What happens when a dad pays his kids to play videogames?
Kevin Nalts is a very funny guy with a penchant for social psychology. In this video, he announces an experiment in which he’ll pay his kids to play videogames in a seemingly peculiar effort to reduce their playing time.
Think it’ll work? We’ll report the results in a few days.
I want to pay Kevin to keep his eyes on a video camera instead of the road while driving.
Given that his hands aren’t really on the wheel at all and that he’s moving at a constant speed, my guess is that his car was on a train or a ferry or being towed or something. But that would just be my guess.
When I was younger, incentives like these increased my performance when my desire for the end objective (the objective reached as a result of receiving the incentives. E.g. buying a watch with the money I receive) until I no longer had the desire for such end objectives.
I think that if Kevin’s kids seem to desire an endless stream of iPhone apps, then playing the video games will continuously be reinforced until the app store freezes over. Rather, if Kevin’s kids desire CERTAIN iPhone apps, once they have purchased them, they will probably lack the motivation to “work” to receive more $ for other products.
Kevin, I think you should figure out what your kids really want. Even though I am probably an outlier, consider what happened to me a few years ago:
Starting when I was around 16, the most frustrating days of the year would be my birthday and hanukkah. This was because I was never obsessively desiring anything. Therefore, whenever people asked me what I wanted as a gift, I’d struggle to answer because, frankly, there wasn’t anything that I really desired!
Again, this experiment would be best executed if before beginning the incentivizing process, you ask your kids to write out a complete list of things they really want. Once they acquire these things through “work,” they will no longer see the reason for “working.”
Based on “Drive,” wouldn’t it seem that pay wouldn’t necessarily reduce their playing time, but their creativity/success in the game? I don’t recall anything in the book about pay/extrinsic motivators reducing interest in a task, or am I wrong about that?
With a lot of exciting and enticing video games right now, which most of the teens are aware of, I don’t think the idea would work. Oh well, I’m no expert on that psychological approach, let’s just wait and see on the report as it progresses.
I’m motivated to watch more of his videos by an interest in his safety. The constant rate of speed and the cars visibly passing on the driver’s side suggest cruise-control & driving in the slow-lane or shoulder. 🙂
His experiment is interesting, but I don’t think it will work, unless he is able to instill the “job” feel to video gaming. Think of video game quality assurance or testing.
The money itself isn’t a deterrent because it fulfills the kids’ desire to acquire more game apps and gaming is often heavily procedural so money probably reinforces motivation. If, on the other hand, he required regular progress reports that might have some affect.
Is he seriously doing this video while driving? I’m interested in the results of the experiment, but this strikes me as a really bad place to record one’s musings.
I concur with what others say – this case differs in at least one important way from the examples in Drive – in this instance the renumeration fuels and expands the experience – more money = more and better/fresher/newer game experiences.
Is this closer to the same as paying an addict to keep using his drug of choice?
With that, as a father to a 14 year old XBox 360 addict, I sure wished it worked.
I think there are some things that aren’t being factored in. For example, his children will still have the autonomy to play the games whenever they like. Merely paying them for playing doesn’t rob them of their autonomy. He should only pay them for playing at a particular time, like 7pm to 9pm.
Here is another experiment: set a particular time of the day when they are allowed to play (7pm-7:30pm). Outside of that time, condition playing upon the performance of certain tasks. Make the game-playing the if/then reward (e.g. if you mow the grass you can play, or if your homework is done you can play).
How about only allowing the games to be played if the gamer is riding an exercise bike at the time?
If you are going to experiment on your kids you may as well make sure they get some exercise and that you get something out of it too.
If you follow the experiments from the book, you’d have to pay them and then stop paying them. My 17-year-old daughter says it would actually work for her. I think I’ll try paying her to use her hair straightener!
What video games offer that is the most addictive is feedback, clear and concise and constant. It also has rewards in it – also very clear to the user.
Reverse-Sawyering the playing of videogames and making it into work is a pretty intriguing idea. I’m interested in how it’ll “play” out. In the long run, the kids will probably still play the video games – but they will choose to play less challenging ones (which in turn means they’ll be less stimulating, anyway). In the short term, the two kids’ll play as much as possible for several reasons, including the fact that siblings will compete. If it was an only child involved, the experiment would be less complicated by these other motivators.
Good luck!
As a gamer and educator, I have a few additions to the experiment that I think would enhance the desired effect.
1) Only pay them to play when you’re around, “so you know they’re really playing.” This communicates to them that you don’t think they’ll want to play unless they’re getting paid and I bet they’ll internalize that expectation.
2) Make them fill out a semi-complicated time sheet to keep track of how much they’re playing. Having to document their time will make it even more tedious.
3) Pay them small bonuses (5 cents?) for special achievements recognized by the game. The special achievements in the game are often the most tedious to obtain and the added payment would highlight this.
The experimet seems to have many potencial.
But I was curious about the driving and video-recording.
This is some kind of preview ot the future ?
People working in their cars while driving endless ours to their jobs ? More cars on highways, more polution ? and of course more accidents…
I watched the talk Dan gave about this at TED this week, and I have a qualifier for it. There are psychological studies that demonstrate that the level of skill (directly related to time spent practicing) an activity is a complicating variable in the experiment.
Well practiced (simple) activities are improved under pressure. See: Olympic Athletes. If your kids are good at video games, paying them based on accomplishment might actually motivate them to play more and play better. Especially if it’s something that they love.
Ever since I saw this video my behaviour has changed considerably. I was watching television the other day and there was an ad for a new fitness machine that guarantees to give you a six pack in 3 days. I thought ‘that has to be crap’, but 5 minutes later I had ordered it with my credit card so I could also get the free steak knives. Anyone would think I have been influenced by some sort of subliminal message.
Warnings:
This is a video which contains 1s manipulation ads like Buy Crap.
Please watch it at your own risk 🙂
And…
Theoretically it won’t work because it’s the same thing as if you were giving money to your kids to buy LSD, Speed, Marijuana, Cigarettes, Alcohol or anything else which creates dependency.
I love these comments (even the ones that warn me about driving while videotaping, which are appropriate given the title of Drive). A bunch of them (especially Phil Downs) tell me why this failed on one child. It did work remarkably well for the 10 year old, but when I didn’t offer to pay for computer time he simply migrated to computer gaming. So a few lessons. It does work remarkably well, and surprisingly in the short term. But since I wasn’t consistently paying and nagging them to play more, it faded. I’m going to try a few of the new tips fellow Pinkies advised, and will keep you posted!