How Successful Games Leverage Human Instinct

[@Elesnouman]

Probably a thing that I found that people love for indie games is the hint of "something more" actually giving people reason to speculate on your lore and the ramifications of the world inside your world. It adds a layer of mysticism to the game and an appeal for the fans. If you go viral you got theory videos and video essayist helping you out so it's a win win.

[@BladeAfireStudio]

I absolutely love and appreciate your videos! It would be amazing to see a video or series where you take a break from the hardcore topics and do something more casual, like scrolling through or playing random games on Steam while sharing your thoughts. It could also give real examples of all the topics we’ve been discussing.

[@VodySly]

Great video, i knew of some aspects of why some games did really well but not to this level, this has changed my perspective on games, make sense that Horror is such a popular genre as well since the root of it is self preservation and escaping from a predator.

[@ScientiaLudos]

100%. Wasn’t mentioned in the video, but evasion seems to be another appealing instinct, which aligns with horror games

[@SpaceC.]

About 12:52 - It's about humans loving contrast. A joke is funny because you combine 2 unrelated scenarios (cute colorful animals escaping grim prison?). So if you look into your trusty color wheel, the colors that go well together, are the ones that have good contrast with one another. If 2 colors sit on opposite sides of the color wheel, they will appeal to humans. You can also do this with 3 and 4 colors, they just have to have the same distance from one another.

[@zoro_gameryt]

There's something behind that door

[@JuschiII]

He's leveraging your human instinct of curiousity

[@rickkorkmaz]

I heard he went so deep into this topic that he accidentally ripped open a portal behind that door. At least 5 locks keeps te portal closed. For now...

[@eightsprites]

Oops.. it open inwards.. those planks not doing much

[@OrojinMusic]

It's the outdoors. A developer's biggest weakness...

[@funfionn2045]

it leads to the nether

[@mightyn8]

Yay! New video - I've been looking forward to these ever since you started.

[@3dartninja]

Keep em coming dude im over here taking notes, and patiently waiting for the next videos to drop 👀

[@CreeperSlayer365]

19:30 The main thing about politics is getting people to agree on how to spend a limited amount of resources to solve an endless list of problems. Some people will want one thing, other people would want something else and not everyone can get what they want. This usually happens in longer pace games so something like Among Us doesn't really have it. That happens more in MMOs or cooperative strategy games it's definitely one of the rarer human instincts to be in a game due to its long term nature.

[@thebrownfrog]

Good point!

[@sergeyfilinsky5398]

Thanks for this very practical video, your content is lit 🙂 Two things: - it would be nice to hear more examples of not successful games, breaking down how underutilizing instinct made them fail - there is other side of this picture that I didn't see you mention so far - maybe some game mechanics can cause opposite effect, making you feel like you work against your instinct, causing you to actively lose interest to the game? It would be interesting to hear your view at things from this perspective

[@NadiaJuMGameN]

Wow, man! Not sure if this video was meant as a response to my last comment-I suppose not-but it really helps me a lot. It somehow reassures me that I’m probably on the right track. Thanks for the great content!

[@R3lik5]

I know you said these aren't supposed to be entertaining. But like, I LOVE watching these. I do not have a short attention span. And trying to break into the "Let's Play" KZbin Sphere, I enjoy figuring out some of the marketing and how to tell when a game might pull views.

[@ping_th]

I have short attendtion pan but watched all his video on this channel🥶

[@ping_th]

I mean only in my walk to home time tho

[@NicDev]

12:26 - In the context of minecraft, i think the creation of art relates to how a lot of players are attracted into the creative side of the game. That's why there's creative mode, that's why people show off their houses and buildings rather than just progressing on crafting and exploring new areas

[@itsdanott]

Thanks for making these!

[@oiltanker7332]

Very interesting analysis, have you thought that it's more about human experience relatability and human instinct is just one of the major pieces of it? But all in all, great analysis and breakdown, the chart being the most valuable part.

[@AntiqueGear]

I find this theory really interesting, and I'll definitely be thinking about it for a long time! It reminds me of how a lot of game designers look to Maslow's hierarchy of needs when designing games. It's a very similar concept, but I think this instinct graph is more in-depth and potentially more useful.

