The Compulsion Loop Explained

I initially published this post in my personal blog Quarterview.com. Check it out to learn more mobile gaming design techniques, analysis, and industry opinions.

Since the introduction of the concept of the compulsion loop applied to video games was introduced as early as 2001 by John Hopson (while a researcher at Bungie), we've seen compulsion loop mechanics integrated into video games fairly broadly. The compulsion loop concept regained popularity in the 2010-2012 period with the application of compulsion loop principles in social games and especially by companies such as Zynga; however, I believe this is an area of future opportunity that will potentially gain a renaissance especially in mobile gaming.

To date there hasn't been (as far as I can tell) a very compact and easy to understand coverage of the compulsion loop concept. Hence, this post attempts to detail the concept, expand the concept a bit with my own interpretation, and describe the potential future opportunity leveraging this concept.

1. Definition

First, what is a compulsion loop?

My definition of the compulsion loop is a very slight variation of a definition put forth by Adam Crowe as follows:

There are three key notions to understand comprising this definition:

To the last concept around the neurochemical reward, Crowe explains that the compulsion loop derives its power from basic human elements of psychobiology and neurochemistry. Hence, the point of a compulsion loop is to induce a biological response such as the release of Dopamine to help train behavior.

2. Concept Origins

Much of the thinking behind compulsion loops stems from BF Skinner's psychological studies on animals such as rats, pigeons, and chimpanzees. Skinner invented the concept of an "operant conditioning chamber" (aka "Skinner Box") which is a laboratory device used to study animals for the purpose of behavioral conditioning: teaching animals specific behaviors.

The image above shows Skinner's operant conditioning chamber which attempts to train specific behaviors to the rat such as pressing the response lever to obtain food. The studies by Skinner concluded with specific observations particularly around contingencies: "a rule or set of rules governing when rewards are given out."

The compulsion loop in games originated from the notion that we can map the loop of activities within an operant conditioning chamber to game loops. Therefore, we could apply the principles of Skinner's research to users playing within a game loop.

Hence, the concept of compulsion loops has historically been tightly linked to Skinner but in my view are not equal. In my view, a compulsion loops need only support the 3 core principles of the definition I included above and opens the door for additional mechanics or tactics that can be applied outside of Skinner's original research.

3. Compulsion Loop vs. Core Loop

There seems to be some confusion in the industry about the difference between a compulsion loop and a "core loop." Often these words are used interchangeably but I differentiate them as follows:

Here's an example below of what I would consider a core loop in a typical RPG game. Further, we can equate this particular behavior to the behavior of a rat in an operant conditioning chamber (press lever -> get food -> satiate hunger):

However, the difference in terminology now comes from the design of the various phases within this particular loop. I like to think of the steps within this particular core loop as comprised of three phases in the following way:

4. Compulsion Loop Application to Gaming

As John Hopson describes in his post on Gamasutra in 2001, a number of Skinner research conclusions can be applied to gaming and other application areas where we want to condition behavior. Here is a summary of some of the key conclusions:

Source: John Hopson 2001 via Gamasutra

5. Innovations From Gaming

Skinner's research focused primarily on the Reward phase within a compulsion loop (at least as per my articulation of it):

However, we have seen examples in social and mobile gaming where additional advances have been made.

Before proceeding further stop and think:

The below diagram shows an example within each of those other activity areas:

Aspirational Neighbors:

The objective here is to anchor an objective or desired user state into the mind of the player: this is what you could become in the game! A couple examples of this from the folks at Supercell:

Clash of Clans:

Hay Day:

Another common tactic that has been used in RPGs is to put the player in the role of a high level user at the very beginning of the game to give them a taste of what they could later become and then strip them back to being level 1.

Variable Design in Action Phase: 

In games with PVE (player vs. environment), there have been attempts to make this phase of activity more interesting by giving players a "variable ratio" action. And further making the variable ratio action a type of reward. In Final Fantasy Air Brigade for example, PVE can include not just a typical battle but has a chance of encountering and capturing a Chocobo as well:

Many card battle games now routinely will mix up PVE with PVP or other types of encounters.

5. Future Opportunity

So where is the future opportunity with this?

Compulsion loop design can significantly drive retention. Further, some games like slots or progression/completion type games such as Mafia Wars or Farmville are, in my opinion, purely compulsion loop driven. Understanding how to design new tactics here can drive a winning game and open up new opportunities. In the mobile game market today, the smallest advantage from a retention or monetization perspective can make or break a game's economics.

I believe that significant innovation can come from taking a closer look at compulsion loop principles and applying them in smarter ways... and not just in gaming.

For example, with what we know about variable rewards and with current technology is there any good reason to maintain fixed loyalty rewards programs?

Yo Pinkberry that last free froyo should be variable!

We will likely see more compulsion loop innovation especially in mobile gaming where the stakes are so high and also particularly in mid-core and hard-core games where retention can be especially poor. Hopefully, better design at the compulsion loop level can help avoid situations like Game of War, where they stick appointment mechanic everywhere in the game to do whatever they can to retain players:

How many timers do you see above? :-)

I believe new disruptive compulsion loop tactics can and will be designed.

Currently we are just limited by our imagination... what new idea do you have to create a stronger compulsion loop?

6. Sources and Additional References