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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: Board Game Design Day: Board Game Design and the Psychology of Loss Aversion
Speaker(s): Geoffrey Engelstein
Company Name(s): Mind Bullet Games
Track / Format: Design

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Overview: Loss aversion is a core effect in human psychology. Simply stated, losses make people feel worse than gains make them feel better. In other words, the negative emotions from losing $100 are stronger than the positive emotions from gaining $100; about twice as strong according to a variety of experiments. The fundamental aspect of loss aversion to human psychology is very deep, and touches a wide variety of phenomenon, most of which are directly relevant to game design. This talk from veteran tabletop game designer Geoff Engelstein ('Space Cadets') examines board games and other relevant game-like experiences to explore framing, regret, competence, and other effects, and their relation to players' relationship with the game experience.

GDC 2017

Geoffrey Engelstein

Mind Bullet Games

free content

Design

Design