[@AntiqueGear]

I'd also like to see Gavin's take on how this applies to his devlogs. (or just devlogs in general)

[@evanrutledge-sz4yo]

12:30: My main theory is that, overtime, humanity has come to associate different colors with different things for survival; it helps us detect things like poison or predators much easily, same reason why there’s a lot of species that use color to make themselves look poisonous in order to deter potential predators.

[@FireF1y644]

Generally you are wrong, as it is only a small part of it. It's more about pattern simplicity, pattern recognition, wavelenght and waveforms, value contrast, cultural associations and only then survival instincts.

[@ITR]

Personally I find the Quantic Foundry gamer types for understanding what players find funs in games. To me they makes a little more sense than instincts, since they take taste into account.

[@Bryanox7]

Y’all research Green/ yellow / brown vs red appeal in colors across nationality (in terms of evolution and natural selection) and its universal (explanation red implies ripe brown implies sickness/decay ect)

[@distantforest2481]

Creation of art is likely related from Order from chaos; playfully and creatively using the resources at your disposal to create something new and appealing. Might be like 'practicing' for when you need to use your creative and problem solving skills so when real problems come out in the future, you'll be more prepared for it since you've experimented with these resources.

[@revidev]

This is so stimulating I've been reading about instincs and unconcious mecanisms for hours! I totally understand the operational benefit of managing a small subset to outline the foundation of a game. And a couple of different questions cames to my mind : - Romantic/Sexual/Pairing instincs could have it's own entity due to the weight on a human decission and the conficts it can trigger even with the "Species preservation" branch. - I find economics could be linked to que "self preservation" branch due to all the cognitive biases we have. Idle games support this idea? - As you have different entities based not only on instincs but also in unconcious behaviour or inherited knowledge (trade/economics/tecnology, etc). Do you have any quantificaiton system on how each entity or source (instict/inherited knowledge) appeals for a concept? (I know it's also dependant on the audience, but generally speaking) - Is there any connection between the outline for a game and the human feelings the game should trigger. Because I don't know how to express it but i feel it can also be entangled with this to create a positive feedback loop. (need to think about that) 😰Sorry for the text wall.

[@filipgale5727]

I have a question so skip to the next part if you're not interested. From what I've gathered, each color has a light frequency and our brain is trying to level them out so the information is easier to process. That's why certain color combinations are more pleasing, the result of the color mixture is the grey in the middle, the 0.5 if you will. In your chart, where does random chance take effect? An easy example would be gambling but more like crit chance and such. The behavior for pleasure to occur if random chance gives out a positive outcome is observed in multiple species. not just humans. Would that be applicable in this chart?

[@ScientiaLudos]

Very interesting insight, I'll have to look into that light stuff some more some day. Haven't looked into random chance a ton, but it def has a place in game design, and what your saying lines up with what I've seen; 100% worth looking into, just not something I know enough to speak on

[@ArksideGames]

The color thing is based on evolution, IMO, look at the art principles regarding colors, they all occur in nature. Even shapes and forms. (Look at Fibonacci spiral diagram, and fractals that occur in nature)

[@trvkv]

I think youre refering to the dopamine -> endorphines loop, and yes its one of the most basic mechanism lying under some "instincts" in the video.

[@FireF1y644]

​@@ArksideGamesJust replace "nature" with "universe"

[@aawlex2323]

If you've tried to understand color but can't get it, consider doing a colorblindness test! You may not be able to collect all of the data you'd need to understand aesthetics via natural pattern recognition if your cones are a little off.

[@ArksideGames]

Why certain colors look good? Nature, for example we like red + green (rose, on a grassy field/leaves of the plant), Blue + yellow (sky and sun), it's based on evolution.

[@ithinklikeawesome]

12:27 "I don't exactly understand what makes something aesthetically pleasing." I think the reason why certain art fundamentals like shape, color theory, value and anatomy, "look good" is because we are able to naturally (or at least more easily) accept them as a representation of reality. It feels like communication, like a feeling is supposed to be felt here. It's the same feeling as looking at cave paintings, a part of it is understanding someone else's expression of what they are trying to tell you. Language tends to be overly stiff where complex ideas need complex words to actually be communicated, but with art (any kind of art) that communication is short cut. Sort of like how entertainment is meant to shortcut human instinct, Art is meant to shortcut human communication. And we humans LOVE reading each other's minds. Empathy is fun for us. That is why certain artstyles can carry an entirely different set of expectations, like anime artstyle communicates to an entirely different audience and in a different way, from something like American cartoons. You can basically say different artstyles are LITERALLY different languages.

