Summary
The Octalysis Framework is a gamification framework created by Yu-kai Chou, a gamification expert and speaker. It provides a holistic approach for designing and implementing gamification in various contexts, such as business, education, and personal development. The framework is based on 8 core drives, which are the innate human motivations that drive behavior.
These drives are:
- Epic Meaning & Calling
- Development & Accomplishment
- Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
- Ownership & Possession
- Social Influence & Relatedness
- Scarcity & Impatience
- Unpredictability & Curiosity
- Loss & Avoidance.
By understanding these drives, designers can create more effective and engaging gamified experiences.
The Core Drives
Core Drive 1: Epic Meaning & Calling
Refers to the human desire to be a part of something greater than oneself, and to contribute to a noble cause or purpose.
This drive is related to the sense of purpose and meaning in life, and the feeling of being part of a larger story. It can be used to motivate people to strive for a higher goal, to overcome challenges, and to make a positive impact in the world.
In gamification, this drive can be tapped into by creating a compelling narrative and sense of purpose for the player or user, and by providing opportunities for them to make meaningful contributions and have a positive impact.
Examples of this are people contributing to Wikipedia because they believe they are protecting humanity’s knowledge, or when people feel the “Beginner’s Luck”, believing that they have some type of gift that others don’t.
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment
Refers to the human motivation to improve one’s skills, knowledge and abilities.
This drive is closely related to the sense of mastery and self-improvement that comes with learning new things and achieving goals.
In gamification, this drive can be engaged by providing opportunities for players to learn new skills, set and achieve goals, and to experience a sense of progress and accomplishment as they progress through the game.
As said by Yu-kai Chou, this core drive is the easiest to implement and is where the majority of PBLs (Points, Badges and Leaderboards) mostly focus.
Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
Refers to the human motivation to express oneself, create something new and be recognized for it.
This drive is related to the sense of agency over one’s actions and the feedback received as a consequence.
In gamification, this drive can be employed by providing users with the ability to create and personalize their experience, or give them the freedom to explore and experiment with the game mechanics.
Core Drive 4: Ownership & Possession
Refers to the human motivation to own and possess something, be it a virtual good, an idea or a physical object.
When designing a gamified experience, designers can tap into this drive by giving users the ability to collect, earn or trade virtual items or digital currency, or by giving them the sense of ownership and control over their progress or environment.
Refers to the human motivation to be a part of a group, connect with others, and to influence others.
This drive is related to the sense of belonging, acceptance and value.
In gamification, this drive can be engaged by creating opportunities for social interaction, collaboration and competition.
Core Drive 6: Scarcity & Impatience
Refers to the human motivation to want something because it is difficult to obtain.
This drive is related to the sense of urgency. People are motivated to act when they feel that they will be missing out on something if they do not get it now (this can be seen in offers, such as the Black Friday)
In gamification, this drive can be used by creating limited availability of items or rewards, offering promotions or giving players exclusive access to certain features.
Core Drive 7: Unpredictability & Curiosity
Refers to the human motivation to learn, explore and understand the world around them.
This drive is related to the sense of adventure and excitement, and to the concept of novelty seeking.
In gamification, this drive can be explored by creating a sense of mystery, adventure and experimentation, through features such as hidden rewards, locked content, open-world exploration and allowing users to try new things, to tap into the user’s desire for novelty, surprise and stimulation.
Core Drive 8: Loss & Avoidance
Refers to the human motivation to loss aversion.
This drive is related to the idea that people are motivated more by FOMO than by the hope of gaining something.
In gamification, this drive can be used in gamification by creating a sense of risk and potential loss, through features such as penalties for failure, loss of progress or virtual currency and creating a sense of competition.
It’s important to note that designers should be careful, as too much of this drive can lead to frustration instead of motivation, getting the opposite effect of what is intended.
Left Brain (extrinsic) vs Right Brain (intrinsic) drives
This section explains why the Octalysis is built like an octagon; the Octalysis Framework’s Core Drive placements determine the nature of the motivation.
Left Brain drives are most commonly associated with logic, analytical thought and ownership, while Right Brain drives are focused on creativity, self-expression and social dynamics..
Furthermore, Left Brain Core Drives tend to rely on Extrinsic Motivation whilst Right Brain Core Drives are associated with Intrinsic Motivation.
It’s important to note that both Left and Right Brain Core Drives are important and should be considered when designing a gamified experience. By understanding and balancing the different drives, designers can create a more engaging and motivating experience.
