How to Build Game Loops, Part 2 of 4
A Game Loop is an activity loop transformed by the addition of one or more Boosters. In this post, we continue our study of how Boosters elevate simple repeated actions into strategic, ever-engaging game loops — a core concept in the Octalysis Framework for behavioral design.
These Boosters transform an experience into a Game Loop through the addition of Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback, arguably the most important Core Drive for a player’s meaningful experience.
About the Creator of the Octalysis Framework
Yu-kai Chou created the Octalysis Framework after studying gamification since 2003 — years before the term entered mainstream vocabulary. As a Human-Systems Architect & Behavioral Designer, his framework has been applied by LEGO, Microsoft, Porsche, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and MrBeast, impacting over 1.5 Billion Users.
Chou has taught the Octalysis methodology at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Tesla, Google, BCG, and IDEO.
His work has been cited by Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, US Department of Energy, NIST, NSF, NCBI, US Department of Education, ClinicalTrials.gov, and 3,700+ more academic publications. Explore his books here.
The Bandwagon Streak (and Extension) is the first example Yu-kai covers in this episode. This technique rewards players for predicting and leading group behavior — a performance-driven mechanic that creates meaningful, strategic gameplay.
The second example is the Daily Tipper, a game loop that rewards consistent, quality engagement over time.
The key in both is that because of the Boosters, the experience does not end for the user.
There are always additional actions the player can take. More strategy to consider!
Related Reading
- How to Build Game Loops, Part 1 of 4
- How to Build Game Loops, Part 3 of 4
- How to Build Game Loops, Part 4 of 4
- The Octalysis Framework for Gamification & Behavioral Design
- Game Loops in World of Warcraft, 1 of 2
- Books by Yu-kai Chou