[@lalalopis]

In the case of Among Us I think it's also worthy talking about the social context of the users as well, every lobby of players is going to have an unique social baggage. A lobby could be a family playing together, or even people from a Discord server. Maybe subconsciouly you might believe more that your mother didn't kill a crewmate out of the respect you feel for her and it leds you to believe it's probably the cousins from the family side you hate that are the impostors. A guy that is know for being funny and lighthearted, talking dead serious that he saw a specific person venting might trigger some subconscious response "I never saw him talking like this, so he's probably saying the truth" I think the main appeal of this game is that it allows you to see social dynamics you wouldn't normally see in real life. Heck, in which situation a mother could lie in the face of their children and falsely accuse others only for her own benefit with 0 consequences? I think that falls right into appeasing underutilized instincts. Add that with the low barrier to play, being necessary only phone and follow instructions and it might bring together people that wouldn't normally interact, a lobby could be your family and your Discord group.

[@PlatformPlacer]

Very insightful. I loved this.

[@jamie_dev]

pure gold. can't wait for more

[@Suarvae]

That subtle "No Diddy" 😂

[@d3c3]

but real question is what instincts do games like powerwash simulator or coockie clicker supposedly appel ?both are massive successes on steam

[@FloHal]

Thanks for sharing this, learned a lot

[@bore_inc]

I really like this new perspective to look at game design, but I have a question. I was looking at what instincts would a game like Getting Over It appeal to, but only found comparatively few: - Self Preservation - Exploration - Order From Chaos - Conquest - Social Power maybe? (having bragging rights) There's not much going on I would say, just your hammer and a mountain. No upgrades, collectibles, construction, etc. And yet it was an extremely popular game. Do you think there are some other instincts that it appeals to (such as mastery of a skill or something) that you haven't included, or are there some other aspects that made it so viral?

[@TimmacTR]

Very interesting vid. Where do you get the instinct map from?

[@ping_th]

Why did bro locked the door so tightly like that😭🖐️

[@AceDroo]

This is an interesting lens to analyze games through, I've honestly never really considered how instincts can play a role in determining how engaging or appealing a game is. Thank you for this! Would you consider problem solving as an instinct as well? I'm not sure where it would fit in your chart, but I think thats a common instinct that games explore as well, whether it be generating strategies in a tactics game or solving puzzles in a puzzle game.

[@ThrillTrekGames]

Hey,can you please make a video on how to learn game development,the roadmap for new people who want to be successful like you are now and i wish you will always be the number one indie game developer i have ever seen,

[@ThrillTrekGames]

My laptop doesn't have the capability to run unreal so why did I already purchase the units courses,but I was stuck watching the course , 16 GB ram and rtx3059,512 ssd and R7 6800H processor

[@ThrillTrekGames]

My big brother please guide me

[@ping_th]

There’s roadmaps on internet but you could ask me for 0 to beginner path (internet is still better)

[@robertrobert88887]

Hey Gavin! @ScientiaLudos that is a great approach looking at the instincts, but I wonder what if you are hitting those instincts like for example game The Wild Eight and although made good money it wasn't a wild success and the game looks like it's hitting those instincts. Hence my question, what else is playing the role to make a game a wild success? Is hitting those instincts just small percentage of success? How come you can make good game that is hitting many instincts from the chart and still not be a big success?

[@kabirkumar5815]

Brother, what is behind that door?

[@23edsa]

where is this tree chart from?

[@yyz-studio]

Can we download the instinct tree template so we can analyze our own games on it?

[@GingerCat_Studios]

Wow, this is a interesting content!

