Why do we actually gamble? The psychology behind video games

This is an article from our content partner "PC Games". Here you can find the original article by Rebecca Herrmann, Michael Grünwald and Lukas Schmid.

You buy a new game, start it, and BAM you've already accumulated countless hours of gameplay in just a few days and want to keep playing. Of course, this doesn't happen by chance and the developers also play a big part in it. After all, they use various tactics to make you stay in the game longer and have a positive experience.

These methods have evolved over the years since the early days of gaming. Even development teams of older games like "Pong" and co. thought about how they could make their titles more appealing and thus keep players on the ball. But that's not the only thing this article is about: Gaming has been going on for as long as humans have existed, long before this process was converted to electronic. And for many years, psychologists have been studying the meaning and impact of this seemingly "meaningless" process. Whether Siegmund Freud, Lev Vygotsky or Jean Piaget, many analysts have theorized about the experience we want to have when we play.

Breaking taboos

The universally known and arguably equally controversial neuropsychologist Sigmund Freud theorized that in games one can break taboos that would have consequences in real life. These taboos mark the boundaries of action, speech, and sometimes even thought in society; they serve as a set of rules for functioning togetherness, but they are also always artificial restrictions.

The banana in the hand that becomes a weapon, the fling that is simulated during love play with the partner - with the (quite broadly defined) concept of play, social no-goes can be broken. Pent-up aggression can be released and secret and actually suppressed desires can be fulfilled.

Playing can also help with conflict resolution. Aggressions and conflicts are solved in the simulated cosmos and not carried into the "outside world".

Escape from reality

Whether in this context of problem solving with regard to suppressed desires and aggressions, or with more harmless meaning for oneself: In the end, playing is always a brief attempt to escape from reality; whether it is now, very topically, the raging pandemic, or whether one wanted to escape social constraints in the past.

Jean Piaget, a Swiss pioneer of cognitive developmental psychology, called this a "defense against reality." We do not adapt to our environment, but our environment adapts to us. In a sense, then, we "defend" ourselves against reality and social pressure. We build our own beautiful world that no one can break. Not only our environment, but also we ourselves are the way we want it to be.

Fulfilling dreams

Children also use this playful escape mechanism, whether it's because of precarious family circumstances or other life circumstances that cause them trouble. At the same time, however, another aspect comes into play with them.

According to the Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky, adults increasingly take refuge in unrealistic dreams or wishful thinking. Children, on the other hand, very often use play to imitate the adult world, which is foreign to them.

They then slip into the roles of adults. Father, mother, child, cooking on the wood stove, driving around with the bobby car - by observing adults, children get to know the roles into which they will later grow, resulting in an exciting overlap of play and de facto learning process. This principle runs like a thread through the rest of their lives as well.

Developmental progress through play

Many brain researchers also agree that board games, playing with dolls or even gaming are beneficial for the development of an adolescent. Even at a more advanced age, such activities regularly keep the brain on its toes.

These and many other aspects are deeply rooted in us. This does not mean that everyone will become a gamer, but it does show what psychologists and brain researchers have thought about in order to explain the behavior and the actual motivations of a gamer.

Addictive behavior

But there are also less nice reasons to play a lot. Addiction, in particular, is a constant source of danger for susceptible individuals. Excessive gambling causes one to neglect social contacts or one's job. Negative consequences are simply suppressed. In most cases, gambling addiction refers to games of chance, such as the classic slot machines in casinos. But computer games can also trigger precisely this addiction.

Although there are only a few studies that support this thesis, the assumption is that it is similar with video games. Lootboxes, which are now a permanent fixture in many games, are increasingly contributing to this. The more frustration accumulates at not getting a certain item, the more the desire for it increases. The inhibition threshold to spend more money for a higher chance of winning becomes lower.

The federal government started fighting the system behind lootboxes in 2021. Some other countries have already banned it completely in recent years. In Germany, the Youth Protection Act prevents this type of gambling in titles that have a release for children and teenagers. If publishers do not adhere to certain rules before release, the age rating may be raised or even the purchase may be banned for people under 18. Incidentally, not everyone is at the same risk of falling into such addiction. There are various risk factors, such as low self-esteem, weak self-control, or a wide variety of genetic factors that can increase or decrease the likelihood.

