The document provides an overview of Octalysis, a framework for understanding human motivation developed by Yu-kai Chou. It describes the eight core drives of the Octalysis model: epic meaning, development, empowerment, ownership, social influence, scarcity, unpredictability, and avoidance. It also provides examples of design elements that can appeal to different core drives and discusses the differences between "white hat" and "black hat" gamification techniques.

1. The Dark and Light
Sides of Motivation
For: QCommons By: Yu-kai Chou

2. Guild Leader:Yu-kai Chou

3. Early Pioneer of Gamification for 12 years
Serial Entrepreneur in Gamification
Founder of Octalysis Group & Behavioral Scientist
at Captain Up (Engagement & Retention Platform).
Regular Keynote Speaker/Lecturer at Stanford
University,Accenture,TEDx, SxSW
Rated #1 Gamification Guru by World Gamification
Congress (2014) and Rise.Global (2013, 2014)

4. Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
-Narrative
-Elitism
-Humanity Hero
-Revealed Heart
-Beginners Luck
-Free Lunch
-Destiny Child
-Creationist
-Status Points
-Badges (Achievement Symbols)
-Fixed Action Rewards (Earned Lunch)
-Leaderboard
-Progress Bar
-Quest Lists
-Dessert Oasis
-High Five
-Crowning
-Anticipation Parade
-Aura Effect
-Step-by-Step Overlay Tutorial
-Boss Fights
-Milestone Unlocks
-Real-Time Control
-Evergreen Combos
-Instant feedback
-Boosters
-Blank Fills
-Plant Pickers
-Poison Pickers
-Exchangeable Points
-Virtual Goods
-Build from Scratch
-Alfred Effect
-Collection Sets
-Avatar
-Protection
-Recruiter Burden
-Monitor Attachment
-Brag Button
-Water Cooler
-Conformity Anchors
-Mentorship
-Social Prod
-Friending
-Social Treasure/Gifting
-SeeSaw Bump
-Group Quests
-Tout Flags
-Appointment Dynamics
-Magnetic Caps
-Dangling
-Prize Pacing
-Options Pacing
-Last Mile Drive
-Count Down Timer
-Torture Breaks
-Moats
-The Big Burn
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuests
-Visual Storytelling
-Easter Eggs
-Random Rewards
-Obvious Wonder
-Rolling Rewards
-Evolved UI
-Sudden Rewards
-Oracle Effect
-Sunk Cost Prison
-Progress Loss
-Rightful Heritage
-Evanescence Opportunity
-Status Quo Sloth
-Scarlet Letter
-Visual Grave
-FOMO Punch

5. “Human-Focused Design”
• As opposed to “Function Focused Design”
• System that is designed to optimize for the
motivations and feelings of the human inside
• ...instead of assuming the people within are robots
that will complete the task
vs

6. “Human-Focused Design”
• Gaming industry = first to master Human-Focused Design
• Games have spent decades/centuries mastering how to
engage people without a mandated purpose
• Now we are learning from games, hence “Gamification”
vs

7. Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
-Narrative
-Elitism
-Humanity Hero
-Revealed Heart
-Beginners Luck
-Free Lunch
-Destiny Child
-Creationist
-Status Points
-Badges (Achievement Symbols)
-Fixed Action Rewards (Earned Lunch)
-Leaderboard
-Progress Bar
-Quest Lists
-Dessert Oasis
-High Five
-Crowning
-Anticipation Parade
-Aura Effect
-Step-by-Step Overlay Tutorial
-Boss Fights
-Milestone Unlocks
-Real-Time Control
-Evergreen Combos
-Instant feedback
-Boosters
-Blank Fills
-Plant Pickers
-Poison Pickers
-Exchangeable Points
-Virtual Goods
-Build from Scratch
-Alfred Effect
-Collection Sets
-Avatar
-Protection
-Recruiter Burden
-Monitor Attachment
-Brag Button
-Water Cooler
-Conformity Anchors
-Mentorship
-Social Prod
-Friending
-Social Treasure/Gifting
-SeeSaw Bump
-Group Quests
-Tout Flags
-Appointment Dynamics
-Magnetic Caps
-Dangling
-Prize Pacing
-Options Pacing
-Last Mile Drive
-Count Down Timer
-Torture Breaks
-Moats
-The Big Burn
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuests
-Visual Storytelling
-Easter Eggs
-Random Rewards
-Obvious Wonder
-Rolling Rewards
-Evolved UI
-Sudden Rewards
-Oracle Effect
-Sunk Cost Prison
-Progress Loss
-Rightful Heritage
-Evanescence Opportunity
-Status Quo Sloth
-Scarlet Letter
-Visual Grave
-FOMO Punch

8. Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence

9. Octalysis
Meaning
Epic Meaning & Calling

10. Octalysis
Accomplishment
Development &
Accomplishment

11. Octalysis
Empowerment
Empowerment of
Creativity & Feedback

12. Octalysis
Ownership
Ownership &
Possession

13. Octalysis
SocialInfluence
Social Influence
& Relatedness

14. Octalysis
Scarcity
Scarcity & Impatience

18. Monetization Techniques

19. Octalysis
Unpredictability
Unpredictability & Curiosity

20. Octalysis
Unpredictability
Unpredictability & Curiosity
Skinner Box

21. Octalysis
Avoidance
Loss & Avoidance

22. Right
Brain
Left
Brain
Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence

23. Right
Brain
Left
Brain
Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Extrinsic (tendency) Intrinsic (tendency)

24. White Hat Gamification
Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Black Hat Gamification

25. White Hat Gamification
Black Hat Gamification
Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence

26. White Hat Gamification
Black Hat Gamification
Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Zynga figured out how to do a lot of Black Hat techniques,
which led to great engagement and monetization metrics for
each user. But in the long run, users leave when they CAN
because they don’t feel like they are in control over
themselves.

