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The draw of the dopamine: why some mobile games are so hard to put down

From Angry Birds to Candy Crush, what’s that secret sauce that has us thumbing away at our smartphones?

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Many mobile users would ask: why the heck would I want to play a game on my phone--especially since it has such a tiny little screen? There are over 30 billion reasons actually: according to analyst firm Newzoo, revenues from mobile sales this year is expected to touch $30.5 billion by the end of 2015. With such serious money involved, the stakes are high indeed.

One-time mobile gaming behemoth Rovio--of Angry Birds fame--recently announced their laying off 260 staff, or over a third of their workforce. From a time when the game that pit adorably angered birds versus surly swines was all the rage, these days you never hear about anyone playing the game any longer. A one-time phenomenon has faded into irrelevance--it’s just stopped being a thing.

So what is it that causes games to hook into people’s collective fancy, to swell to astronomical levels of popularity and trendiness, then suddenly vanish from the collective conscious? Part of the answer lies in its ability to be addictive.


It’s like a drug, really

You know that unmistakably real tinge of happiness you feel when you see your waiter round the corner with your food order? Or when you’re at the theater waiting to watch that long-awaited movie and the opening credits kick in? That fleeting high is the result of a very real chemical process taking place in your brain--when a neurotransmitter called dopamine gets released, which stimulates that part of your brain responsible for the feeling of pleasure.

Dopamine is most often produced when we discover something new or delightful. But it is also triggered in situations that are addictive--that feeling of ‘getting rewarded’. It’s what gets happens when a smoker drags at a cigarette and--in more extreme cases--in drug addiction.

But in our mobile gaming example here we’re way down the spectrum of intensity--dopamine is basically the feel good hormone that plays a big role in our well-being. Scientists have conclusively proved that video games can activate the brain’s pleasure circuits, much like eating a slice of chocolate cake or hearing good news can. Over the past several years, some game developers have managed to do a better job at triggering these circuits compared to others. The ones at the top of the pack--the ‘crack app’ developers that create games that are so inherently addictive--have nailed that formula of hooking users into regular and dogged spells of engagement. You may already be familiar with some of these.


The big guns

Candy Crush. The mega hit mobile game from King Digital Entertainment that sees 356 million unique users from over 200 countries blipping away at those colored orbs every month. Let’s analyse it.

To hook first-timers in, initial gameplay is made to be easy so that sense of ‘achievement’ is attained quicker: from simply clearing a line to scoring a glorious ‘Sugar Crush!’, that pleasure-inducing dopamine is triggered at very frequent intervals. Also, no two games ever have the exact same ending. This nuance--the hint of unpredictability--plays a significant role in yearning to know how it’s going to end (contrast this with a Temple Run or a Flappy Bird, which can get frustratingly repetitive.)

Over time the game gets progressively tougher, urging the brain to try harder to get at that next dopamine rush. But by then you’re already hooked, and there’s no turning back. Which results in that casual addiction, manifested so perfectly in that accountant-looking chap on the local train, pointedly swiping away at his screen.


So what’s the secret sauce?

Looking back at the mobile games that have won hearts over the last several years:--Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, Flappy Bird, Temple Run et al--there’s an intriguing pattern that seems to emerge: one that ties into the specific element of gratification.

Here’s my theory: In Rovio’s heyday when Angry Birds was top dog, mobile gaming for the masses was only just beginning to take off. The game itself was built on the premise of a cause (pulling back that bird in the catapult) and effect (gratifying destruction of the pig’s hideout) playing out over about 6 or 8 seconds. Screen upon screen saw many variations of this theme, each delivering an unmistakable sense of fulfilment in that quest to score the elusive three stars.

Roll forward to the present day: we’re now in an era where 8 to 10 seconds seems almost interminable. With diminishing attention and time spans, users today are increasingly accustomed to ever-quicker results, of action going down more frequently. From swiping to control a Temple runner, to zapping away pieces of candy, the time between cause and effect is now down to 2 and 3 seconds.

This propensity towards games that deliver quicker doses of gratification (and dopamine) seems to be the order of the day among the legions of casual gamers. So the game developers destined for greatness these days will, in all likelihood, be the ones that play to this tune.

Mobile users today thrive on instant gratification, at increasingly frequent intervals. And along the way there are bound to be game title casualties, some of which unfortunately include the likes of birds and pigs.

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