Return On Investment

What makes a video game addicting? There are different types of addiction, and many games combine multiple forms. Some games are simply "page turners" where you just have to know what happens next. Others are repetitive but still manage to draw the player back for more. I believe the strongest type of addiction is one that speaks directly to human nature: practice makes perfect.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the simple levelling-up grind of RPGs. The model is a very simple ROI (return on investment). The generic formula: fighting in a few battles, becoming stronger, learning new attacks, making more money. Similar patterns can be seen in saving for retirement, training for a marathon, practicing an instrument and even gambling.

These are all things that tend to be addicting, especially when there are early or quick wins (hitting a jackpot on the first pull). The beauty of the RPG level-grind is it takes the concept, and adds a guarantee (something the others don't) that you will get a positive return on your investment.

The attraction of this system is something the human condition can't deny.