How to Change Any Bad Habit Using Game Mechanics

“Chris Bennett, an accomplished game designer and expert on game mechanics…”

chris_bennettThe remarkable Mr. Bennett is also Game Designer in Residence at Stanford Peace Innovation Lab, where we have been fortunate to learn a great deal about game mechanics from him–expertise we are applying to elicit positive, pro-social engagement across conflict boundaries.

Lauren Hall-Stigerts interviewed Chris Bennett on the intersection of behavior and game design at Big Fish Games.

You enjoy playing games, right? It can be effortless to pick up a game and get addicted. If you play games, you’re already good at what it takes to change a habit.

Think about what makes you keep returning to a game. Game designers use a number of techniques to keep you entertained and coming back for more – these are called game mechanics. They are what drive you to solve puzzles, destroy enemies, and hit random brick blocks to see what might pop out.

We gamers can accomplish great things anywhere by using what we’ve learned from gaming.

Let’s look at game mechanics, understand what drives habits, and then mash them together to create a better world (or at least a better us).