DRUGSerrors, no dopamine. If, on the other hand, you had to open a thousand
chests to find a single gem, it would be so frustrating that everyone
would give up. How does a game developer decide what percentage of
chests should contain a gem? The answer is data. Lots of data.
Online games are constantly collecting information about players.
How long do they play? When do they quit? What kinds of experiences
make them play longer? What kinds make them give up? According to
gaming theorist Tom Chatfield, the biggest online games have accu-
mulated billions of data points about their players. They know exactly
what lights up dopamine, and what turns it off—though game design-
ers are not thinking of these events as dopamine triggers, but simply as
“what works.”
So, what do the data tell us about the ideal portion of treasure
chests that should contain gems? It turns out that 25 percent is the
magic number. That’s what keeps people playing the longest. And
there’s no reason why the other 75 percent should be empty. Game
developers put low-value rewards in the non-gem chests so every single
one will contain a surprise. Maybe it’s a small coin. Maybe it’s a new
scope for your rifle. Maybe it’s a pair of sunglasses that will make your
online character look cool. Or maybe it’s something so powerful that it
opens up completely new ways to interact with the game. Chatfield tells
us that a reward like that should be found in only one out of a thousand
treasure chests. (By the way, the game probably won’t let you progress
to the next level with only those seven gems. The billions of data points
tell us that fifteen is the optimal number for getting people to play as
long as possible.)
It’s worth mentioning that there are also H&N pleasures in video
games that contribute to their appeal. Many games let you play with
friends. The pleasure we get when we socialize for no other reason than
the enjoyment of the company of others is an H&N experience. On
the other hand, when we get together to accomplish a shared goal, it’s
dopaminergic because we’re working toward a better future (even if it’s
just capturing the enemy’s base). Video games provide both types of
social pleasure.