Why do I lose time playing? Game features reported by players as being more satisfying

This dissertation had the objetive to relate elements from cognitive psychology with game design. For this purpose, it was discussed some features that constitutes a game, game design in order to create a good playing experience for players, presented persuasion strategies and thus how rewards given to players may keep them interested in the game and influence their behavior. To conclude, a list has been created with elements that were discussed and identified as being relevant in creating a good game experience. Besides, data collected from an online form done with players, with a total of 182 answers, was analysed for the sake of testing some hypotheses and concluding that challenge difficulty, player choices and playing with friends are important features.