Motivating Play through Score

Score motivates game play by rewarding behavior and providing a gauge of performance, enabling comparison and competition. Players compete individually and collaboratively to maximize score. A scoring rubric assigns value to action, motivating players to accomplish specific tasks. While abstract and arbitrary in theory, in practice, score can be a powerful motivator. We connect the role of score in games with our own user study designed to teach team coordination. We show how score motivates play and learning. Players with alternate perspectives cooperate to improve their score and best other teams. Point values direct strategic play. Intense competition emerges between teams who have never met, even though scores are not directly accessible. We examine how the scoring rubric underlies motivation. Rewarding desired behavior with score and making scores publicly available are key design implications.