White Hat vs Black Hat Gamification
Following along with the position of the Core Drives, the Octalysis Framework also differentiates the top drives from the bottom ones. The top Core Drives are considered positive motivations, while the bottom Core Drives are considered to be more negative.
Techniques that heavily use the top Core Drives are named by Yu-kai Chou “White Hat Gamification”, while the ones that heavily rely on the bottom Core Drives are names “Black Hat Gamification”.
White Hat Gamification is typically used to achieve specific business or educational goals, such as increasing productivity, improving learning outcomes, or promoting healthy behaviors. It is designed to be engaging, motivational and meaningful, while being respectful of the users. It encompasses Core Drives 1, 2 & 3.
Examples of White Hat Gamification include fitness apps that use game elements to encourage users, educational apps gamified to make learning more engaging, and corporate training programs that improve employee performance.
Black hat gamification is typically used to achieve specific business goals, such as increasing revenue or generating leads, but it is often done at the expense of the users. Unlike White Hat Gamification, it is not designed to be beneficial to the users or society as a whole, but rather to maximize profits for the company. It encompasses Core Drives 6, 7 & 8.
An example of its usage can be seen in some mobile games, where users are encouraged to make micro-transactions or to spend a large amount of time on the game, even if it’s harmful for them.
The Hidden Core Drive 9: Sensation
Note that this Core Drive is not included in the Octalysis Framework since Yu-kai Chou wanted to primarily focus on psychological motivators instead of physical ones.
The main differentiation here compared to other Core Drives is that Sensation deals with physical feelings that bring pleasure to our touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste.
Uses of Sensation as a motivational drive are the feeling of physical acceleration on racing simulators, or Massages as a reward benefit in a company.
Levels of Octalysis
Yu-kai Chou explains in the book that there are up to 5 levels of mastery on the Octalysis Framework, describing the 3 initial levels.
Level 1 Octalysis is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the product with respect to motivation, by thinking about how that product utilizes each of the 8 Core Drives, and identify all the game mechanics and techniques that are used to activate them.
Level 2 Octalysis is when we try to optimize the experience throughout all four phases of the player journey:
- Onboarding: The phase where users are introduced to the system and learn how to use it.
- Scaffolding: The phase where users start to engage with the system and develop their skills and knowledge.
- Endgame: The phase where users have become advanced users and are focused on achieving mastery and long-term engagement.
- Retirement: The phase where users start to disengage from the system
Level 3 Octalysis goes beyond by adding Bartle’s Four Player Types (Achievers, Socializers, Explorers and Killers) over the four phases mentioned above.
Core Drive 1: Epic Meaning & Calling
Generally best communicated during the Discovery and Onboarding Phase of a Player’s Journey. As designers, we want to communicate very early on exactly why the user should participate in our mission and engage.
One good example of a company that understands this Core Drive is Apple. Customers of their devices will not think twice about buying one of their phones or other devices just to have an Apple, since having one will make the person feel self-identified as an Apple Person, therefore they need to do what “Apple People” do: buying the newest devices from the company.
Game Techniques
Narrative
Give context to the user for a higher meaning through interacting with the product.
Example:
- “Zombies, Run” app motivates the user to do a troublesome task such as running through the city / exteriors by adding a narrative in the form of a podcast which immerses the player in a post-apocalyptic world where they will need to outrun the zombies during each run.
Humanity Hero
Incorporate a world mission into the product, such as planting a tree for each [task].
Example:
- “FreeRice.com” donates 10 grains of rice for every correct answer to the educational questions posted on their site.
Elitism
To allow users to form a prideful group based on common interests also makes them feel they are part of a larger cause.
Example:
- University rivalries in the real world or Clan gatekeeping in virtual games are good examples of this. In games, elitism can be seen in games where people want to be part of a highly competitive group, which will make them feel more engaged.
Beginner’s Luck
Make people feel like they are one of the few chosen to take action; make them feel like they are uniquely destined to do something.
Example:
- In games with a loot system, when a player gets a legendary item upon the first day of playing the game, or on gacha games, where the player gains a great pull on their first tries.
Free Lunch
To give freebies (that are normally not free) to selected people in a way that it binds them to a larger theme.
Example:
- Gift a premium reward to players that registered during the first week of a game.
Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment
The most common implementation of gamification we see in the market, since PBLs (points, badges and leaderboards) appeal heavily to this drive.
Gamification aims to integrate that feeling of Development & Accomplishment into everyday experiences within our product or service.
An example of this drive usage is in Goodreads, where users can keep track of their progress from books and set reading goals for the year. This simple implementation has its users hooked to the website, while also creating some sense of urgency (Core Drive 8) when they are “behind” from its yearly goal.
