Moves in Mind: The Psychology of Board Games
Motivation on the Challenge
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- Motivation on the Player State
- Mixed Motivation
- IV. PNRC Applications
Motivation on the ChallengeIn fighting games and sports games, the motivation is related to the challenge. The player state P follows the learning curve which represents the level of player’s skills. The induced need N is then a need for knowledge and excellence. It is the need to dominate all aspects of the game and to master all controls in order to face successive challenges C (beat the adversary). The reward R is the victory in each challenge which proofs the skills and which brings the player closer to the final victory. The motivation loop is an ascending spiral that results in the player’s progress and in his skill affirmation. Yet, a simple victory is not a sufficient reward to keep in a long run the motivation. 
Namco's PlayStation 2 3D fighter Soul Calibur III Games like Soul Calibur or Need for Speed suggest unlocking the options according to the performance or to the accumulation of points (new characters, new arenas, looks, etc.). It is a parallel system of motivation that is linked to the game mechanics while preparing the multi player. 
In general, shoot'em up and beat'em up style games are based on the player state P. The player’s characteristics (character, ship, etc.) are upgradeable but are not permanent. Everything the player can acquire is temporary. He can lose his bonuses at the end of the level or when he dies. The player’s objective is to keep his strength as high and as long as possible to defeat the final boss. The need N of the player is high, and he has to increase his strength P through bonuses and upgrades. Challenge expectation C is directly linked to P: weak when the player has no upgrade and strong when he acquires enough bonuses. The reward R is represented by a consequent increase of fire power and hence by the decrease of the difficulty. Since the difficulty is here independent from the player state P, the motivation of the player decreases with his strength to finally disappear when the difficulty rises too high. We quickly reach a selection between the strongest and the most perseverant players that progress and the others that give up. There exists some efforts in these types of games to make them more accessible, including permanent bonuses, adaptation of the difficulty level, and the possibility to win without upgrades. For now, however, core gamers remain the main target of these kinds of games. Mixed MotivationMost games build their motivation on the four PNCR functions. Because these functions are interdependent, to succeed in an efficient management of motivation one has to balance the four parameters. It is a question of tweaking and tuning to achieve the desired game experience. 
id Software's first person shooter Quake IV features mixed motivation For example, online first person shooters like Quake or Unreal Tournament have a mixed motivation that is based at the same time on the challenge C (tournaments Game play), the need N (arms/ armor/ ammunition/ health), the player state P (bonuses and temporary boosts), and the reward R (score and the victory). In the context of tournament and competition experience, even if the main motivation is the victory, the balance among the four functions is essential.
ExpectationsTo achieve motivating game systems, we need to take into consideration every PNRC variable and to ensure the follow-up of the motivation for each challenge. We can conceive the game structure as a succession of iterations of challenges along the difficulty curve. Each iteration is linked from the previous to the next one by the player state P. The player state allows retrieving necessary information for the adjustment of the "challenge" and of the "reward," the reward responding to the "needs" created by the game design. The objective is to increase or at least to maintain the motivation of the player during his progression. The motivation will change from iteration to iteration, and it will increase or decrease, according to adequacy of the game compared to player’s expectations. To keep the player motivated, the reality of the game system (S) must be equivalent to the expectation (E) of the player. If at the beginning of each iteration of challenge, the player starts with motivation Mprev, let’s then call Mnext the motivation at the end of the iteration: There is: S <> E (Equivalency)
And: CS <> RS > N (Conditions) S is the motivating factor from the system parameters and E is the player’s expectations. P (player state) represents the player’s strength at the given time, N his needs:
The resulting player's motivation, Mnext, is then the initial motivation, Mprev, affected by the ratio of system and expectation: Mnext = (S/E)*Mprev Note: if the ratio of S/E is constant during the whole game then the motivation is a geometric progression: un+1 = q un For example, if a player can have no expectation on needs, N = small, but he can have a big expectations of challenge, CE = large. If CS <> CE, even if his needs are fulfilled, the system still has to take into account his performance (RS > RE > N), otherwise S is smaller than E and the motivation Mnext decreases.
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