10 Genius Ways Video Game Developers Outsmarted You
8. First-Time Players Get A Damage Buff Online To Encourage Play - Gears Of War
Tricking players within the carefully controlled environment of a single-player game is one thing, but multiplayer is an entirely different beast.
But Epic Games implemented a subtle-yet-brilliant psychological trick to keep players glued to their Xbox while playing Gears of War multiplayer.
Though the game is known for being relatively punishing for new players, the devs opted to remedy this by giving first-timers a damage buff and other sly advantages for their first few kills in their first game.
The series' lead designer Lee Perry said:
"In Gears, found out 90% of first time players don't play a second multiplayer match if they don't get a kill. That first game's important...So we started you off with some major advantages (like additional damage bonuses) that tapered off with your first few kills."
So, if that first game of Gears made you feel empowered and badass, it wasn't so much a result of skill or even luck as it was a carefully designed illusion to draw you in and stop you from rage-quitting in record time.