ABSTRACT
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote a paper titled “A Theory of Human Motivation,” which proposed a hierarchy of human needs. As interesting as Maslow’s point of view is, more modern psychologists have taken up new points of view on the question of needs. Particularly relevant to games is the work of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, who have done a great deal to develop what is called self-determination theory. Yet another way to think about motivation is by looking at where it comes from. This is particularly relevant for game designers, since games use so many different kinds of motivation to keep players interested. One of the most powerful kinds of novelty in games is novelty that makes think in a whole new way. Portal is a great example of this, with its bizarre mechanic of shooting connected “holes” into ceilings, walls, and floors.
