Tom Chatfield: 7 ways video games engage the brain

[@Kevin-xs8xn]

notes 7 ways to use game lessons in real world 1. have experience bars to measure progress 2. set multiple long and short-term aims 3. reward effort - get credit for every bit of work/effort 4. provide rapid, frequent, clear feedback 5. have element of uncertainty - variable rewards, dopamine 6. offer windows of enhanced attention 7. add other people! social, cooperation it’s amazing that people spend $8B on virtual goods Farmville has 70M players (talk is from 2010) games provide rewards, both individual and collective all about ambition + delight in video games you can measure everything - big data there’s always a “reward schedule”

[@qayotee]

This guy has a great soothing voice. He should team up with Lita the message-lady and tuck every one of us in every night with their voices.

[@Epitzsche]

The great thing about the 360 isn't beating the games, it's showing everyone online that I did. 12:30 Someone will get it.

[@masterman229]

While I do credit games for a portion of my vocabulary and trivial knowledge, there are very little games that actually TEACH you what you need to learn in school after around a third grade level.

[@michelleasunnydays140]

love these TED videos as video games should count as actual school credits towards graduation as there is history, math, strategy, communication skills, teamwork etc.

[@Nutzername36]

man the people from TED had should give him 5min to talk, that would be like 15 cakes for my -.-

[@nickigna]

His voice is so calming

[@MemoTraining]

His method of speaking is irritating.

[@Mgopro]

His mouth is reaaaally dry

[@FoxBatinaHat]

12:36 The DKP system is an incredibly system that really is interesting if you think about it. That a bunch of strangers would get together and create a system to reward and encourage others to participate for rare items that everyone covets! Awesome!

[@deathbytech]

A big hell yes to this video. As an avid gamer I completely understand where he's going with this. The part at the end about the reward and bidding system is genius. It's not an economic fix...but I think the philosophy has merit and should warrant a look.

[@BlairGoldberg]

I really want to enjoy this talk. The information is really interesting, it takes forever for him to get to his point. Plus, the mic keeps picking up something like his mouth smacking during his pauses. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me.

[@Arudap]

@Arudap because I'd rather do some things for moral achievements. Also, he talks about how great these mechanics are in videogames, but in real life it works much differently: rewards? not punishing failure but rewarding success? the problem lies within two things here: limitation of resources (inexistent in videogames) and other problems that have to be solved first such as unwilling governments/industries/society/whatever to do such a thing, since it would imply a huge sacrifice of resources

[@AKARazorback]

@sl2mmer Afterall, there is a reason that companies like IBM recruit (actually hunt for) successful leaders of virtual groups for their top management teams because according to them, these players already posses so many skills they would normally run training programs for. Anyway, again not saying games are the only place to obtain these skills, and games sure can have a negative effect on people but these are some of the good things : ) Take care!

[@BruceThomson]

This was for me a very useful, extremely well presented talk. Thank you very much for providing it.

[@stevz0r]

@clourman while what you say is valid, he did remind you that there are over 70 million active players on farmville that's operating basically on the same motivation level as anyone else who plays a more hardcore mmorpg. the level of devotion and "engagement" is, in fact, very real. And why mention farmville? because it's being played by people of all kinds. As the population adopts video games, I'd say his argument becomes stronger and stronger.

[@Lomelgande]

@Prathik1989 Not at all. In CoD (A shooting game) you can level up and unlock new weapons and attachments. In Racing games like Gran Turismo the better time you get the new cars and decals you unlock.....I can keep going but I think you get the idea.

[@teenspirit1]

@jystyle I think there's something missing from his "box theory", too. Building working systems is also very rewarding, and although he beats around that concept, he doesn't talk about it.

[@jaregon12]

it would be interesting to see jobs inmplament an xp bar so like every day you work you get xp or somthin like this so we know when we get a pay raise/promotion ithink that would be cool

[@James-fe7wd]

actually there are some apps that do exactly that - gamify the working experience. It's so millenial Z.

[@okonomiyaki4U]

Hmmm... I think we already know all those points work in real life, thats why we put them in videogames in the first place. Going backwards by bringing gameplay systems into real life, you just bring in what was already part of it. (Of course not always implemented ... but that is the case with all systems.)

