Rewards

The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Space Alert

Anti-Examples

optional

Using the pattern

Can instantiate

with Geospatial Game Widgets

Reward Widgets

with Time Limits

Optional Goals, Repeat Combos

Can Modulate

Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences, Alternative Reality, Area Control, Attention Swapping, Bidding, Challenging Gameplay, Character Development, Fudged Results, Game Items, Gameplay Mastery, Grinding, Invites, Penalties, Player Defined Goals, Player Killing, Red Queen Dilemmas, Resource Caps, Resources, Reward Widgets, Risk/Reward, Scores, Secret Areas, Trading

Can Be Instantiated By

Arithmetic Progression, Factions, Geometric Progression,

Game Time Manipulation in Single-Player Games

Rewards can be given for many different things in games, but there are some common cases. Gaining Ownership may be its own Reward but can be strengthened by other Rewards; the same goes for Player Killing and Repeat Combos. Favorable results of Betting and Investments are Rewards as is Delayed Reciprocity when it occurs. Completing Minigames typically provide Rewards unless they are only meant to be truly optional activities. These can all be given out as Individual Rewards or Shared Rewards when they finally are given out.

There is a wide variety of what Rewards actually can consist of. Four different types of categories of Rewards are Access Rewards, Facilitating Rewards, Social Rewards, and Sustenance Rewards but Rewards can of course be combined to provide several of these at the same time.

Providing Improved or New Abilities are common parts of Rewards (especially for Access Rewards and Facilitating Rewards) as is Experience Points and Money (the latter which may be a Sustenance Reward). Another very common type of Rewards the combination of Game Items and Money in the form of Loot. Other, less common, Rewards include receiving Extra Chances (for example in the form of Lives), gaining new Companions, being presented with the possibility of Quick Returns, and being given access to Quick Travel (the two latter are Access Rewards). Most of these can take the form of Character Development, so Character Development tends to be a form of Reward although losing Abilities, etc. are also a form of Character Development. The stocking of Free Gift Inventories shows how Rewards can let players help other players but not directly themselves as a consequence of receiving Rewards. Most types of Rewards can actually be split in two halves, Unlocking the ability to receive or choose them and actually getting them. In this way, Unlocking shows how a Reward does not have to be an improvement directly related to players' gameplay but can also be the potential to improve it. Achievements goes on step further and shows that Rewards can be heavily dependent on game states and player actions without having to affect the game state when players gain them. The existences of Goal Achievements, Grind Achievements, Handicap Achievements, and Testing Achievements show how different types of actions can be rewarded.

Can Be Modulated By

Characters, Committed Goals, Continuous Goals, Diminishing Returns, Extra-Game Broadcasting, Extra-Game Consequences, Free Gift Inventories, Identification, Increasing Rewards, Mutual Goals, Outcome Indicators, Penalties, Player-Decided Distributions, Player-Defined Goals, Randomness, Reward Widgets Unknown Goals

Cutscenes in Single-Player Games

Potentially Conflicting With

Illusionary Rewards, Thematic Consistency

Consequences

Rewards are important in many ways for players to have Emotional Engrossment in games, they can for example provide Anticipation, Surprises, and Tension depending on when they are given and how certain players can be that they will receive them. The presence of them can increase Competition and create Collecting activities, especially if the Rewards exist as many small separate parts. When players need to wait for them to be accessible they can cause Encouraged Return Visits and when they are only available for short time periods they qualify as Ephemeral Events (combined with Time Limits they can be Optional Goals).

Receiving them can indicate that players have succeeded with Gain Competence goals or Player-Planned Development, but can also provide them with Game-Based Social Statuses.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Anticipation, Collecting, Competition, Emotional Engrossment, Encouraged Return Visits, Ephemeral Events, Game-Based Social Statuses, Gain Competence, Player-Planned Development, Surprises, Tension

with Geospatial Game Widgets

Reward Widgets

with Time Limits

Optional Goals, Repeat Combos

Can Modulate

Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences, Alternative Reality, Area Control, Attention Swapping, Bidding, Challenging Gameplay, Character Development, Fudged Results, Game Items, Gameplay Mastery, Grinding, Invites, Penalties, Player Defined Goals, Player Killing, Red Queen Dilemmas, Resource Caps, Resources, Reward Widgets, Risk/Reward, Scores, Secret Areas, Trading

Can Be Instantiated By

Access Rewards, Achievements, Arithmetic Progression, Betting, Character Development, Companions, Delayed Reciprocity, Extra Chances, Experience Points, Factions, Facilitating Rewards, Free Gift Inventories, Handicap Achievements, Game Items, Geometric Progression, Goal Achievements, Grind Achievements, Improved Abilities, Individual Rewards, Investments, Loot, Minigames, Money, New Abilities, Ownership, Player Killing, Quick Returns, Quick Travel, Repeat Combos, Shared Rewards, Social Rewards, Sustenance Rewards, Testing Achievements, Unlocking

Game Time Manipulation in Single-Player Games

Can Be Modulated By

Characters, Committed Goals, Continuous Goals, Diminishing Returns, Extra-Game Broadcasting, Extra-Game Consequences, Free Gift Inventories, Identification, Increasing Rewards, Mutual Goals, Outcome Indicators, Penalties, Player-Decided Distributions, Player-Defined Goals, Randomness, Reward Widgets Unknown Goals

Cutscenes in Single-Player Games

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Illusionary Rewards, Thematic Consistency

History

An updated version of the pattern Rewards that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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