3/19/2010 Mochi Game Development Fund Num. 3:
Extrinsic Awards: Are They What Social Games Are About

New Flash Game Development Blog Entry : (This is part Num. 3 in our continuing series on topics related to the Mochi Game Development Fund).

Almost every game portal, MMO, online console platform, and viral game service offers some kind of 'award/reward' systems for game players. The idea is to give players a reason to play the game beyond the intrinsic value of the game-play itself. These rewards/awards are usually referred to as extrinsic rewards, because they are not necessarily related to the game, but how player plays the game.

Here are some examples.

An intrinsic reward for a space shooter, would be to give the player a bolt-on extra weapon for maneuvering successfully around some asteroids to pick-up the floating bonus icon. This is still an 'award', but it is used in game-play to help the player get further in the game. The value on the award in inclusive to the game itself.

An extrinsic award for the same game would be to award the player a 'badge' that they display on their portal profile for reaching level 5 of the game. The 'badge' has no intrinsic value in the game, it is simply an achievement for bragging rights to other players. Furthermore, this extrinsic reward might have it's own value (such as Microsoft Gamer Points) that transcends the single game, and turn a system of games into a meta-game.
(more after the jump)

Read The Full Article:
http://www.8bitrocket.com/newsdisplay.aspx?newspage=38370

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