[@Vault121]

is anyone else caught off guard every time he licks his lips like in 12:54

[@Azden392]

@nightmathzombieethan I think it's similar to those people already having a really nice house and buying more stuff to make it look nicer - not needed but it gives personal satisfaction to those people.

[@Fredericks3214]

@gooutnplay Ediction? That's his point. You can learn how to get people to improve themselves and their output by the data games release. This is amazing for education at the very least.

[@BENBOBBY]

Interesting talk, but one thing he didnt really mention was how they also stimulate activities outside the games themselves through the community aspects like forums, talking on xfire/teamspeak, designing related artwork (sigs/avatars etc), creating mods and making videos of gameplay etc. All helps build teamwork and learn new skills. In fact, if anyone likes fragmovies, check out my channel :D

[@saadasim]

I feel I should get bonus points because I listened to the entire video.

[@paulstaker8861]

The power of games compels you!

[@AKARazorback]

@sl2mmer in a profession (at least not for me personally) but being able to program your brain to operate your body to a certain task on the fly can be pretty useful. Now there are many more things it has taught me (also setting priorities in real life over virtual life, which is really all about setting priorities in general) but I think you get my point already. I'm not saying games (like WoW) are the only place to learn these things, but they sure are a good place.

[@Fredericks3214]

@xNickTheBrickx Not necessarily. You just learn different things. Some games I agree. But, for example, in MMOs you learn people skills, organization, and time saving skills. I don't disagree totally. Reading can be extremely useful, though some is just garbage. But the part I agree most is where real-world learning is incorporated into games, or vice versa.

[@madogmgd]

There is nothing wrong with video games Video games have inspired me to illustrate fantastic scenaries. We just need to exercise moderation 1-2 Hours a day is enough to do everything you'd ever want in a lifetime.

[@whydoineedtocreateahandle]

@nightmathzombieethan, I absolutelly agree with you. How can people spend money buying a good car when a simple wagon would sufice? How can people buy a very expensive watch if a simple calculator can give you the time. How can someone pay to watch a movie if looking at nature would be more "productive". How can people buy tickets to look at other people hitting a ball with a stick as far as they can and run around a field... know what? I think people should spend money where they want to...

[@MarkFocas]

This was very interesting thanks. Seems the need to gather and more importantly analyse and understand the data is key to the success of any gamification system. The example of how players created a separate website with points system to overcome a games weakness shows the power of getting people excited and bringing out their passion. I guess this is what gaming is all about.

[@thewinematcher]

Video games are for people devoid of satisfaction and happiness from real world experiences. Video games are a great substitute, but will never be able to fully replace them except in the case of a virtual reality game/world. Playing video games for entertainment (aka in moderation), is fine, stimulating, and satisfying. The second it becomes a daily habit or a necessity, it becomes detrimental. just my opinion...

[@maxgunn555]

@sl2mmer playing mmorpgs like wow develop your sense of planning. in that if you don't know what class you want to be further ahead (ie magician e.t.c) then it'll take more time to get there. wow is also similar to the real world in that you strive to be the best and in doing so you learn things. you don't develop any physcal skills but it is a test of your understanding.

[@penutwi]

i use experince bars in life myself. as far as programing goes i am a level 1 programer. soon to make it to level 2 :)

[@fuunguus]

@noxteryn WoW is the most popular game ever, and it still is. It isn't surprising that he used it as an example. WoW isn't my kind of game tho, when you reach level 40 it just start to feel very repetitive, and the rewards get farther between with each level, that was enough to kill all my interest in continuing playing, honestly I don't know why that button mashing game is so popular.

[@Ryuuken24]

@emis2004 You should've listened to what he had to say. It's not that it's addicting people, but, the feeling people get from the reward system. The more quests you do, and better stuff you get, keeps you going, because you want to get stronger, fight stronger monsters, etc. That's why dumb people tend to spend time playing pointless games, their brain is highwired to this reward system, it's like getting love from your parents. Hope this shed some light on the issue. Cheers !

[@theinfiniteawe]

I played this video and laid on my bed to relax.

[@AKARazorback]

@sl2mmer Hi mate, I have played WoW for quite a while and I can tell you that I have developed many skills during that time that serve me in both my private and professional life today. It is more then pressing keys on a keyboard that you have to look at though... Some things games like WoW allow players to develop are planning skills in terms of goal setting and achieving. Communication skills in terms of getting large groups of people, who dont know each other, to work together

[@isaDARKNESS]

@Crazee108 If he talked in a lazy manner yes, but people like him and I, prefer to go the extra mile vocally.

