Podcast 23: Self Determination Theory and Why We Play Games

Ever faced with the question of why you like to play video games? Ever thought about it yourself? What is it about games that you find appealing, especially relative to the countless other hobbies and ways that you could spend your time? Or, to dig deeper, why do you like one particular kind of game more than another, or why are some games so hard to put down while others just never hook you?

This episode’s guest, Dr. Scott Rigby

There’s a substantial body of literature that identifies a triforce of motivation: Competence, Autonomy, and Mastery. That is, we’re motivated to do something to the extent that we feel like we can get better at it, that we feel like we have meaningful choices in how to do it, and that it makes us matter to other people. In this episode of the podcast I talk with researcher and consultant Scott Rigby about how this Self Determination Theory applies to video game design and a lot of other stuff we gamers encounter every day.

To listen to the podcast right now in a browser window, click the play button below.

Audio Credits:

  • “Robot Motivation” by The Polish Ambassador, licensed under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
  • Chill Wave Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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