One of the most useful tools game designers have at their disposal is behavioral psychology. Behavioral psychologists believe that the inner workings of a subject’s consciousness are not important, and that outward behavior is the only relevant factor in predicting or influencing human action. Whether or not one agrees with this school of thought, it’s a highly useful model in game design because the only information that one can reliably observe in the context of a video game is the player’s in-game behavior. How is it possible to use the data from a player’s actions in a game to understand ways to teach them things they need to be taught in order to succeed? How can their behavior be influenced to push them towards or away from victory? Because players have limited avenues of expression in games, it becomes extremely important as a designer to be knowledgeable in the field of behavioral psychology in order to create an effective gaming experience.
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