World of Warcraft
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game from Blizzard.
Where World of Warcraft comes up1 episode or test
World of Warcraft's beta cut XP per kill the longer players played, and players hated it. Blizzard relaunched it as a rest bonus earned while logged out, with essentially the same numbers. The source notes its example figures are made up. Lesson: reward the behavior you want instead of punishing the one you don't, since reframing a penalty as a bonus can make identical math feel fair.
- XP per kill shrank while logged in
- Players hated it
- Felt like punishment
- Bonus builds while offline
- XP boosted on log back in
- Essentially the same numbers
- Felt like a gift
Same shorter-session incentive, but players liked it
From Video on World of Warcraft's rest bonus
What was said about World of Warcraft
1The rest bonus: turning an XP penalty into a reward
Blizzard turned a shrinking XP penalty into a rest bonus players liked. The World of Warcraft beta cut experience per kill the longer a player stayed logged in, and players hated it. Blizzard flipped it into a rest bonus that builds while players are offline and boosts XP when they log back in, with essentially the same numbers.
The video notes the numbers it shows are made up. It describes the change as pushing the same behaviour (play in shorter sessions) but feeling like a gift instead of a punishment.
Reward the behaviour you want instead of punishing the one you don't. Players read penalties as being punished for how they play, even when the math is equivalent. Flipping the penalty into a bonus kept the same incentive while feeling agreeable to fans.
Quote: "it's often better to encourage the behaviour you want, than discourage the behaviour you don't." The example given is to reward the player who finishes quickly rather than punish the slow one.
How Game Designers Protect Players From Themselves
The beta cut experience per kill the longer you played, and players hated it. Blizzard turned it into a rest bonus built while offline, with essentially the same numbers.
Blizzard turned a shrinking XP penalty into a rest bonus players liked. The World of Warcraft beta cut experience per kill the longer a player stayed logged in, and players hated it. Blizzard flipped it into a rest bonus that builds while players are offline and boosts XP when they log back in, with essentially the same numbers.
The video notes the numbers it shows are made up. It describes the change as pushing the same behaviour (play in shorter sessions) but feeling like a gift instead of a punishment.
Reward the behaviour you want instead of punishing the one you don't. Players read penalties as being punished for how they play, even when the math is equivalent. Flipping the penalty into a bonus kept the same incentive while feeling agreeable to fans.
Quote: "it's often better to encourage the behaviour you want, than discourage the behaviour you don't." The example given is to reward the player who finishes quickly rather than punish the slow one.
More in Games
GamesNintendo
A Zelda adventure where Princess Zelda copies objects and monsters as echoes to solve puzzles and fight.
GamesThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo's long-running action-adventure series about Link exploring Hyrule, solving puzzles and fighting Ganon.
GamesDead Space
A major video game publisher and the guest's employer.
G
29 sources · 94 tipsMind Over Magnet
A puzzle platformer where you escape a factory using a magnet and a magnetic field.
GamesFar Cry 2
An open world action game where you recruit and play any of London's citizens.
GamesGod of War
A combat-focused action adventure game from Santa Monica Studio with Norse mythology and light puzzles.
Mind Over Magnet
Mark Brown's first game, a puzzle game he made while learning Unity.
GamesDishonored
A first-person stealth action game from Arkane with supernatural powers and the Clockwork Mansion level.