IMPORTANT NOTE: As stated in my project proposal, this game is intended for young children who are experiencing low moods and players will have likely been referred to this game by a GP or parent to help them with relaxation and positivity. Because of this, the reward system and player motivation is largely dependent on the individuals desire to improve their own mental-well being.
Some research surrounding player motivation:
Gamer-Motivation-Model-Reference.pdf
Cogshel fits into this category
Cogshel fits into this category
Cogshel’s coin system is simple and easy to follow for children (as demonstrated in v6 playtesting.
Players will start the game with 100 coins to buy food and toys from the shop.
Shop items are at different price points based on how valuable they are to the player .i.e. a slice of cake will cost 10 coins and increases the hunger bar by 10 increments.
This allows them to feed and play with their pet, which increases their happiness and keeps them full.
There are several ways for a player to earn coins. They can play a CBT themed match 3 minigame where the number of coins earned is a multiple of their high score. Another mechanism for earning coins is to complete a breathing exercise where the number of coins is related to the length of time engaged in the exercise. Lastly, a player can complete a log in their CBT journal and earn a fixed 50 coins.
Players like seeing their pet happy, and feel the need to help them if they are sad, which is enough motivation to keep earning coins through the mini game, CBT activity, and mindfulness activity (as seen in v7 playtesting & v5 playtesting). The CBT activity was implemented after feedback following playtesting v6.