Identify what your player’s core motivation is and how the player progresses.
Primary motivation
What is your player’s primary motivation? What thing drives them in life? (See the talks and pdf in further reading for examples.)
Secondary motivations
What other motivations drive your player, if any.
How does the core action in the game support your player’s primary motivation?
For example:
Harvest materials
The player can harvest materials from around them.
Build better tools and equipment
The player can use the harvested materials to build better tools and equipment.
Explore further into the unknown
The better tools and equipment allows them to explore more distant places without dying.
Achieve a fulfilling sense of discovery
Exploring more distant places can fill the player with a sense of discovery and achievement.
<aside> 📚 What are the main player motivations? https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1025742/A-Deep-Dive-into-the
https://quanticfoundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Gamer-Motivation-Model-Reference.pdf
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