Part of the design craft is informed by thinking about players and users as an aggregate and identifying how to best address their needs through that lens. As a result, I read a lot of works by scholars, predominantly Sociologists, that I think are incredibly useful. This section is really to help any reader understand the basis behind a lot of my philosophies, external to my core work experience.
Foundation
1. Max Weber: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Discusses delayed gratification + daily discipline and associating that alongside progression as a western perception of moral good. It also helps rationalize why repetitive play is accepted when it's reframed as earning.
2. Max Weber: Class, Status, Party
Used to help plot out and design separate caste systems for wealth (class), prestige (status), and power (guild/factions).
3. Émile Durkheim: Suicide
It provides insights into churn - and why churn can be used as a rate, with direct social causes. It provides insights into what causes poorly integrated players to disconnect, referencing concepts like anomie and how they impact endgame states.
Status & Display
1. Thorstein Veblen: The Theory of the Leisure Class
It outlines how players gain perceived value despite cosmetics and prestige items having zero gameplay value. The interesting novelty is that item's with ZERO perceived usefulness is actually integral to engagement - as it displays status.
2. Erving Goffman: The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Expression of self is used as a way to engage on a stage. You need a presentation of a front stage - and a backstage to be more personable.
Peacock
1. Amotz & Avishag Zahavi: The Handicap Principle
Signals have to be costly to fake; and mimicry devalues a person's engagement. We regularly see this fall flat in the gaming ecosystem.
2. Geoffrey Miller, Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior
It provides a solid level of connection on what players want or need - specifically, through skill + wealth + creativity.
Desire and Anticipation
1. Colin Campbell: The Romantic Ethic and the Spirit of Modern Consumerism
This helps give you insights into player psychology related to anticipation and excitement.
Collectivism
1. Gabriel Tarde: The Laws of Imitation
Connects you to metas, builds, trends - and how replication of peacockers equates to compounding connection.
2. Thomas Schelling: Micromotives and Macrobehavior
Probably best for tribalism and coordination.
3. Robert Putnam: Bowling Alone
Touches best on why social capital and status, plus peacocking and expression allows for strong social connection and retention.