Addictive video game design isn’t some kind of voodoo magic. It’s a science. We can look at a game and very quickly assess whether it is designed to be unhealthy—whether the game is more than just a great story or engaging gameplay, but in fact is programmed to extract time and money from those who play it.

This episode is a practical approach to understanding the health of our gaming choices and habits.

RESOURCES:

• Resource for making a family tech framework
• Verse for today: “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)
• Gospel Tech Episode 63: Can Video Games Be Addictive
• Example of a game with fast feedback: Candy Crush.
• Great overview of the four types of rewards used in unhealthy game design: Ben Lewis-Evans, UX Researcher, Epic Games (Fortnite), Psychology PhD.
• Call of Duty Prestige Ranks
• Marshmello’s Fortnite Concert
• Clash of Clans, a game who has benefited greatly from microtransactions
• In 2018 both Belgium and the Netherlands banned Loot Crates