[@Arudap]

I think potentially mr.Chatfield's ideas are quite good, if not obvious. I say "obvious" because I think other people already came up with something like this eventually during time, I'm pretty sure of it, but what I think is the main flaw of his argument is circumstantial factors. Yes, players do a lot of effort to play, they even come up with their own economy and that's amazing (just look at World of Warcraft and Team Fortress 2's hat trading system), but [continued in next comment sorry]

[@mooxim]

He's talking about how we can make everyday life and education as engaging, rewarding, fun and addictive as the best videogames. Am I the only one who's really excited by that prospect?

[@Prathik1989]

@Lomelgande Yeah your right, tho it wasnt true for shooting games till COD4 included perks and stuff. But yeah, it does seem like theyre going that route to reward players for every little thing.

[@Ultramoose]

never thought id hear anything about DKP in a ted talk.

[@nightmathzombieethan]

@OfAllTradesJack While I agree whole heartedly with you, and I understand your point, I'm one of those seemingly rare people who couldn't give a crap about impressing other people....I never have the latest of anything. So I gave up trying a long time ago. I really only care about whether something entertains me, has a useful function (I.E. Tools, etc...) or pleases me....Hell, I drive an 81 Honda, All my clothes are old & I don't even have a cell phone! How cool/impressive is that?

[@Prathik1989]

I think this has more to do with MMORPGs and RPGs rather than Video games in general. How does this compare to Racing games? Shooting Games? Simulation Games? etc etc.

[@clourman]

Smart idea, and a good talk, but I am a little uncertain as to the applicability of virtual goal tracking and how effective it would be for some. When looking at gamers, you have to realise that there is a specific subset of people that play them, and that makes the population from which you are drawing your results from biased. If the trend would hold for non-gamers as well, this could be a great new approach to motivating people.

[@TomChatfield]

Eagle-eyed viewers may (or may not) be interested to know that the tauren/orc error in describing the slides is because some of the slides for this final video cut were slightly modified compared to those shown during the talk...

[@Arudap]

@Arudap but one of the main stimulations he forgot to mention is the fact that they get to do all that stuff while sitting on a chair, thus making for example his example of "reward for weight loss" quite improbable, though not impossible depending on the person. Also, this system is quite pessimistic despite the tone he uses: basically he's saying that we won't move our asses until there's a practical, material reward. It might be just me, but it kinda saddens me because [continued]

[@gulllars]

@BenThomasFoster what game type brings you as a person more satisfaction is very dependent on personality and skill set. You need the skills to be able to play the game at least at a medium level, and enjoy the virtual setting and timescale the game takes place in. I enjoy RTS, FPS, MMORPG, and even turn based strategy and RPG from time to time. Starcraft, Age of Empires, Super mario, Counterstrike (and source), battlefield, CoD, M&M (and heroes of), Warcraft (and world of). Even chess.

[@AKARazorback]

@sl2mmer and achieve a shared victory over a problem at hand. And this includes many people from varying countries and cultures, who all communicate in different ways. Priceless in my professional life. Also, multitasking in high pressure situations. Again, I don't mean pressing many buttons in succession, but actually being aware of your thoughts and actions as well as those of others when every second counts, invaluable in stress situations. Also, rapid muscle memory: maybe not so useful

[@enlightendbel]

@fuunguus They "solved" that with DeathKnights who start at something like level 55 :p Many people in my WoW guild have 5 to the full 10 alts in WoW, most of them get these alts to lvl 80 in a span of 2-3 weeks (while still playing the other alts in raids). Once you reach 80, the game doesn't stop, it actually just starts.

[@akodo77]

@30Ciaran And yet less then 10% of video games per year are profitable at all. At least that how it was around 2003, according to various books. I would say nowadays percentage is larger, because they are so many kinda-cheap to make (

[@bluefootedpig]

@1989Gez1989 funny story, most of my knowledge of the mediterranean sea, and the ports of it is becuase of a video game called horizons for the snes. I also played a game that required knowledge of alchemy, so when i took chemisty, I knew most of the component names already. It also plays in my basic knowledge of what color precieous stones are.

[@jezarius]

Please get this guy a glass of water!!

