Welcome, in the previous lectur, Professor Mill used philosophy and cultural theory to argue that play and culture are intrinsically linked. Now, we will change our perspective by focusing on what psychology could contribute to a better understanding of playing digital games. Do you know why gaming is so attractive for so many people? We develop our answer in two videos. The first one argues that playing is functional and that rewards make a game enjoyable. The second video starts with the question, why people prefer games to television or other entertainment media? It will use theories of motivation to argue that gaming enables people to satisfy particular needs. Children play lot and this is attracted the attention of famous early psychologists like John Piaget, and Sigmund Freud. Although there theories are rather different, their perspectives on play are quite similar. Playing his functional, they argue. It contributes to cognitive development. For example, when make believe play takes children to a fantasy world which helps them to reflect on their own reality. Play also serves an important social function. For example, when children take on the gender stereotypical roles of princess or knight or learn how to deal with someone who breaks the rules, the functions of play go hand in hand with enjoyment. Children like to play, because it is a pleasant experience to be in charge of your own environment. On a more general plane, we could safely argue that the urge to play is deeply embedded in what we are as humans. We are built to play, because it enhances what Professor Mill has called our adaptive variability earlier in this module. Thus far to kind of play I refer to was the free play of children which is similar to what hasn't had in mind, but what about game? The English language is really helpful here. Because in English, one can differentiate game from play. Play is an enjoyable activity with a lot of freedom. It often has rules creating order as we learned from Professor Mill, but these rules are quite different from the ones in games. Game rules are generally strict and concerned with procedures that are linked to the goal of the game. A second major difference between game and play is the competition embedded in the rules, and feedback system of the game. Games are about winning or losing. The rules, the feedback, the goal in the competition element of games result in an imposed upon structure that is far more rigid than the openness of play. Conceivably, the structured nature of game may be less appealing than the freedom of play. What time is the attractiveness of playing in the structured environment of digital games? You may play on a smart phone, a tablet or a computer. We will use media psychological theories to answer this question about the appeal of gaming. The research in the past two decades has been conserved mostly with the appeal of digital entertainment games, but the result in theoretical insights can also be applied to seious games. The first part of the answer to why people like to play digital games may come as a surprise, because it argues that it is exactly the opposed to pawn structure of a game that is attractive. Games generally consist of different levels that need to be mastered by the player. In the game, players receive immediate feedback about whether they are successful or not. When the tasks at a certain level are completed successfully, the players receive a reward. This may be a piece of relevant currency in the game or they're allowed to move on to the next level. Insights from the psychology of learning are important in complaining why people play on. It has been established in many different learning contacts that rewarding a certain action increases the chances that the action is repeated in animals, as well as in humans. So if players are rewarded for their accomplishments, they will most probably play on. In short, the functionality of play and the reward structure of games contribute to the appeal of gaming, but this is only part of the answer. Do you have any idea why so many players and maybe yourself as well become so involved in a game that they really like to play on this spite, setbacks and frustrations? Think about it for awhile. The next video will give you some food for thought.