This article was written by Joanne Liu, a guest contributor and summer intern at Take This.
Theories behind the joy of games
Why do we like playing games? Most people say it’s because games are fun and relaxing. But what about games that aren’t happy and easy, where you have to navigate tough challenges and deal with serious topics?
In the words of Seymor Papert, people enjoy playing games because they are “hard fun.” Flow theory, developed by Csikszentmihalyi, explains that the enjoyment comes from the full attention to an interesting yet challenging activity. If the task is too difficult, we get frustrated. If the task is too easy, we become bored. When the level of difficulty matches up with the edge of our abilities, the magical moment of “flow” occurs. Flow requires both times of intense challenge and moments where we can catch our breath, and games are often designed in a way to keep us in the flow state as much as possible.
While Flow Theory helps us understand why we enjoy challenges, Self-Determination Theory (SDT) decodes what types of challenges we enjoy in games. According to SDT, we are motivated to do an activity if it meets three basic human needs: competence (feeling good at what we do), autonomy (having control over our actions), and relatedness (feeling connected to others). In games, we get to choose when to face challenges, giving us a sense of control. Games make us feel good about ourselves by setting goals and achievements. Platforms like Steam or Discord keep us connected with other players. Therefore, we have an intrinsic motivation for games – it’s something we do just for the joy of it.
Although Flow and SDT effectively explain our intrinsic motivation of skill-based challenges in games, they don’t quite explain our attraction to games that contain emotional challenges.
Enjoyment of Emotional Challenges
Some games feature emotional challenges with dark themes and strong narratives. I call them dark-themed games. At first, these stories seem to contradict the SDT, as we often have limited control over the stories and they can make us feel helpless.
The first dark-themed game I played was Witcher III: Wild Hunt. As Geralt, I had to make hard decisions under ambiguous situations. I often had to reload saved progress, and rarely found a perfect ending. Yet, such frustration did not ruin the fun for me. Years later, I still remember the thrill when I finally “Passed the Trial” (the achievement for finishing the game). Witcher III: Wild Hunt is an example of how emotional challenges captivate us and meet our deeper psychological needs.
SPOILER ALERT: The following content discusses details from Witcher III: Wild Hunt.
Artistic and Narrative Depth
Dark-themed games often feature rich storytelling, complex characters, and atmospheric settings that captivate players. The immersive narratives and detailed world-building in these games draws players in and keeps us engaged.
Each character in Witcher III: Wild Hunt adds depth and brings the world to life. As I delved into Geralt’s relationship with Yennefer, I was deeply touched by their deep bonds, trust, and mutual love for Ciri. I remember listening to the poet Priscilla’s song, “Wolven Storm” at the Kingfisher Inn. Its melancholic melody and lyrics made me wonder about their past together. In the world of Witcher III: Wild Hunt, the costs and consequences of these narratives leave a lasting, stinging mark at heart.
Emotional Engagement
Dark-themed games evoke intense emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness – feelings we usually avoid in daily life. Research has found that games invoking unpleasant emotions can enrich gameplay experience, making the game more meaningful, powerful, and resonant.
In Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Geralt plays a crucial role in deciding the fates of other characters and the Continent. As players, we face tough decisions, such as choosing between helping Dijkstra become a wise ruler of the North or saving Roche, our Temerian friend. Siding with Dijkstra secures important alliances but forces Geralt to witness the death of Roche. Choosing Roche saves the Temerians but subjects them to continued suffering under the empire’s rule. Although saving Roche might not be the best for the North’s prosperity, it was impossible for me to turn my back on the guy who saved my life.
I felt torn deciding which option to choose, as I was deeply attached to the characters. The intense emotions I experienced in these quests kept me fully engaged, leaving memories years after I finished the game.
Exploration of Human Nature
Dark-themed games provide a safe space to explore complex and thought-provoking themes related to human nature, morality, and existential questions. These games are a safe and virtual environment that allows us to think deeply about life and morals.
The world of Witcher III: Wild Hunt is filled with discussions of ethics and morality. Kings talk about their divine right to justify war. The Wild Hunt claims their righteousness to capture Ciri to save their world. Witchers follow the “Witcher Code.” But the game truly challenges the player’s personal ethics, such as in the Bloody Baron quest.
In this quest, Lord Baron asks Geralt to find his missing wife, Ana. While looking for Ana, we as Geralt must decide whether to kill or free a spirit called Whispering Hillock. Freeing the spirit saves a group of orphans but curses Ana, leading to the Baron’s suicide. If the spirit is killed, the orphans are devoured, but Ana and Baron survive at the cost of Ana’s psychosis. There are no perfect outcomes, and each choice carries heavy consequences.
Witcher III: Wild Hunt does not dictate how to choose. Rather, it shows the outcomes of each option, prompting us to reflect on our decisions. The limitations of our capability within the game resemble real-world dilemmas, but the possibility to explore all possible endings enables us to ponder upon our morals and values.
Variety and Balance
The adrenaline rush of facing fear or discomfort is exciting, but we also need breaks from intense gameplay. Just as the flow state requires moving between high skill and low skill moments, the mixing of dark themes and light-hearted gameplay elements provides a well-balanced emotional experience for us.
As an open-world game, Witcher III: Wild Hunt allows us to take a break from heavy and dark stories through map exploration and free interactions with NPCs. A match of Gwent before a battle helps ease my nerves as I am not great at action games. The horse riding time after a major quest gives me contemplative time to digest my emotions and the consequences of my choices. The funny dialogues that pop up every now and then mediate the heavy duties we carry, giving the game a more humane appeal.
Conclusion
What motivates us to play games is their ability to engage and entertain, fulfilling our core needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Dark-themed games like Witcher III: Wild Hunt extend these principles into the realm of emotional challenge, where the joy of gaming merges with the thrill of confronting deep, often unsettling narratives. These games challenge us not only to face fear, anxiety, and moral dilemmas, but also to explore complex aspects of human nature and morality, allowing us to experience intense engagement and reflection.
Through the eyes of Geralt, we walk through stories that not only entertain but also provoke thought, offering no easy resolutions. The combination of enjoyment and challenge that dark-themed games offer continue to fascinate us, fulfilling deeper psychological needs and an enriching gaming experience.
USEFUL RESOURCES
Flow Theory: https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness/transcript?language=en&subtitle=en
Self-determination Theory:
https://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc?si=aCMwmjqmOV6cR4n5
Emotional Challenge in Games:
https://youtu.be/j6pKSfrZA80?si=e3yQ_Ql0OVcVaJ1V
The Psychgiest of Pop Culture: The Witcher:
https://press.etc.cmu.edu/books/psychgiest-pop-culture-witcher
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Biasutti, M. “Flow Theory – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com, 2011, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/flow-theory.
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