[@stevz0r]

@TheInfinite91 ....yes it is. I actually came back here just to listen to it lol.

[@user-sl3ct6vu3j]

Teachers need to see this.

[@PasscodeAdvance]

Agreed

[@nightmathzombieethan]

@Azden392 LOL True... I see that phenomenon every day here in Cali.... "Why'd you get a Hummer?" "Well my neighbor bought a Silverado...." My only REAL concern with added content is the temptation to developers to "Undersell" a product, I.E. Sell the "Base" product, but then purposefully skimp on content with the intent of charging users a bunch more for what they should have gotten in the first place. Forza 3 is a perfect example of this IMHO.

[@islaroses2547]

ASMR + Gaming validation. What more could I ask for? haha

[@Canonpixmalogitechko]

@noxteryn Kellee Santiago gave a talk about that exact thing at some TEDX talk. Wasn't the best talk ever, but it was ok.

[@bluefootedpig]

@nightmathzombieethan It has to do with two things. First, quality of entertainment. Some people like their avatars to look cool, and when it costs a buck, what does that matter compared to the 15 a month you already spend. So the cost is 16 for that month, no bigger. Coffee costs 6 bucks, that can be 6 cool things just for skipping a coffee. The other is that don't have much time to play, so they don't like to grind, but like the challange of the mechanics. So 10 bucks can save you 40 hours

[@LeonidasGGG]

Videogames always reward you, even if you screw up. Real life isn't that forgiving :(

[@nightmathzombieethan]

@Jokenintendo That was kind of my point.... i'll pay for something if it adds to the experience (I.E.) more playtime or greater variety of choices (DLC)...but if I have to drop down $20 just to get 3 extra cars, or a new gun, or different clothing for a character it's just not worth it to me....I'm referring mostly to games like Fallout or Forza 3....Fallout 3 DLC= a crapload of more playtime for cheap=great deal, Forza 3= 8 more cars...for $20? No F*****N Way.

[@ddnguyen278]

@nightmathzombieethan virtual items only gain value when they are taken in context. They pay for virtual real estate/goods which is akin to people buying a web server to host their web pages. Same idea, the virtual island is just bits of data, images, sounds, etc.. Is it any more crazy that people pay for web servers to host their websites? Sure if there were no other players it would be crazy, but there are millions of others.

[@Koreolis]

It's rather sad to see so many ignorant comments along the lines of "get a life", "go outside and try RL on for a change!". This guy is actually talking about quite complex aspects of the human psyche, our reward-reaction, conditioning through this as represented in games and how it's been almost perfected. If you lack the imagination to see the possibilities this represents at least refrain from spewing pointless off-topic comments about gamers and their "pathetic" lives.

[@MrIzzyDizzy]

another thing or 2 that would suck in games would be if items were patented and couldnt be duplicated with out fees or if the poor players could steal from the other players who had all the power -"earned" or not

[@dragoniraflameblade]

Didn't game informer do an article about something like this last year?

[@DoingMoar]

@TheMeanArena They don't actually induce fat on your waist,just lead you to causes that do.

[@excelerolreview2279]

Very interesting information you have shared in this video. Thanks...

[@hypock1]

this dudes incredible.

[@xMorpse]

@nightmathzombieethan I personally don't do it, but I imagine its similar to why you buy a fancy expensive car when you'll never actually use the extra capability.

[@YusiShukur]

I love this guy's voice.

[@Propolandante]

PIECRAFT - Launches February 2, 2011 - Preorder at your local Gamestop today and receive an exclusive in-game oven mitten! (while supplies last)

[@necrago]

Most people say video games are bad. And the few non gamers that say they are ok is only when they see that the games are good, but only want to use us through these. They never say they are good and just let us play

[@noxteryn]

@doford Indeed, and I really dislike the fact that most people equate video games with MMORPGs, as if there is no other type out there. Games like Portal, Braid, Amnesia, that are truly brilliant should be the ones mentioned and analysed in a TED speech, not WoW.

[@Tommy9834]

Morgan Freeman should do a TED talk. The subject don't matter.

[@D3mi4n]

@eenkjet let the people create their own progress/reward systems. Let the education facilities do it themselves. There's no "hypnotizing the masses" without central planning and some kind of government enforcement.

[@andyrooney12]

At 16:29 I felt better about myself :) I'm going to play Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.

