Self-determination theory is the single most common theory used in game design. There are lots of theories built on that, it’s simple to build new ones. Three is the perfect number, as always.
Games that offer good emergent gameplay have the right amount of friction in the 3 aspects correlated with self-determination theory components.
- Mastery relates to mechanical friction, meaning the challenge imposed by the controls and the mechanics of the game.
- Autonomy relates to strategic friction, meaning the challenge related to the decisions.
- Relatedness relates to informational friction, the things you know about the game’s status.
For instance, in games like the last Supercell’s Squad Buster, you have a good balance:
- The Player has to understand the combat system, know when to use the turbo (also in combat) and play with the action area to attack and escape at the right time
- The Camera doesn’t permit you to see everyone, so you never know who you will meet. There is an information friction.
- The re is a strategic friction related to the autonomy, you can decide to attack others or collect gems, but it’s up to you. Everything has a light consequence.
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