This document provides an overview of needs and motives theory as proposed by Henry Murray in 1938. It discusses the key concepts of needs, motives, behaviors, and press. Needs are physiological or psychological features that arouse action towards a goal. Motives propel people to act in ways that satisfy needs. Behaviors are the external actions taken. Press refers to external or internal factors that influence the transition from needs to motives. The document provides examples and definitions for different types of needs, including achievement, power, intimacy, and materialistic needs. It also discusses how satisfying multiple psychological needs through game features can increase player engagement.
5. • Murray assumed that the human natural state
is a state of disequilibrium, and that is why
people have needs—to satisfy the lack of
something.
• Social casual games in the Facebook context
are successful, because they satisfy these
needs (Ines & Abdelkader, 2011).
6. NEED
MOTIVE
BEHAVIOR
PRESS
• Definition: A need is a physiological (primary) or psychological
(secondary) feature that arouses an organism to action toward a
goal, giving purpose and direction to behavior
Physiological needs
• Required for survival
• Based upon biological
demands, such as the need
for oxygen, food, and water
Psychological Needs
• Have no specific origin in
the body
• Concerned with emotional
satisfaction
• Psychological Needs are most relevant to Facebook games
• They occur largely at an unconscious level
• Hierarchical: An individual’s needs can have different levels of strength
7. NEED
MOTIVE
BEHAVIOR
PRESS
• State of tension within a person due to an
unmet need (Example: thirst)
• Motives propel people to perceive, think, and
act in ways that serve to satisfy a need
8. NEED
MOTIVE
BEHAVIOR
PRESS
• External pressure plays a significant role in the
transition from needs to motives (example: hot day)
• Both objective (alpha) and subjective (beta) press
exist
Alpha Press
Beta Press
• Press governed by
external factors in
behavior.
• A kind of press
that is dependent
to the individual.
9. NEED
MOTIVE
BEHAVIOR
PRESS
Example:
A 30-year-old woman is not yet married.
• Alpha press: Her relatives say that she
should marry soon.
• Beta press: “They’re mocking me for
being single! I’m not born to be alone.
They’ll see. I’ll marry a perfect man.”
Example:
My crops are withering in FarmVille.
• Alpha press: Without water, the plants will
die.
• Beta press: “I want my friends to be
jealous of my shiny plants, so I need to
keep them healthy.”
10. Primarily psychological needs, combined with
press (both alpha and beta), will influence the
types of games we play and our behaviors while
playing.
12. • People play in order to satisfy psychological
needs.
• By exploring the psychological needs and
motives of the players, we can examine how
people play.
13. • David C. McClelland, psychological theorist at
Harvard University 1956-1986, identified a trio of
basic needs.
ACHIEVEMENT
INTIMACY
POWER
15. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
• People who have a high need for
achievement:
– Prefer activities that offer some challenge, but not
too much
– Enjoy tasks where they are personally responsible
for the outcome
– Prefer tasks where feedback on their performance
is available
16. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
Psychological Need
Achievement
Exhibition
Recognition
Description of Need
Examples of Features
To overcome obstacles • Levels within the games
and succeed
• Optimization: best output, always
producing, no wasted actions, beat the
system
To attract attention
• Public announcement of trophy/level
up/etc
• Show off your avatar/world
• Notifications of gifts/requests
To gain approval and
• Display of recognition for having
social status
advanced to a higher level in the game
18. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
• People with a high need for power are interested
in controlling situations and impacting others.
• Sex differences affect the way power needs are
expressed.
– Men with high power needs show high levels of
aggression and participate in competitive sports.
– Women channel their high needs for power by being
more concerned and caring.
• People with a high need for power show strong
stress responses with frustration and conflict,
including high blood pressure.
19. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
Psychological Need
Autonomy
Description of Need
To resist others and
stand strong
Examples of Features
• Can be played individually
Aggression
To injure others
•
Defeating another player
Blame Avoidance
To avoid blame and
obey the rules
•
•
Follow rules within the game
Not cheat
Deference
To follow a superior, to •
serve
Following a leader within game (Note:
there is no reference for this in
Facebook games that I know of)
20. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
Psychological Need
Dominance
Description of Need
To control and lead
others
Examples of Features
• Recruit friends as helpers
• Ask your friends to use the app
• Comparison, ladder.
