In digital games, people make decisions that they would never make in real life. There is no denying that people tend to experiment in virtual environments, but why so?
The answer is in psyching, and the game plan is made to get the best out of the mind and keep it occupied.
Explaining why people take risks in digital games helps us understand how these sites use our psychological buttons to make everything almost uncontrollable.
The Thrill of Uncertainty: What Makes Us Take Risks?
Uncertainty is always at the centre of risk-taking in digital games. This sense of the unknown causes many players to take risks to earn an enormous reward or unlock an achievement.
Psychologically, “reward uncertainty” is a term that triggers the brain’s reward centre and liberates dopamine, the ‘pleasure’ chemical, every time there is an opportunity to win. The build-up to the experience is enough to ensure that people continue playing regardless of what happens.
Players immerse themselves in digital games with the hope of getting a payout because what is better than luxury – from hotels, beautiful beaches, shiny cars, and luxurious yachts?
Their recklessness stems from their desire to live the most opulent life possible and win the big prizes that will help them achieve that goal.
Digital game designers well understand this, incorporating reward structures that contain surprises, low-frequency items, and unique accomplishments. This caters directly to the player’s need to engage in risky behavior that results in a gain, forming a cycle that can sometimes be very hard to snap out of.
Social Influence: The Power of Competition
Social pressure or competition is another psychological condition that leads to risk-taking in digital games. The most common motivation that drives players is the game’s competitive aspect. Players feel the need to compete and excel against other players.
Society’s competitive nature forces people to go the extra mile or, better still, to try and get a better position than the rest.
This aspect of the competition uses what social scientists call ‘social comparison theory,’ which postulates that people derive their self-worth from how they fare about others.
This effect is further amplified by the use of digital platforms that include leaderboards, ranking systems, and in-game statistics that can be seen to continuously remind players of their standing in the community of players.
This constant comparison is a strong incentive that makes players make risky decisions to ascend and show their capabilities.
The Role of Cognitive Biases
Cognitive biases also play a role in risk-taking in digital games, and they are outlined below. The first bias used by game developers is the ‘gambler’s fallacy,’ which is the idea that this means you are more likely to win. This causes players to think that the next game, they should be due for a win, making them even riskier.
The “sunk cost fallacy” also increases participants’ commitment to the game. When people invest their time, money, or effort in a game, they are more inclined to take risks, believing they should get their money’s worth.
Emotional Engagement: The Role of Game Design
An important point that game designers understand very well is that an emotionally appealing experience has to be provided to motivate risk-taking. By having exciting plots, environments, and audio that can trigger different feelings of pleasure and anguish, games tend to make the player more invested.
This emotional engagement amplifies the fun of taking chances, and every decision is made to feel important and consequential.
Such a design appeals to the player’s self-identity and personal accomplishment aspect. Whenever players win in a risky situation within the game, they certainly feel proud and satisfied. That success strengthens the need to keep taking chances and look for that subsequent significant win that justifies their abilities and choices.
Conclusion
Digital games are not only fun; they are a lesson in controlling a person’s mind. This means that through the neurological and psychological factors that influence risk-taking, game designers develop experiences that captivate, interest, and compel players to return for more.
Have you ever been as reckless in a game as you would never be in real life? What motivates you when the ‘bull’s eye’ is on you in the digital ecosystem? Most importantly, will we understand how these games work psychologically when taking that next leap in cyberspace?
