Punishment & Fear (ihobo)
July 22, 2009
Over on ihobo today, a follow on from the recent piece about punishment and time penalties which briefly considers the theoretical benefits of punishment in games. Here's an extract:
When we are punished by a game, we experience sadness or frustration – if we experience frustration (i.e. anger), we might become riled up and continue to pursue the challenge that drove us to anger. If we experience sadness, we are more likely to stop playing. (It looks as if a lot of players in the wider market have been kept out of playing games by the focus on punishment, hence the success of casual games, i.e. forgiving games).But more than this, the knowledge that we might be punished acts as a source of anxiety (i.e. fear), and fear is an enhancing emotion for play.
Click here to read the full piece, which is comparatively short for a change.