Harm-avoidance
To avoid pain
•
Avoidance of a penalty, loss of XP,
damage to equipment
Contrariance
To be unique
•
•
Customize avatar
Customize town
22. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
• Need for warm, close, communicative interactions with
others
• Women, on average, have a higher need for intimacy
than men
• People with a high (compared to those with low) need
for intimacy:
– Spend more time during day thinking about relationships
– Report more pleasant emotions when around other
people
– Smile, laugh, make more eye contact
– Start up conversations more frequently and engage in
more written communication
23. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
Psychological Need
Description of Need Examples of Features
Affiliation
To make
associations and
friendships
General Communications
• IM or Chat
• Mailbox
• Online/offline state of your friends
Social Collaborative Actions
• Visiting Friends/help friends
• Gift friends
• Recruit friends as helpers
• Fictive Collective quest
• Actual Collective actions/quests
• Exchange objects (i.e., for
collections) Share
requests/objects/ I'm looking for
• Vote for friends (best of...)
• Share your wealth (when winning a
trophy, etc.)
24. ACHIEVEMENT
POWER
INTIMACY
Psychological Need
Description of Need Examples of Features
Nurturance
To protect the
helpless
To relieve tension,
have fun, or relax
Play
•
•
•
•
Rejection
To exclude another
Succorance
To seek
•
protection/sympath
y from others
Help another player advance in the
game
Peaceful, unthreatening, relaxing
environment within the game
Humor
Exclusivity of tribe
Calling upon a friend to help you
within the game
25. Once the Trio of Basic Needs are met within a game, other
types of needs work in conjunction to enhance gameplay.
MATERIALISTIC
ACHIEVEMENT
INTIMACY
POWER
INFORMATION
DEFENSE
27. Construction: Look
what I’ve built!
Building something is most
impressive when:
• It’s built upon accomplishments
(Achievement)
• It’s seen and interacted with by
others (Intimacy)
• It’s compared with something
built by someone else (Power)
Order: Organized
to how I see fit!
28. Psychological Need
Acquisition
Description of Need
To obtain possessions
Construction
To build or create
Order
To arrange, organize,
and be precise
Keeping things
Retention
Examples of Features
• Accumulation: always get more, time
investment converts into game
advancement
• Need for Completion: need to fill-up,
complete, be whole.
• Player must feel emotionally connected
to what they are collected or see value
• Build something
•
Organize how you see fit for optimal use
•
Knowledge that when you leave the
game, your items will still be there when
you return
30. Sentience: I’ve
mastered this
game.
Understanding: I
advance in the
story by advancing
in the game.
Growing with the story and
feeling mastery is most engaging
when:
• You’ve accomplished something and
earned the right to progress in the
story(Achievement)
• Friends can contribute to the
storyline(Intimacy)
• The feeling of mastery can be
compared to feeling more like a
master than others(Power)
31. Psychological Need
Description of Need
Examples of Features
Understanding
(Cognizance)
To analyze and
experience, to seek
knowledge
To provide
information, educate
•
Advancing in the story by advancing in
the game.
