Little Wins

I don’t know if I stole this from someone else - I often feel as though I can attribute nothing seemingly original to my own creativity - but I have this concept I like to call a Little Win. It’s really generic, right? I definitely stole that from somewhere.

Little Wins are what drive motivation. Have you ever felt like you just did not want to continue playing a game or reading a story? We all have. Most likely, it was because there were no Little Wins.

They are small accomplishments we give our audience - something they can feel proud of, something that makes them feel as though they have done something right. They are rewards. We can’t call them rewards though because we start getting into levels, money, items and that’s not the sum of what a Little Win is all about. Giving your player something is not the only way to make them feel accomplished. 

Enter League of Legends. I chose this from the seemingly countless stream of MOBA (Multi-player Online Battle Arena) games out there because … I played this one. It’s great. So are DOTA, Demigod, etc. - because they have grasped what it means to motivate players by constantly rewarding them. 

When you start out, you have enough money to buy an item. That’s a win. Then, you kill little creatures really easily. That’s a win. After that, you destroy a defense tower, chipping away at your enemy. Another win. Then, if you’re better than I am, you kill an enemy player. An awesome win. 

Look at all of these wins. And you know what? You aren’t even close to winning the match yet. 

You gain levels, you earn abilities, you buy bigger and better items, you kill more players, you destroy more towers, you defend your base, and you eventually win the game. That’s the big win. But look at everything that led up to it. All of this takes place in an hour and when the match is done, you can look back on everything you accomplished and you wonder how an hour has just passed. 

Because you were motivated. It’s these Little Wins that keeps players and readers jumping from reward to accomplishment to reward until they are finally done. If you don’t give your player Little Wins, they’re just waiting for the big one - and waiting is something a player should never have to do.