps to network, collaborate and enjoy shared experiences with other people. 

• Research studies have shown that some games can effectively bring down our cortisol levels and aid us to unwind after a stressful day. 

• Provides a source of entertainment to cope with boredom and loneliness. Games can also trigger various emotions ranging from euphoria to melancholy.

Gaming Industry 

“One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games,” –

Carl Jung

Gaming has made a significant impact on the economy, entertainment industry, technology, artificial intelligence, academic and professional sectors. 

• Gaming keeps pushing technological boundaries by introducing Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and other newer technological designs. 

• Advancements in cloud gaming and graphics enables people to enjoy seamless and remote gaming through subscription services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, Google Stadia and GeForce Now. 

• Gamified apps can be used for learning, productivity, mental health and fitness to boost engagement, learning, productivity and motivation. Examples of gamified apps include Habitica, Duolingo, Fitbit, Headspace. 

• Content creation through games on platforms like Youtube, Twitch, etc are sources of income for people interested in the digital entertainment industry.

• Certain TV shows, movies and OTT series such as Arcane and Cyberpunk Edgerunners have been majorly adapted from popular video games like League of Legends and Cyberpunk.

Gaming Psychology 

Gaming psychology is a branch of psychology in which we can learn how games can influence our emotions, behavior, motivation, cognition and interactions. It also aids us in understanding why people resort to playing games, the psychological impact of gaming and the various ways in which we are engaged and motivated by games.

This fascinating field of study explores the flow state of mind, conditioning, reinforcement, habit formation, reward systems, feedback loop, addiction mechanics and other psychological factors related to gaming. 

Gaming disorder and gaming addiction 

While there are certain undeniable benefits to gaming, it can also have a negative impact on our mind, health and life. 

• When the amount of time spent on gaming activities adversely affects an individual’s daily functions, social interactions, their physical and psychological health for at least a year, it can be classified as gaming disorder. Gaming disorder causes an impairment in control over gaming and can make an individual prioritize gaming over their real life activities and responsibilities. 

• Gaming can be addictive when the dopamine rush can feed into a loop where we begin to play games in an excessive or obsessive manner. Some of the addictive features of gaming include gambling, micro-transactions, excessive spending, escapism, sleep deprivation, late-night gaming, etc.

How to Avoid getting addicted to gaming?

Just like any other activity, gaming is both pleasurable and useful when done in moderation. Long or intensive periods of gaming can have many downsides such as addiction, body strain, eye strain and fatigue. Extreme levels of gaming has been associated with aggression, anxiety, cognitive decline and depression. To moderate your gaming:

• Keep track of how much time you spend playing games on your computer, phone and other devices. Maintain a log of the purchases and micro-transactions you’ve made inside the game and cut down on the expenses related to gaming.

• Set specific limits on the hours spent, the progress in the game and other limitations to keep yourself in check. Schedule your gaming session after you complete your chores, work and other commitments. 

• Identify the features of the games you play that keeps hooking you back into the game, whether it is daily rewards, new events, progress bars, etc and reduce your engagement with those aspects of the game.  

• Take breaks in between gaming sessions to stretch your body and rest your eyes to avoid body pain and eye strain. Ensure that you drink water, eat and sleep regularly to avoid sleep deprivation, fatigue and burnout.

• Whenever possible, replace gaming with real-world activities like exercising, meditating, writing, making art, reading books, playing a sport, etc. You can also engage in new hobbies and learn new skills. 

• Limit your virtual connections and restore your dopamine levels by spending some quality time offline forging deeper connections with your pet, peers, friends, family and colleagues.

Conclusion

Playing games can be an irresistibly fun activity where we embark on a journey into a virtual space, full of wonder, adventure, connections and fun. People play games for many reasons such as the consequent dopamine rush, to unwind, to enjoy a narrative story, to explore, etc. 

When we forget ourselves and the real world while gaming, that’s when gaming becomes an addiction and a complication. Playing games moderately can stimulate our mind and be an engrossing source of entertainment during our leisure time. 

As an immersive and interactive experience, it can be a valuable resource for learning, teamwork, stress relief, creativity and emotional expression. Being cognizant of how much time we spend every day playing games and striking a balance will make gaming an enjoyable endeavour without experiencing any side effects!