The RAMP to Fun

A while back I started talking about FUN again. In that post I mentioned the RAMP to Fun, but never actually posted it! So here it is in full PowerPoint diagram glory 😀

RAMP to Fun

This is obviously based on my RAMP, but also on some research I did a long time ago on what people find fun.

5 Groups of Fun

The idea is that you need to include elements, mechanics and concepts that people will find fun – even if these do not look fun to you on the surface. As they all hook into core intrinsic motivators – some will find them fun! The more you can link together and embed – in a way that is sympathetic and sensible to the design, the better.

A bit more depth

Relatedness

  • Family
    • Create experiences that allow a player to include their loved ones.
  • Fellowship
    • If creating experiences with loved ones is not possible, create environments that lead to strong feelings of fellowship and belonging.
  • Competition
    • Competition can create string feelings of kinship as you challenge others with similar interests. There is a reason elite athletes are friends with other elite athletes – shared experiences.

Autonomy

  • Exploration
    • Encourage looking around by making the players environment interesting.
    • Provide subtle signposts that the eagle eyed might follow.
  • Discovery / Curiosity
    • Support exploration by including surprises and goodies that can be discovered as a result of a curious mind!.
  • Creativity
    • Provide opportunities to allow players to be creative, either in their problem solving or by providing tools to directly affect the world around them.

Mastery

  • Learning
    • The first step to mastery, is having something to master. Be it direct teaching, or trial and error leading to reward and mastery.
  • Challenges
    • Don’t make it too easy, create obstacles, provide challenges and encourage failure with solid feedback.
    • Achievement feels more intense if worked for.
  • Progression
    • Create progression paths, where new skills are acquired and required for success.
    • Give clear feedback to help measure progress.

Purpose

  • Goals / Narratives
    • Create clear reasons why you are expecting your players to engage.
    • Why are they there, what do they need to do, how will it lead to some greater meaning?
  • Collaboration
    • Allow players to work together towards a common goal and shared purpose.
    • Reward overall teamwork and individual contributions.
  • Care-taking
    • Provide ways for players to look after others, influencing and protecting them.
    • Let players become teachers, helping others learn from their skills.

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