The featured image above is take from a modded version of the Inscryption made by YouTube channel Lumord – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=C5kDfJyiz8Y.
Inscryption, a video game by Daniel Mullins, creates competitive fun by rewarding players for maximizing the damage they deal to their opponent. The game progresses via a series of card games where the winner is determined by the tipping of a scale. For each point of damage players deal directly to their opponent, a small golden token is placed on their opponent’s side of the scale. Once a player tips the scale toward their opponent by 5 tokens or more, they win the match. However, dealing extra damage on the final blow nets players gold tokens that they can keep and eventually spend on more powerful cards. The game therefore creates competitive fun by incentivizing players to deal as much damage as possible on the killing blow, creating a feeling of utterly dominating one’s opponent. If dealt enough damage, the game’s computerized opponent will even remark to the player, “how ruthless”, which emphasizes the sense of dominance. Additionally, each token makes an audible “clink!” upon impact with the scale and with other tokens. The sense-pleasure of seeing and hearing a stream of tokens piling up at the end of the match further contributes to the sense of dominance, made all the more satisfying as these tokens are going straight into the player’s coffers. We therefore see how the game’s mechanics lead to dynamics that create competitive fun. The mechanics of the scale and of collecting tokens create dynamics where players want to maximize the damage dealt on their final turn. The drive to dominate the competition, complimented by the sense-pleasure of seeing your riches pile-up, creates Inscryption’s competitive fun.