[@sileb13]

Well look at that; sophisticated player behavior... It's almost as though the players themselves have brains.

[@iamro00]

I think the ways video games engage the brain are come from the real world.Then he tries to put these methods back to the real world.I think it would not be so effective if he tries to use the digital ways to serve the real things.However he did say some good points.Feedback to what you have done should be quite useful when the company is providing services.

[@AestusL4]

I could definitely see this reward system applied to education. Rather than the standardized testing model that has quite epically failed.

[@anthemofadam]

All video games use a reward system and involve other players, whether computer or human controlled. A lot of the people that are commenting on this vid like valhala56 and noxteryn aren't seeing this. When you boil it down, every video game does exactly this and thats what he's talking about exploiting and using in real world situations. It's fairly ignorant to hate on a video like this, people who do so seem to be defending video games because they're insulted by how simple he makes them seem.

[@Sukasor]

An addiction is more often perceived as a characteristic where one is almost unable to function normally without that certain stimulus, and is dependant on it for psychological sustenance.

[@roidroid]

8:07 what the... Why does that primate skull have a RIDGE on it's head? What specific species was that?!

[@un2mensch]

I guess it's pretty sad that we have to dangle virtual carrots in front of people to motivate them towards doing things in their own interest, and to give them an appreciation for the link between action and consequence. That said, it's a valid device and we should probably do it more!

[@cybercobra2]

no the system still very much aplies to minecraft. its modeled differently but its still the same system. for example if you kill a mob you know it will always drop loot (exp, arrows, pork, etc) but there is a small chance for some of them of you getting something special. a enchanted item. or how about the idea of short term and long term rewards. in the short term you are gathering iron ore and coal or building a wall. in the long term you are creating a castle. or a underground base.

[@gr4ndhustle]

@jovaughbrown wow... awsome comment dude, i couldnt agree more.

[@fuunguus]

@fuunguus I don't care if it takes 3 weeks for some people, that is 3 weeks of boredom for me, its just not worth the money, the raids and at top level isn't worth it either.

[@maxgunn555]

@mot5600 no your right. after making the comment i immediately thought of xp in cod lol :). but for most competitive games ie fighting/fps/rts it's just like tennis or boxing or any other game - you simply play to win.

[@xpkkingx]

@FoxBatinaHat Not gonna lie - It's usually much less refined than it might seem. Search youtube for DKP and look at the first result to understand. :P

[@Umbalafum]

@lordoct - you're one of kind

[@adj789]

I've been a gamer since I was 3 and I can't understand why people pay money for aesthetic objects in games let alone pay 6 figures

[@meposer999]

HEY!!! Something else cool about this kind of idea is showed in another vid on another site, just search for "The Skinner Box", it'll all be animated, but it goes into the psychology of this and brings up some cool ideas. Check it out. (Not sponsoring the people or the site, just a cool side note)

[@AakwardAardvark]

life is full of things like that

[@EpicWin1337]

SKINNER YOUR BOX IS AMAZING

[@yundricx]

The longer I keep watching this vid....the longer I keep thinking he is explaining team fortress 2 to people. You keep opening crates to get the stuff you want.

[@crudip]

4:08 that's pi I'd recognise it anywhere

[@Vladimirwlr1234]

@jystyle So what you're saying is that in order to enjoy games you must be an addict. Therefore, your hobby is not really about entertainment but actually a way to fill something missing in their lives. And you call the man giving the talk presumptuous?

[@Khorien]

I can hear his saliva at the beginning of every syllable.... Thanks for that, mr. Sound technician.

[@LeCompositeur]

10 years later, my response to that, as a sound enginer : We can't do magic ^^' The first advice when we record a voice is "Take a bottle of water and drink regularly before and during the record". On the other hand, now there is some (recent) plugins who reduce thoses "clics" but... you know... garbage in, garbage out !

[@broly693]

Can you make frensh subtile ? i understand a bit of english but not all :) Ty for this vidéo :)

[@WisdomSeller]

On ted.com you have the subtitles

[@theinfiniteawe]

His. Voice. Is. So. FUCKING....RELAXING lol!

[@SuperiorApostate]

he should have rewarded people who were listening because they didn't seem that engaged.

[@moremost]

@charlotteycheng There is a much better TED talk about game mechanics in the future: "Jesse Schell: When games invade real life"