In operational conditioning, the subject is given a reward after performing an action associated with a stimulus. A light flashes, the bird pecks a lever, food pops out. Repeat enough and the behavioral response to the stimulus becomes ingrained and is performed even when the reward is removed.
That’s what I’m feeling like, as a gamer. I’ve got a fair amount of disposable income, if there is a game I really want I can buy it without hesitation. And I do. In fact, I tend to feel drawn to buy games I hear about more now than when I was a kid. But the payoff is so rarely there these days. I feel like I’m seeing a light (game trailer), performing an action out of habit (going out and buying the game) and then staring disappointedly at where the reward is supposed to come out from. Occasionally a ‘nugget’ or two of enjoyment is dropped by the game industry machine, but it’s nothing like the emotional payoff I used to receive. If anything, dissatisfaction is growing over time, I become more eager to re-experience that old high with every fresh disappointment. Like a junkie wishing for the rush of that first fix.
Is it me, have I changed?
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