Why rewards always devalue the game experience

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Sunday, April 21, 2013, 09:09 (4023 days ago) @ Jillybean

Basically, It would seem that ALL rewards essentially undermine the enjoyment of a game.

When you think about what people do for fun, the entire reason for engaging in a leisure activity is that it's enjoyable.

Yes - I agree. But what if achieving something difficult is considered fun? For example, hunting game. People bring back trophies to prove they've done something difficult. That trophy is then incentive for someone else to do the same or better. I'm not sure I see a difference between that kind of trophy and a virtual one (asides from the animal welfare implications). The fun aspect is in being competitive, either with yourself or with others.

The trophy itself is not the difficulty; the act of hunting is. Bagging the biggest buck which will win the trophy is the challenge. Of course people find difficult things fun.

It's exactly the same. If the motivation is simply to get the trophy, rather than the joy of hunting, then the enjoyment of the act of hunting itself is devalued.