Game Techniques
Progress Bars
To add a way to keep track of progress made by the player
Example:
- Goodreads implements it right, as seen above.
The Rockstar Effect
To make a user feel like everyone wants to interact with them.
Example:
- Twitter, back in the day, was one of the first social networks to implement a one-way follow, a feature that made many people saw getting many followers as an achievement.
Achievement Symbols
Also known as badges; to implement an item that embodies an accomplishment.
Note: using this game technique “too much” may have the opposite effect, resulting on a lower value to achieve the goals
Example:
- Steam offers its clients a way to implement achievements easily in their platform.
Status Points
To keep score of progress. Internally, it allows the system to know how close players are towards the win-state. Externally, it gives players a feedback system to track progress.
Example:
- Reddit’s Karma system adds value to your comments and posts in the site, increasing when you are valued positively, and decreasing when otherwise.
Leaderboards
A game element to rank users based on a set of criteria that is influenced by the users’ behaviors towards the Desired Actions.
Example:
- Duolingo has a leaderboard system implemented where highly engaged users can rank up by using the app normally.
Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
This drive emphasizes on what most people refer to as “Play”. It resides in the upper right “golden corner.” This implies that it is White Hat – meaning it has long-term positive emotions, as well as Right Brain – emphasizing Intrinsic Motivation. Unfortunately, this Core Drive is also possibly the hardest to implement correctly.
Game Techniques
Boosters
A limited upgrade that allows a user to either move quicker, have additional power or skip forward through barriers in the system.
Example:
- Candy Crush uses this game technique for players to not drop motivation from a difficult level, as a way to make it easier to complete.
Milestone Unlock
To open up an exciting possibility that wasn’t there before that milestone was reached.
Example:
- In RPG Games, players can unlock a new set of skill when leveling up, which can open up new possibilities in their way to play.
Poison Picker / Choice Perception
To add the sense of choice for the user, even though it may not have any impact to the game.
Example:
- To decide what to pick first between two activities; “Do you want to eat vegetables before or after the main dish”
Plant Picker / Meaningful Choices
The process of being able to select many options, each with its unique strengths and weaknesses, and resulting in a variety of style and creativity-based strategies.
Example:
- Plants vs Zombies offers players different options with the selection of plants at the start of the game. To select plants is to choose how the player will play during that stage, having a unique experience compared to another strategy.
Core Drive 4: Ownership & Possession
It is the primary drive that compels us to collect stamps or accumulate wealth. On a more abstract level, Core Drive 4 is connected to our investment of time or resources into customizing something to our own liking.
This drive relates to analytical thinking. Decisions are mostly based on logic and analysis, reinforced by the desire for possession as the primary motivating factor.
Game Techniques
Built-From-Scratch
To give players the option to add value to the product from the beginning, instead of getting the entire setup.
Example:
- IKEA may be using this drive as its main motivator since people often prefer the experience of building rather than getting an expensive high-end furniture.
Collection Sets
To create items, characters, badges, etc. and let the player know these are part of a bigger part, aka a collection.
Example:
- Scrabble GO has a whole feature based on this concept, where players need to collect unique cards to complete an album, which will give them coins or a Tile as a reward.
Monitor Attachment
To allows people to develop more ownership towards something, such that they are constantly monitoring or paying attention to it.
Example:
- Fitness apps use this game technique by giving its users a way to monitor their actions, such as step counter, health status and daily progress of their goals.
The Alfred Effect
When users feel that a product or service is so personalized to their own needs that they cannot imagine using another service.
Examples:
- Amazon does it when displaying the most interesting products for the player, based on their previous purchases and preferences.
A Right Brain Core Drive that bases its success off our desires to connect and compare with one another. Many companies are now focusing on this drive during the Discovery and Onboarding Phases.
Game Techniques
Mentorship
To offer old users a way to engage with new users and help them.
Example:
- Universities usually have old students be mentors for newcomers, with them getting something by offering their time.
A Desired Action that users can take in order to broadcast what they feel accomplished about.
Example:
- Games that have a quick access to share how much a user has progress use this game technique.
Trophy Shelves
An obvious display that exhibits the achievements of the user.
Example:
- PlayStation games shows the amount of achievements a player has completed (and their difficulty) in the form of trophies of different kinds (bronze, silver, gold and platinum).
Group Quests
To add collaborative play in order to achieve a goal.
Example:
- World of Warcraft focuses a great part of their development in the creation of such group quests, named as Raids.
