Summary

Congratulations, you have reached the end! This chapter has offered some insight into the early development of games.

We have covered the basics of; what are games and the types of games that exist? Then we had a brief look at some examples of gaming experiences that are aimed to motivate us when we would rather ignore problems such as a healthier lifestyle, or impending travel plans. Next, we went through brief descriptions of various elements and mechanics that games have and some basic considerations for their use within gaming experiences. Lastly, we looked at understanding motivation and how different types of motivation affect us.

In the next chapter (Chapter 2, Who or What am I? Understanding the Player), we will look more closely at players, who they are, where they are from, and what we need to think about when we are designing for them. We will explore the different ways that players can be motivated, and how to facilitate it or to be mindful of it. In addition, we will look at different methods of approaching the design of gamified applications.