Why rewards always devalue the game experience

by stabbim , Des Moines, IA, USA, Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 09:02 (4239 days ago) @ Cody Miller

I think, generally speaking, I agree. In that the most important thing is the core gameplay loop, and rewards don't necessarily add anything to that if the core gameplay is solid to begin with. Grinding to get those rewards might even burn you out on an otherwise fun game. I'm not sure I'm ready to say that ALL rewards inherently reduce the fun I'm having. I guess I'm still holding out hope that there's a happy middle ground.

Racing sims are a good example of what Cody's talking about, at least for me. Forza 4, of course, has rewards. You earn money from completing races or leveling up your driver, and can buy new cars and parts with that. But the rewards aren't strictly necessary (outside of the "career" mode you can drive any car on any track) to enjoy the game. The reason I play Forza is the act of driving the cars. Turning in to a corner and feeling the way that particular vehicle transfers weight between the wheels, how it behaves under heavy throttle or brakes, and trying to finesses those controls perfectly, is the most sublime gaming experience for me.

And if I play Forza without the rewards, for instance simply driving my car around a track in tuning mode (where there are no competitors other than my own best lap, and no rewards because there is no "victory") and trying to get the tuning of the car just right, that fun is still there. Simply driving the car and trying to do it the best that I can is fun. And no matter what mode I'm playing in, whether I'm racing against friends online or earning money in career mode, the real reason I'm playing is that feeling. The fact that I'm earning money is merely a side effect, and I would keep racing whether it was there or not. And it some ways, I wish it weren't - if I could immediately obtain every car and upgrade part in career mode, I would. I would then be able to have that experience of trying every vehicle and experiencing its unique driving characteristics, and tuning it to drive how I want. Without having to reach a point where the developer decrees that I've earned it (in this case, by having earned enough in-game money).

How will this affect Destiny? That depends on how much fun the basic gameplay mechanics are on their own (an unknown currently), how rewards are obtained/awarded (also unknown), and how those rewards affect gameplay, if at all (also unknown). So, it's definitely something to keep in mind, but precisely what it means is... unknown. :)