Social Treasures
Gifts or rewards that can only be given by friends or other players.
Example:
- Dislyte offers its players a way to earn Hearts by connecting with other players and claiming them. These can be used afterwards to buy items in a specific shop.
Social Prods
An action of minimal effort to create a social interaction, often a simple click of a button.
Example:
- Facebook and Instagram likes, or Google’s +1 are good examples of this game technique.
To display how close users are to the social norm through Feedback Mechanics.
Example:
- oPower discovered that the best way to motivate households to consume less energy was to show them a chart on how their best neighbors are consuming, and what their neighbors are consuming.
Water Coolers
To add a place where users can stop focusing on the main flow of the game.
Example:
- Add a Forum feature to the game
Core Drive 6: Scarcity & Impatience
It is the drive that motivates us simply because we are either unable to have something immediately, or because there is great difficulty in obtaining it.
Backing it with examples, Yu-kai Chou argues that our brains have a tendency to pursue things just because they are exclusive, something that can be seen in our current society with the infamously-known NFTs.
Game Techniques
Dangling
To tease the user with what they could achieve, until they take the desired actions to achieve it.
Example:
- At in-game offers, where users can pay some amount of money to “save” time and effort to get the item.
Anchored Juxtaposition
To offer two options side-by-side, with one being a shortcut to the second option, that needs a big amount of effort.
Example:
- A site giving two options: a) pay 20$ now or b) complete a group of Desired Actions. The Desired Action can be “Invite your Friends”, “Upload Photos” and other examples.
- It can be noted that some users will complete all of the Desired Actions because they feel they have “saved” 20$ in the process by investing their time and effort, but after some time they will value the time and effort it costs to maintain this routine. Then, users will feel that option a) is a more appealing investment.
Magnetic Caps
To limit the number of times a user can perform a Desired Action, which then stimulates more motivation to commit them.
Example:
- Pokemon Go uses this technique by limiting the amount of time a lure is active when it is activated.
Appointment Dynamics
A trigger to cause users to take action on a predetermined schedule.
Example:
- Farmville uses this, forcing the user to return at a set time to harvest crops. Failing to return on time causes damaged crops.
Torture Breaks
A sudden and often planned pause during the user’s gameplay.
Example:
- Candy Crush uses this in the form of lives. If a player loses all lives they will need to wait 30 minutes before getting another life.
Evolved UI
To have a simple User Interface that expands over the Player’s Journey; gradually expose users to complexity rather than overwhelm this with a big bang approach.
Example:
- World of Warcraft User Interface adds elements gradually in relation to the player’s progress.
Core Drive 7: Unpredictability & Curiosity
The drive is closely related to the usage of chance and the human nature of looking to experience novelty.
It is triggered when a person experiences unexpected events or encounters new information, leading to a feeling of curiosity and the need to explore further.
Game Techniques
Glowing Choice
A tool to guide players in the right direction; usually on the Onboarding Phase.
Example:
- World of Warcraft uses this technique to display where a Quest can be started, in the form of a yellow exclamation over a character.
Mystery Boxes / Random Rewards
To give a reward after accomplishing a Desired Action, with the reward being unknown to the player.
Often what drives players to the Endgame Phase.
Mystery Boxes are more gameful, while Random Rewards are more technical.
Example:
- Loot boxes are the most thorough example.
Easter Eggs / Sudden Rewards
To add surprises that are given out without the user acknowledging it beforehand.
Example:
- Hidden Achievements in games use this game technique.
Lottery / Rolling Rewards
A game whose outcome is based on luck and not on skills or efforts required from the player.
The key idea of rolling rewards is the rule that somebody has to win during each period. Therefore, as long as the user “stays in the game,” the chances of you winning increase linearly.
Example:
- Some online Raffles use this technique by letting the user know that if they do a Desired Action, such as following them in their socials, they will get x tickets; the more tickets a user has, the better their chances of winning.
Core Drive 8: Loss & Avoidance
This drive motivates players through the fear of losing something or having undesirable events transpire.
Even new opportunities that are perceived as fading away can exhibit a form of Loss & Avoidance. If people do not act immediately on this temporary opportunity, they feel like they are losing the chance to act forever.
Game Techniques
Rightful Heritage
When a system first makes a user believe something rightfully belongs to them, and then makes them feel like it will be taken away if they don’t commit the Desired Action.
Example:
- In User Acquisition offers, such as “Sign-up now to receive 3.000 gems”
Evanescent Opportunities
An opportunity that will disappear if the user does not take the Desired Action immediately.