The appeal of being the best

Another incentive is to be as high as possible in competitions. Whether in real life or on the Internet, rankings and leaderboards exist in many areas. For some, they provide an incentive to want to improve and eventually earn a spot on the list.

But a high score alone is not enough to keep players on the ball in the long run. Developers pay attention to several aspects to keep the attention of gamers as long as possible.

Shimmying through tasks

One possibility can be quests. These tasks lead through the game like a red thread and ensure that you feel a constant progress. Not all quests are mandatory, though.

There are also side quests, which can really add depth to a story. Most of the time, these are optional and not necessarily crucial to the story. But through these missions we get additional information or insights into the lives of other characters, which allows us to penetrate the game world even more. Naturally, the more side quests players tackle, the more time they spend in the game.

Self-regulating difficulty levels

The difficulty level also plays a big role in how long a title keeps you glued to the screen. In some games, it ensures that we find more items, points are marked on the map and an enemy is sometimes stronger or sometimes weaker.

In "Assassin's Creed", for example, there is the option of having to search for certain locations yourself using descriptions or having them displayed via markers.

In the end, it's up to us players alone to decide what we want to do. If, for example, a final battle is too difficult, you can adjust the difficulty accordingly so as not to lose interest in the game. Or activate one or the other help.

Independent of the selected difficulty, there are also difficulty adjustments that run in the background. Because who doesn't know it? You grit your teeth at one point and fail again and again. But suddenly, without really changing much, you manage the situation all at once.

Some games have implemented that the opponents become weaker after a certain point, for example when we have died too often, so that the frustration factor is not too high and the game is eventually cancelled. Once the difficult opponent is defeated, our body releases a messenger substance that makes us happy: dopamine. After all, dopamine is also called the "messenger of happiness." But this function doesn't exist in all games. Titles like "Dark Souls" or "Sekiro" are games that didn't exactly become known for a frustration-free gaming experience. These are rather characterized by their merciless combat system. There are no background adjustments here and, with a few exceptions, the enemies always remain equally difficult to defeat.

Achievement unlocked

The next item seems rather mundane. A small banner pops up on the screen as soon as you've accomplished something special and tada, there's our new trophy or achievement. These small feelings of achievement also contribute to keeping us on the ball in a game.

On some platforms, you can see what percentage of players have also received the achievement. Actually, these small achievements don't bring us anything, but the feeling of having achieved something that some of the others might not have done fills us with happiness hormones.

All that glitters is gold ... isn't it?

Just sprinting through the level, following the main story and not looking left and right? That's boring. Rather, we wait for something to shine in our environment. After all, shiny objects are always valuable.

Often, we can't remember anything but the shining and glittering of the objects in a section. So it helps us remember certain places better. You don't have to self-select what's important anymore. The game has already decided that for you.

The slightly different color theory

Colors in general have a great influence on people. The right use is very decisive. Not only designers or interior decorators pay attention to the correct use of colors, but game designers also use them. After all, gamers also want to be guided by colors, warned of dangers or put in a special mood.

On the one hand, red is a warm color that is used as a sign of love. But on the other hand, it can also be a kind of warning. It is not for nothing that stop signs are red. In games, too, this color is used quite deliberately in many places.

If we are about to fight, we can observe that the colors in many games become more red. Not only the environment color, but also the color markings of enemies, be it their armor or a character's outline, is often red.

Through different colors, developers convey different moods. Games that are also suitable for children are more often colorful. "Mario Kart" or "Candy Crush", for example, have this colorful touch and thus directly put the player in a happier mood. In a horror game or a title with a serious background like "Heavy Rain", you immediately notice that the graphics are much darker.

Colors also work well as signposts in games. In "Far Cry 6", paths to friendly factions are marked with blue flowers, ribbons or arrows. These subtly point out the right path.

The influence of music

In addition to colors, music also has a great influence on the body. Among other things, this can influence the heartbeat, breathing and likewise the mood. With suitable music, this has an effect on the limbic system in the brain and releases positive or even negative emotions.

Music is used in games to prepare the player for the upcoming situation or to emphasize effects, such as a jumpscare. Developers use this effect not only for scary or action-packed moments, but also for quieter parts through which we process what we've seen before and recover from the strain.