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= Rewards in Games = With regards to video games, a reward can be defined as something given in recognition of achievement or effort performed by the player. These can be defined as achievements, unlockables or psychological rewards on a more intrinsic and extrinsic motivational level.

Intrinsic Reward is the psychological aspect of feeling accomplished, with regards to video games this could include completing parts of a story, overcoming milestones, or climbing a multiplayer leaderboard.

Whereas Extrinsic Reward ties more along the lines of achievements and unlockables; Rewards given to the player for their interactive efforts in-game where they are rewarded with further interactive elements. i.e. new skill sets / weapons / etc.

These rewards can be both in-game and real world. In the world of eSports; intrinsic reward comes from being the best in their respective field of play whereas extrinsic rewards applies to prize money and championships as a real world reward for an in-game activity.

Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards are rewards on a more psychological level that can potentially drive a player’s preferred method of play with regards to video games. Often seen through Bartle's taxonomy of player types. Players who play with intrinsic rewards in mind are more enriched or motivated by psychological aspects rather than rewards that are interactive elements of gameplay, as are players who are motivated by extrinsic rewards.

Intrinsic Reward is an outcome that gives a person personal satisfaction as a reward for the thing that they’ve achieved, with regards to video gaming this is the feeling of satisfaction whenever a player completes a single-player aspect of a video game, or performs well in a competitive multiplayer setting.

Examples of intrinsic reward and intrinsic motivators in games can be seen across a variety of different game genres and aren’t limited to one specific form of gameplay. Most commonly appreciated is the concept of a loot system as commonly seen in games such as the action role-playing game Diablo series and the Massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft. Hao Wang and Chuen-Tsai Sun (2011) theorise by offering players a small percentage chance for a certain item to drop it incentivises players to play the game in their own way to achieve and obtain these pieces of loot; players are more likely to repeat these actions for the feeling of achievement as well as the extrinsic reward of the rare loot drop in question. But this isn’t a required of the player to actively proceed, they can complete quests, level characters and proceed with the game in their own way and at their own chosen pace based on the types of in-game content that motivates them.

These motivators are not so easily identified when playing however, as different nuances are implemented to ensure that such intrinsic reward feelings of achievement and extrinsic rewards of certain loot drops are given at varying intervals under a variety of different reward schedules, a more complex game such as World of Warcraft would have multiple of these reward schedules in place depending on the type of loot in question for the player.


 * These reward schedules include:


 * Fixed ratio schedule: A reward received after a fixed number of actions; often seen in fetch quests
 * Variable ratio schedule: A reward received after a random number of actions; often seen as the common loot drop, with percentage chances of drops being altered based on the rarity of the loot in question


 * Fixed interval schedule: A reward received after a fixed interval of time; commonly seen as a daily reward feature across video games


 * Variable interval schedule: A reward received after a variable interval of time; commonly seen as time-specific loot drops or rewards in a variety of games.

Extrinsic rewards and motivators are more commonly seen in the form of rewards and achievements. Motivation specifically correlates to pushing a player in a certain direction whenever there are other methods or avenues of gameplay to explore. By enticing players with a physical reward or achievement for playing within a certain way, players are more likely to seek out that reward, especially if the reward is enticing enough to motivate them to do something they wouldn’t do normally for the feeling of achievement and accomplishment they would under intrinsic rewards. An example of this being a mission system offered in various multiplayer games that reward unusual or different play styles with an extrinsic reward, often in-game currency as seen in League of Legends' mission system

Achievements and unlockables
Achievements and unlockables include achievement systems put in place by the current video game platforms as rewards for performing certain actions in game to be displayed as a method of recognition.

These gaming platforms include:


 * Microsoft (Xbox / Live Anywhere /  Gamerscore)


 * Sony (PlayStation / PlayStation Network / Playstation trophies)


 * Valve Corporation (Steam)


 * A variety of others, including achievement systems built into their own respective games (Blizzard – World of Warcraft Armory ; Square Enix - Final Fantasy XIV Lodestone Profiles, respectively).

These include progressing a video game’s story to its completion, including several milestone achievements for each chapter or section of the video game along the way, as well as achievements ascertaining to various potential aspects of the video game such as exploration, combat, skill expression, completionism, and others, as seen by Bartle's taxonomy of player types. Culminating in the intrinsic reward of completing the achievement metagame; obtaining every achievement that a video game has to offer is an achievement in itself to strive for.

Certain intrinsic rewards can also be defined as achievements, these can be certain ways that players play their respective games that are different from the norm as a means to give themselves an additional challenge, or prove their skill in a different medium of video gaming, but these methods of play are not often recognized by a video game’s or game system’s own achievement systems. These can include speedrunning video games as seen in speedrunning community and charity event, Games Done Quick or completing games using only certain resources given to the player. The rules are set by the player and not the game, making it a personal achievement and intrinsic reward when the player completes the goals they have set themselves.

Achievement systems also often have various rewards attached to them with regards to both single player and online multiplayer gameplay;

Single player games use achievements as rewards as a means to drive the player forward and keep playing, rewarding progression with new elements of gameplay such as skillsets, weaponry, characters and others.

Examples of this can be seen throughout a variety of game genres including Role-playing games like World of Warcraft giving players new abilities and skills as they progress and achieve levels as well first-person shooters where new weapons or features are rewarded early for keen exploration or achieving certain challenges, as seen in Doom (2016).