•
To have subjective
experiences
•
Recruitment of friends by being
responsible for educating them about
the game
Feeling of “mastery” of a game
Exposition
Sentience
32. Psychological Need
Description of Need
Examples of Features
Counteraction
Defendance
Infavoidance
To defend honor
To justify actions
To avoid failure,
shame, or to conceal a
weakness
•
•
•
•
Protect status within game
Optimization of choices
Avoidance of challenges which are too
difficult for skill level
Avoidance of display of a failed level
34. PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED
*Achievement Needs
Achievement
Exhibition
Recognition
*Power Needs
Autonomy
Aggression
Blame Avoidance
Contrariance
Deference
DESCRIPTION OF NEED
Dominance
Harm-avoidance
*Affection Needs
To control and lead others
To avoid pain
Nurturance
Play
Rejection
Succorance
Affiliation
Materialistic Needs
Acquisition
Construction
Order
Retention
Information Needs
Understanding (Cognizance)
To protect the helpless
To relieve tension, have fun, or relax
To exclude another
To seek protection/sympathy from others
To make associations and friendships
Exposition
Sentience
Defense of Status Needs
Counteraction
Defendance
To provide information, educate
To have subjective experiences
Infavoidance
EXAMPLES OF FEATURES
To overcome obstacles and succeed
To attract attention
To gain approval and social status
Level up
Show off your kingdom
Show off your achievements on your wall posts
To resist others and stand strong
To injure others
To avoid blame and obey the rules
To be unique
To follow a superior, to serve
Ability to play alone
Beat up the beasties
Follow rules, not cheat
Customize avatar/kingdom
To follow the orders given by who assigns the quest
Recruit friends as helpers , Ask your friends to use the app,
Comparison
Perform actions to avoid beasties taking over kingdom
To obtain possessions
To build or create
To arrange, organize, and be precise
Keeping things
To analyze and experience, to seek knowledge
To defend honor
To justify actions
To avoid failure, shame, or to conceal a
weakness
Protect the princess from the beasties, beat beasties in your
friends’ kingdoms
Pleasant, relaxing environment within the game
Recruit some friends to help, but not all
Send requests for help from friends
Send requests for friends’ help, ask them to join your kingdom
Acquire items for potions and further exploration
Build your kingdom
Put the animals, tree, and flowers where you want them
Keep items in your inventory
Advancing in the story by completion of quests
Recruitment of friends by being responsible for educating them
about the game
Feeling of being immersed in the game
Protect status within game
Arrange buildings for optimal use, move crops towards ponds
No failed levels
A LOT
35. PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED
*Achievement Needs
Achievement
Exhibition
Recognition
*Power Needs
Autonomy
Aggression
Blame Avoidance
Contrariance
Deference
DESCRIPTION OF NEED
Dominance
Harm-avoidance
*Affection Needs
Nurturance
Play
Rejection
Succorance
Affiliation
Materialistic Needs
Acquisition
Construction
Order
Retention
Information Needs
Understanding (Cognizance)
To control and lead others
To avoid pain
Exposition
Sentience
Defense of Status Needs
Counteraction
Defendance
To provide information, educate
To have subjective experiences
Infavoidance
EXAMPLES OF FEATURES
To overcome obstacles and succeed
To attract attention
To gain approval and social status
Level up
Show off your achievements on wall posts
Show off your achievements on wall posts
To resist others and stand strong
To injure others
To avoid blame and obey the rules
To be unique
To follow a superior, to serve
Ability to play alone
Follow rules, not cheat
Minimal room for customization
To follow the orders given by who assigns the mission
Recruit friends as helpers , Ask your friends to use the app,
Comparison
To protect the helpless
To relieve tension, have fun, or relax
To exclude another
To seek protection/sympathy from others
To make associations and friendships
Clicking tiles is pleasant, focus challenge
Recruit some friends to join, but not all
Send requests for help from friends
Ask friends to join game
To obtain possessions
To build or create
To arrange, organize, and be precise
Keeping things
Acquire items for evidence – not all items have a clear value
Can be done minimally in lab
Keep items in your inventory
To analyze and experience, to seek knowledge
To defend honor
To justify actions
To avoid failure, shame, or to conceal a
weakness
Advancing in the story by completion of quests
Recruitment of friends by being responsible for educating them
about the game
Feeling of being immersed in the game
No failed levels
Total
WAY LESS
36. • CastleVille did a good job of making sure they had all needs
covered from several angles, and very clearly.
• CSI: Crime City covered some, but not all of the needs. Of the
needs defined, they were less clear.
• Theory dictates that the more needs that are met, the more
people will want to play (Ines & Abdelkader, 2011).
• Please refer to attached checklist to quantify the needs met
in your game.
37. •
Social interaction motive was the strongest predictor of the time actually spent on
gaming (Jansz & Tanis, 2007).
http://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/appeal-of-online-first-person-shooters-jansz-tanis-2007/
•
People play games to change or structure their internal experience (Lazzaro, 2004).
As a result, players feel a variety of emotions during game play. Three out of Four
Keys are necessary in order to unlock emotion:
– Hard Fun
– Easy Fun
– Altered States
– The People Factor
http://www.slideshare.net/NicoleLazzaro/gdc-4-emotions-social-games-lazzaro-slides-100311
•
Murray’s categories of needs are used to underline several characteristics of social
casual games in order to understand what motivates people to play in the
Facebook context. Authors found that the more needs met, the more MAU.
http://www.mirlabs.org/ijcisim/regular_papers_2011/Paper80.pdf