In the Octalysis Framework %note: Invented by Yu-kai Chou% "Gamification" is seen as human focused design. The experience of doing a task is as important as getting the task done itself.
A good game designer starts by thinking about what core drives motivate the player then go into what feelings they want the player to have before considering what game mechanics to include. The key insight being that game mechanics are tools that manipulate the players feelings rather than tools to make a task fun. If you want to make a task fun you will need to craft and combine these feelings with care. The idea is that the Octalysis Framework is useful for identifying what game mechanics will lead to different feelings but not for which combinations will lead to good gameplay.
There are 8 core drives for motivation:
- Meaning
- Empowerment
- Social Influence
- Unpredictability
- Avoidance
- Scarcity
- Ownership
- Accomplishment