
Response - The response to a stimulus in order to get the reward. If the player kills 100 orcs, they get a level. If the mouse pushes the lever when the light is on, they get a pellet. Requirement - the rules that determine when the reward is given.

In Skinner's experiments the reward might be to negate something - like the reward of not being electrocuted.) For a player it's more likely to be XP, loot or a new ability. Food appears when the light is on and the mouse presses the lever.Ĭhange the food pellets to experience points or loot and you might start to look at WoW and freemium mobile phone games with new eyes! Terms Experiments investigated what stimulus would cause the mouse to push the lever and how long for. In some experiments the floor was wired to give small static shocks. Skinner's experiments involved a critter in a box, often a mouse, with a light, lever and food dispenser. If you're placed inside a plain box, the noisy environment has gone and it's far easier to discover a reproducible reaction from a stimulus. The world is a noisy place, say you're living in the jungle, your senses are bombarded with inputs! It's overwhelming and as a scientist it's very hard to understand exactly what you're responding to when you perform some action. Most of Skinner's experiments are about a box. Skinnerīhurrhus Fredrick Skinner constructed a clever type of experiment that had a massive impact on the behavioral psychology field. Learn a little about behaviors and reactions, and you'll be a better game designer. Have you ever heard anyone talking about a skinner box? Well that's a part of behavioral psychology.

Behavioral psychology research is directly applicable to games and actively used. To understand the player better let's look to behavioral psychology the study of how organisms react to stimulus. Understanding the player forever improves your ability to make games, no matter the changes in tech. Video games change as technology improves and designers have new ideas but do you know the one thing that remains constant? The player.
