Immersyve's Scott Rigby and WB Games' Troy Skinner present applied psychological case studies on Mass Effect and Batman: Arkham Asylum to explain how developers can capture two different consumer segments: the "bro gamer" and "connoisseur." In this GDC 2013 video, free courtesy of the GDC Vault, hear why Skinner believes Mass Effect 2's sales remained flat compared to the first game and didn't capture both consumer segments, and how his company's Batman succeeded. Those wanting to know more about the "Player Experience of Need Satisfaction" model, which was used in this study, can read this Gamasutra feature, co-written by Dr. Rigby. Session Name: The Applied Value of Player Psychology: Putting Motivational Principles to Work Speaker(s): Scott Rigby, Troy Skinner Company Name(s): Immersyve, WB Games Track / Format: Game Design Description:Developers and publishers are increasingly looking to principles of player engagement and psychology to help monetize their audience and build more successful titles. In particular, there has been an increased focus on sustained engagement and player motivation, including concepts such as "intrinsic" and "extrinsic" motivation, and other related strategies. Few presentations to date, however, have combined a specific theoretical approach to player motivation with its real world application within a major publisher across multiple studios and titles. This talk will provide the "full arc" of theory and practical application, beginning with a brief overview of the Player Experience of Need Satisfaction motivational model (PENS), followed by a detailed description by industry veterans of how it is being used to help guide strategy and production of titles across multiple genres.

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