#brainpoints

Brain Points is a research paper that implemented a Growth Mindset incentive and narrative structure and measured the results against a neutral mindset control version of the same game. The results suggested that video games were a valid form of Growth Mindset training delivery. O’Rourke et. al. found:

Through a study of 15,000 children, we show that the “brain points” system encourages more low-performing students to persist in the educational game Refraction when compared to a control, and increases overall time played, strategy use, and perseverance after challenge.

http://eleanorourke.com/papers/brainpoints_chi.pdf

This is incredibly encouraging to find. This directly relates back to brief, provides a break down of mechanics and systems, and results suggest an increase in Growth Mindset. The incentive structure they chose is very interesting in that it’s unpredictable to the player by design. This was to discourage cheating but it also resulted in a sort of variable ratio reward schedule. Essentially, the player had to complete 2 different tasks before they were rewarded, and they couldn’t repeat the same combination of 2 tasks twice in a row. They were also never explicitly told what constituted a task but could infer by the name that displayed when they got points.

I’m not sure how I feel about this as, on one hand, having immediate feedback is a cornerstone of interaction design. On the other hand, rewards should encourage the behaviour you want and without this relatively complex structure, the behaviour would be different and potentially unwanted.

I want to try and incorporate some of the reward system design principals into my project. Like rewarding players when they try a new strategy to overcome a problem. The narrative structure worked well for a children’s game but I’m concerned that it would come off as patronizing for my older audience. That said, framing or visually representing progress as it’s own struggle, like climbing a hill, is a neat way of subtly working in Growth Mindset.