Even if you don’t venture into casinos often, anyone can understand the thrill of winning when you see your number come up on a Roulette wheel… or the excitement when the dealer busts at the Blackjack table and chips move your way. But what happens when you take money out of the equation? What is there to be excited about and why do people play at Free To Play (F2P) casinos?
There are people who play to hone their skills, so they can make big bucks in a ‘real casino’. Others enjoy socialising with friends, or love the satisfaction of beating someone else in a tournament. But for some, the game dynamics of Blackjack or Roulette are satisfying enough – and a look at behavioural game psychology explains why.
There are various ways players are rewarded in games and one of the most effective ways to keep players playing is through variable ratio schedules. Sounds impressive, but all it really means is that rewards are given more or less randomly (the variable part) according to how often you do an action (the ratio part). The classic example is the slot machine, where you put in money constantly, but don’t know when it will hit. Roulette is similar, particularly if you play the same numbers, as your number will come up if you bet consistently, but you don’t know when. And if you’re playing Blackjack using basic strategy or some pre-determined method, you’re also hitting a spot on the variable ratio scale.
So even without money, the very mechanics of the game reinforces repetitive behaviour.
Tags: game design