Mystery Box Reward Design: The Psychology Behind Random Rewards
Every game designer knows that rewards drive behavior. But here’s what most get wrong: the reward itself matters…
Work with Yu-kai
The Blog
Ideas on motivation, behavior & design.
Deep dives on the psychology behind why people do what they do — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework. Pick the topic that matters to you.
Appointment Dynamics in Gamification (Game Technique #21)
Most game design techniques get more powerful when they get more complex. Appointment Dynamics breaks the rule. It’s…
Using Gamification to improve the Church
The Octalysis Framework in Gamification Design is all about making important but mundane activities more engaging. There is…
Milestone Unlocks: The Game Design Technique That Turns Achievement into Addiction (GT #19)
Every game designer knows the problem: your player hits a goal, feels satisfied — and quits. The session…
High-Five vs Crowning: Match Your Emotional Reward to the Achievement [GT #17 & #18]
Every gamification system has Win-States, the moments when users complete a Desired Action and receive feedback. But most…
Game Design Technique: Collection Sets
Why do people spend hundreds of hours chasing the last missing piece of a set they could buy…
Why Octalysis Prime Is the Best Investment in Gamification Skills
Most people spend more on streaming subscriptions they barely use than on upgrading the one asset that compounds…
Streak Design: The 5 Steps Behind Duolingo’s Daily Loop
Streak design is the practice of rewarding a user for repeating one action on consecutive days and showing…
Supercharge Your Gamified System: Boosters for Greater Engagement and Success
Boosters are one of my favorite game design techniques because they solve a real problem in gamified systems:…