[@heyheythrowaway]

Don't forget the "big number go up" instinct (though I guess that's gathering resources, but it works even when totally abstracted)

[@FireF1y644]

It's not an instinct, numbers are recent abstract constructs

[@arash5550]

my problem is tthat when i want to make a game i feel like this idea is good but few days later i feel like its ganna be boring too, tell myself maybe another concept will be not boring but then it all got boring to even start the project.

[@AnotherMFwithstudy]

I really liking these videos

[@nullx2368]

Weird topic but, do you think NSFW genre is saturated but decent profit on average because its one of the biggest natural instinct? I always find it interesting how that genre works

[@kitsunemusicisfire]

NSFW is HELLA saturated and very difficult to get money in. I've been doing some digging into that genre as well as pirating sites and although these games might be shockingly popular, what's important to note is that almost everybody who plays your game is downloading it off a pirating websites. NSFW games are massively popular in pirating sites, and for good reason, very few people will pay money to get off. If you have a genuine passion for gaming and these types of games and also your game is super fun you might make some pretty decent profit from gamers, and if you make something incredibly controversial you'll get tons of money from KZbinrs reviewing the game, but you'll be competing with TONS of easily games that devs regularly pump out weekly. NSFW devs know they don't have to make a good product, they just have to make a hot one, and even then getting decent profits in the genre is still hard. Not to mention once you dip your toes into the genre, you'd better pray to God or Allah or whatever you believe in that nobody traces your works directly back to you. If they do, and you decide to start doing SFW work, it'll be like trying to sneak across a stage mid performance. As soon as people see you, 95% will refuse to work with you because publishers and other companies hate being associated with that kind of work, and a lot of people in the game industry will want to at least stay neutral with publishers. Unless you plan on doing it long term and really REALLY know what you're doing, I'd advise against it. Either way, I say do whatever makes you happy, just be advised to try to stay as anonymous as possible.

[@Xerocare]

imo, NSFW genre will never die out however many game it contains. As you said, its the biggest instinct after survival and you will never get enough of it, because it just doesnt work like that, there's always room for reproduction. And lastly, do ever porn users get enough of new videos even though there are a TON of videos, like A TOOON, out there? No they still look for new ones and it never becomes saturated anyways.

[@Ochenter]

What have happened to the hooded Rapper dog picture on the wall...? I adored It 😢😮

[@KeithKritselis]

Really interesting idea... Do you also think about leveraging these instinctual motivations in marketing copy?

[@ScientiaLudos]

Absolutely. Should be leveraged whenever possible. Planning on doing a video on marketing copy fairly soon

[@ariamohebi]

45min video from Two Star is insaneeee! 😭🔥

[@RandomlyAwesomeGamer]

Do you think interactions with NPCs are able to satisfy the Social part of the graph (and if so, to what degree?) or is that pretty much locked to multiplayer only?

[@ScientiaLudos]

I don't think they can really satisy it, but I feel like interesting and deep NPC interactions could still have some positive effect. Likely only at a fraction of the potency of multiplayer though

[@nicopesan]

I dont undersand how Undertale could fit in this graph if the game literally punish you for doing some of the things named here

[@itsQuilow]

4x games check nearly all of the boxes. Why isn't 4x genre more popular?

[@Touie]

Cause the game also has to be as approachable as possible and not too complicated

[@Mati-r6w]

Ok so this is like organization for your game?

[@GerlachGaming-rt3gj]

Thanks yo!

[@seamusoblainn]

Strong chin game. Bro been mewing 🤠

[@kthuludev]

when you blacked the screen it made me realize how much you sound like the khan academy math teacher

[@harneetsingh9420]

Guy is genius 👏

[@akumitakasu7978]

I feel like you missed the mark here a bit, at least for myself I don't play Minecraft for the instincts part, I play it because I want to create something. It's just Lego's in video game form. Sure you can say well that's the building Instinct but it's more than just that. There are a bunch of building games that just don't scratch the itch even though they are building type games. The other games like Choo choo Charles I just played because it was October and a spider train was cool. The core gameplay wasn't garbage and you can beat the game in one go. If you built Choo Choo Charles but the mechanics were bad, it wouldn't have been a good game or sold as well. The biggest thing I think you missed is most people play the game for Fun. If it's fun then they will want to play it. You can tack on instincts or call what ever the make fun chemicals go off in someone's brain, but the core thing is, it's Fun. I don't play dark souls to survive, I play it because it's fun and it's a challenge that is done in a way that is hard to replicate. The core game loop has to be fun, it doesn't matter about instincts as much as you're giving credit. It just feels good to hit buttons sometimes like in DDR, there is no instinct there it's just hit button as it falls. Look you're "dancing". It's very popular though as it ma just a fun gameplay loop. Focusing to much on instincts won't make a good game, it's a good start to have but you need a good game play loop to make people enjoy the game.

