Dopamine, Games, and Motivation – Motivation Theories

Posted: March 27th, 2023

Dopamine, Games, and Motivation

Dopamine plays a significant role in regulating our motivations to pursue rewards or avoid consequences. Our previous understanding linked dopamine to pleasure, but we now recognize that the presence of dopamine in the brain is not necessarily linked to our liking or not liking certain things. Instead, it plays a role in motor control, arousal, motivation, and reinforcement, among other functions. This paper explores how dopamine motivates us, and its significance in the context of game design.

The Role of Dopamine in Motivation
Our current scientific knowledge acknowledges the significant role that dopamine plays with motivation. Dopamine can have opposing effects in different areas of the brain, with its effects greatly relying on the neural pathway dopamine is operating in. The mesolimbic pathway in the brain is the most important for predicting rewards and is therefore crucial for motivation. The nucleus accumbens, a stop on the mesolimbic pathway, registers increased dopamine levels and helps the brain recognize when something important is going to happen. Dopamine operating in the mesolimbic pathway compels us to act either to avoid something bad or to work towards something good.

Dopamine, Games, and Motivation
Studies have shown that dopamine activity in the nucleus accumbens is the same whether roulette players win or have a near-miss. The release of dopamine compels players to keep trying, to take another chance. This kind of encouragement might be beneficial for a game that is based on skill, but it can be damaging when it comes to games of chance. Game designers should be aware of these addictive tendencies and ethical complications associated with games that are designed to capitalize on dopamine’s motivational effects to keep players in the game. Some players might find themselves compelled to continue playing even when they don’t like the game.

Positive Motivation through Games
Games can be used to encourage learning and promote desired behaviors. Playing games and achieving small successes might boost self-esteem and foster feelings of mastery and confidence. Since games tend to build successes incrementally, a player might be surprised to find that what once seemed impossible gets easier as they build their skills and level up each time. Students can use games to help achieve certain goals, such as learning another language or studying to get an “A.”

Managing Dopamine in Games
Game designers can build in natural “breaks” to help break up gameplay and encourage players to do something other than play the game for hours. In an educational setting where games are used for learning, the structure of the classroom might help prevent students from being too obsessed with a game. There might be set lessons in levels within games that are completed by the end of the day, with the next day’s game and lesson reserved for the next day in school.

Conclusion
Dopamine plays a significant role in motivation, and understanding how dopamine motivates can help game designers produce games that are interesting, effective, and ethical. While games can have positive effects, they can also be addictive, especially for those who are more vulnerable. Game designers should be aware of these addictive tendencies and build games that promote positive motivation, and not solely rely on dopamine’s motivational effects to keep players in the game.

References:

Chase, H.W. and Clark, L. (2010) ‘Gambling severity predicts midbrain response to near-miss outcomes’, Journal of Neuroscience, 30(18), pp. 6180-6187.
Smith, K.S. et al. (2012) ‘Dopamine D1 receptors and likelihood-based decision making’, Neuron, 73(1), pp. 1-10.
Wise, R.A. (2004) ‘Dopamine, learning and motivation’, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(6), pp