The motivational driver based on engaging with the unknown and unexpected
Core Idea: Unpredictability & Curiosity is the drive to remain engaged because you don't know what will happen next, creating a compulsion to continue in order to satisfy curiosity and potentially discover something new or surprising.
Key Elements
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Key Principles
- Creates engagement through unknown outcomes
- Stimulates the brain to pay special attention to unexpected elements
- Drives continued participation to resolve uncertainty
- Leverages our innate desire to discover and learn
- Creates anticipation and excitement through mystery
- Jesse Schell defines "fun" as "pleasure with surprises"
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Implementation Techniques
- Mystery Boxes (#72): Unknown rewards until opened
- Random Rewards (#74): Unpredictable reinforcement for actions
- Easter Eggs (#30): Hidden surprises discoverable by users
- Glowing Choice (#28): Highlighting possible actions to create curiosity
- Evanescent Opportunities (#86): Time-limited opportunities that may disappear
- Oracle Effect (#83): Predicting future user actions or needs
- Plot twists and narrative surprises
- Procedurally generated content and experiences
- Exploration mechanics with discovery elements
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Psychological Foundations
- Variable reward schedules create stronger behavioral patterns than fixed rewards
- Based on the Skinner Box experiments demonstrating powerful motivation from unpredictable outcomes
- Activates dopamine systems through anticipation of potential rewards
- Leverages our evolved tendencies to seek information and resolve uncertainty
- Creates stronger memory formation around surprising events
- Studies show we are more engaged when there's a possibility of winning than when odds are certain
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Real-World Examples
- Gambling and Sweepstakes: Creates engagement through chance of winning
- Woot!: Displayed one unknown product daily at a great price
- Blendtec's "Will It Blend?": Created curiosity about what would happen when unusual items were blended
- Coca-Cola's "Chok" Campaign: Users shook phones during commercials for unknown rewards (380,000 downloads in Hong Kong)
- La Quinta's LuckyDiem Implementation: Increased bookings by 206% through unpredictable rewards
Game Design Applications
- Most effective in the Endgame Phase to maintain long-term engagement
- Works well with other Core Drives:
- With White Hat drives: Inspires Epic Meaning, enhances Creativity, improves Ownership value
- With Black Hat drives: Creates obsessive behaviors when combined with Scarcity, amplifies fear with Loss & Avoidance
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Right Brain Core Drives (creativity and experience-oriented motivation)
- Applications: Variable Reward Schedules (designing unpredictable reinforcement)
- See Also: The Skinner Box Experiment (experimental foundation for understanding variable rewards)
References
- Chou, Y. (n.d.). Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards.
- Eyal, N. (2014). Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.
#gamification #unpredictability #curiosity #variable-rewards #black-hat #right-brain
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