Natasha Lloyd — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:31:00 GMT

Great article.

It reminded me of the keynote on Alternate Reality Games by Jane McGonigal at SXSW. She talked about why people are so drawn to games and how we can draw people to “real-life” activities in a similar way. In particular, she mentioned four things that make people happy which games accomplish much better than reality: (1) satisfying work to do, (2) the experience of being good at something, (3) time spent with people you like, and (4) the chance to be a part of something bigger. Some of the ways that games satisfy these four happiness factors is by having good instructions, good feedback, and good community. You suggest offering clear navigation, which is like offering good instructions for our users, immediate feedback, and appropriate challenges, all of which fit right in with what makes people happy. So, it’s not just about flow and motivation, it’s about happiness.

Boxes and Arrows: Comments by Natasha Lloyd