[@ScientiaLudos]

Instinct is by no means the only factor that makes a game apealing, but it's the best foundation I know of to build everything else on top of. Good story, art, mechanics, programming, etc. are crucial, but here I'm specifically honing in on the functions of instinct :)

[@stefansotirov4261]

Yo is this the door from granny?

[@timmygilbert4102]

What about dress up games? What about infinity nikki 30M pre register?

[@SUPERitaa]

our defending champ teaching us again. beautiful information regardless

[@Starblendet]

Interesting. I think beauty and Religion is not sufficiently represented here thou: Religion is not only a mechanism of control, it is a striving to understand what reality and our part in it actually is. Creation of art is not simply construction but the grasping of things we cannot understand or lack words to talk about, similar to Religion which is why they go hand in hand.

[@supapaw]

Watch this at 2x speed, thank me later.

[@mobiletvgames]

Your videos from this series are just incredible! One game that would be really nice to analyze through this scheme of yours would be Lethal Company. I expect and I hope your new game will be a huge hit - and after that every gamedev would watch this video. Even though I think the most important video you made in this series is about Conecept and execution. Human Instinct are definitely a crucial part for making a good game. You will probably be interested in this video if you have not seen it yet - very similar to what you are tyring to explain here - but with a bit more psychology explanations kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqfHnXdqidCYfLc

[@robertrobert88887]

thanks for the link mate!

[@ScottPrice7]

How is Fortnite not having Hunting and speed? Hunting especially. The whole game is a hunt

[@ScientiaLudos]

No clue, defo should have been marked lol

[@MarvinEull]

Isnt politics in this sense the ability do manipulate or win another person for your beliefs?

[@Milan____]

I enjoy your videos, but you can tell the chart was made by a guy because "destruction" is listed as a supposed instinct, but bonding, caretaking, and love aren't. The Sims and every single JRPG would like to have a word.

[@ScientiaLudos]

I think bonding caretaking and love would be encompassed by social/species preservation instincts like safety in numbers, tribalism etc

[@Milan____]

@@ScientiaLudos Yeah I get that from a reductionist perspective, it makes sense, but nobody who was actually in love thought of their partner as "species preservation". You love that person because you've decided you love that person because they're amazing. Nothing to do with preservation of anything, much less your own sanity. We can't view the whole human experience through the lens of evolutionary psychology, an outdated field that's barely considered scientific in the first place. People want relationships. They want genuine affection and attraction. They want to ship silly little guys from their videogames (for better or worse). The example of The Sims cannot be understated, as it came at a time when videogames were still viewed as immature medium for angry teenage boys. We can't keep viewing game design through the same immature lenses that gave the industry that reputation. Don't get me wrong, your chart is overall very sensible, and I appreciate that you pointed out things like farming, art & shelter. There's plenty of food for thought for sure. But stories - which are inevitably human-centric - are an absolutely essential lens for game designers. What does this teach me? What is relatable about this situation? What can this game tell me about the human condition? I think a few items about things that are less tangible, less measurable, and yet fundamentally human would add to the chart. People like collecting social cues, they like drama, redemption/corruption arcs, plot twists, making assumptions and being proven wrong, they like well-deserved rest, they like to form opinions and be idealistic, they like to find shortcuts and be pragmatic. Sure, a lot of those can go under some kind of "learning" "exploration" "collaboration" "tribalism" but I think they're varied enough that they deserve a bit more granularity. Also: Sneaking. I think sneaking is a fundamental trait that should be there.

[@ViniDevz]

Master

[@FryCook87]

bruv, no offense but please get a filter for your mic. Every time you are speaking I can hear all the saliva and mouth action going on and it is very annoying