Example:
- Diablo 3’s Treasure Goblin offers players great value for defeating this creature in a certain time frame; if they do not, the goblin will disappear.
Countdown Timers
A visual display that communicates the passage of time towards a tangible event. Sometimes the Countdown Timer is to introduce the start of a great opportunity, while at other times it’s to signify the end of the opportunity.
Example:
- Live Operated Events use this technique to motivate players to complete the event in a certain amount of time until it fades away.
Status Quo Sloth
To have users create a tendency to not change their behavior in-game. As designers, our goal is to build Status Quo Sloth into the Endgame phases of our products by developing highly engaging activity loops that allow the user to turn Desired Actions into habits.
More info on how to integrate this technique in the Hook Model by Nir Eyal.
Example:
- F2P Strategy Games have created this kind of user profiles by adding simple routines to perfectionate their units in-game, where players need to spend their daily stamina in the same repetitive actions for a chance to better their chances in other sections of the game.
FOMO Punch
To challenge players that are stuck in a routine into leaving, since not doing so will cause a loss.
Example:
- When a game gives a preview of what could happen if a players would choose a specific path.
The Sunk Cost Prison
When a player invests so much time into something, that even when it’s no longer enjoyable,they continue to commit the Desired Actions because they don’t want to feel the loss of giving up on everything.
Example:
- A person who has invested a lot of money into a stock, but the stock’s value has been steadily decreasing.
Despite this, the person continues to hold on to the stock because they have already invested so much money into it, and they don’t want to sell it and realize the loss. They believe that the stock will eventually go back up and recoup their investments. However, this could lead to further losses and the person becomes trapped in a sunk cost prison, unable to make a rational decision and move on from the losing investment.
Left Brain vs Right Brain Core Drives
The Left Brain Core Drives involve tendencies related to logic, ownership, and analytical thought. They are expressed in the following three Core Drives:
- Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment
- Core Drive 4: Ownership & Possession
- Core Drive 6: Scarcity & Impatience
The Right Brain Core Drives are characterized by creativity, sociality, and curiosity. The next Core Drives follow this principle:
- Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
- Core Drive 5: Social Influence & Relatedness
- Core Drive 7: Unpredictability & Curiosity
This structure also allows designers to differentiate and design for the differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
The Left Brain Core Drives are result (goal) focused, while the Right Brain Core Drives are process (journey) focused.
Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation is derived from a goal, purpose, or reward. The Task may not be interesting by itself, but because of the reward or goal, people become driven and motivated to complete the task.
An example of extrinsic motivation is a repetitive job, where people may not enjoy working in, but are driven to do so, since that will ultimately lead to an end, such as eating, progressing in their career and paying rent.
On the other hand, Intrinsic Motivation is simply the motivation you get by inherently enjoying the task itself; when we act without any obvious external rewards.
An example of intrinsic motivation is when people do activities such as studying a language for fun, where people may get motivated by the sense of self-improvement.
White Hat and Black Hat Gamification
The White Hat Core Drives are represented by the Core Drives at the Top of the Octalysis diagram:
- Core Drive 1: Epic Meaning & Calling
- Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment
- Core Drive 3: Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
The Black Hat Core Drives are represented by the Core Drives at the Bottom of the Octalysis diagram:
- Core Drive 6: Scarcity & Impatience
- Core Drive 7: Unpredictability & Curiosity
- Core Drive 8: Loss & Avoidance
Quoting Yu-kai Chou directly:
“ It seemed like the games that go viral but then have shorter shelf-lives utilize Core Drives that create obsession, urgency, and addictiveness. Players would become glued to the game but then towards the Endgame Phase, the joy and fun no longer persists as strongly, yet the player mechanically continues to grind through many hours “laboring” through them. Due to the Sunk Cost Prison covered in Core Drive 8, players feel demoralized, but are unable to quit. ”
White Hat Core Drives are motivation elements that make us feel powerful, fulfilled and satisfied, while Black Hat Core Drives make us feel obsessed, anxious and addicted. It’s a clear contrast between the feelings of agency and loss of control.
Black Hat does not mean “bad”
Even though Black Hat Gamification may seem as the “bad” motivation of the specter, it does not necessarily mean that.
Some people may use this kind of gamification to force themselves to live healthier and achieve their short and long term goals. This can be seen in fitness apps that keep control of your daily progress and can make the user feel that they have to reach their daily quota to feel better at the end of the day.Black Gamification is a very powerful tool for tasks that people want to do, but lack enough willpower to do so.
Simon Stoyanov | Ætherbuilding 