27. Self-Submission to Black Hat Gamification
Just because it’s called Black Hat
doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad

28. S: Scarcity
O: Ownership
U: Unpredictability
L: Loss
S: Social Influence
E: Epic Meaning
E: Empowerment
D: Development
SOUL SEED
(Extrinsic Black Hat) (Intrinsic White Hat)

29. -Sharing creative content (sentences,
photos, videos)
-Tons of Facebook games
-Instant feedback of friends “liking”
-Best way to create a cool profile
-Friending
-Anchored Conformity
-Social Prodding
-Social Treasure
-Group Quests
-Tout Flags
-Envy Cloud
-Completed Profile
-More friends
-Increased likes and comments
-Aura Effect
-IKEA Effect
-Photos/Profiles
-Friends
-Memories
-Protector Quest
-Recruiter Burden
-Monitor Attachment
-Inner Circles
-Note: (Early
Facebook has
HIGH scarcity
score with certain
universities only)
-Mystery Box
-Glowing Choice
-Refreshing Content
-Easter Eggs
-Scarlet Letter
-Sunk Cost Tragedy
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Octalysis Score: 448
-Lack Epic Meaning & Calling
-On Facebook for a “Cause”
Social
Influence

30. Octalysis
-No higher meaning besides being a farmer
-Allows the ability to “paint” with
your farm
-Leaderboard
-Group Farming
-Free Social Gifts
-Neighbors
-Farm getting Bigger & Better
-Difficult badges for sorts of crops
-Reward Loops
-Ownership of Farm
-Virtual Goods
-Appointment Dynamics
-Milestone Unlock
-Real-money Only Crops
-Free Social Gifts
-Season-based Gifts
-Waiting for what’s next in the game
-Avoid plants withering
-Avoid losing opportunities
-Avoid Sunk-Cost Tragedy
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Octalysis Score: 414

32. Motives and Behavior in the
Bible through Octalysis

33. Core Drive 1:
Epic Meaning & Calling
John the Baptist Preaching

34. Core Drive 2:
Development & Accomplishment
Paul evangelizes to Churches

35. Core Drive 3:
Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback
King David worships
through dancing

36. Core Drive 4:
Ownership & Possession
Judas betrays Jesus

37. Core Drive 5:
Social Influence & Relatedness
Jonathan’s Friendship with David

38. Core Drive 6:
Scarcity & Impatience
Adam and Eve

39. Core Drive 7:
Unpredictability & Curiosity
Moses and the Burning Bush

40. Core Drive 8:
Loss & Avoidance
Pharisees Plot Against Jesus

41. Core Drive 8:
Loss & Avoidance
Peter’s Denial

42. All the Core Drives!
Jesus recruits disciples

43. Octalysis
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
-Narrative
-Elitism
-Humanity Hero
-Revealed Heart
-Beginners Luck
-Free Lunch
-Destiny Child
-Creationist
-Status Points
-Badges (Achievement Symbols)
-Fixed Action Rewards (Earned Lunch)
-Leaderboard
-Progress Bar
-Quest Lists
-Dessert Oasis
-High Five
-Crowning
-Anticipation Parade
-Aura Effect
-Step-by-Step Overlay Tutorial
-Boss Fights
-Milestone Unlocks
-Real-Time Control
-Evergreen Combos
-Instant feedback
-Boosters
-Blank Fills
-Plant Pickers
-Poison Pickers
-Exchangeable Points
-Virtual Goods
-Build from Scratch
-Alfred Effect
-Collection Sets
-Avatar
-Protection
-Recruiter Burden
-Monitor Attachment
-Brag Button
-Water Cooler
-Conformity Anchors
-Mentorship
-Social Prod
-Friending
-Social Treasure/Gifting
-SeeSaw Bump
-Group Quests
-Tout Flags
-Appointment Dynamics
-Magnetic Caps
-Dangling
-Prize Pacing
-Options Pacing
-Last Mile Drive
-Count Down Timer
-Torture Breaks
-Moats
-The Big Burn
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuests
-Visual Storytelling
-Easter Eggs
-Random Rewards
-Obvious Wonder
-Rolling Rewards
-Evolved UI
-Sudden Rewards
-Oracle Effect
-Sunk Cost Prison
-Progress Loss
-Rightful Heritage
-Evanescence Opportunity
-Status Quo Sloth
-Scarlet Letter
-Visual Grave
-FOMO Punch

45. ThankYou.
Truly.
Octalysis.com @yukaichou
yukai@yukaichou.com