Beyond Gamification: The Role of 'Intrinsic Motivation' in Our Puzzle Design
Points, badges, and leaderboards. 🏆 So many apps use these "gamification" tricks to keep you engaged. These are extrinsic motivators—rewards that come from the outside. They can work for a while, but they don't create a real passion for learning.
At Matiks, we focus on something much more powerful: intrinsic motivation. This is the drive that comes from within—the pure joy of solving a problem and the satisfaction of getting smarter.
How We Design for Intrinsic Motivation
Relying on external rewards can sometimes backfire. The Overjustification Effect shows that rewarding someone for something they already enjoy can make them enjoy it less. The activity becomes a chore to get a reward. That's why we make the puzzle itself the prize.
1. Igniting Your Curiosity 🤔
Every Matiks puzzle is a mystery waiting to be solved. Take this grid:
Your brain immediately starts asking questions. Is it addition? No. Multiplication? No. The desire to uncover the hidden rule is a powerful, natural motivator.
2. Building a Sense of Mastery 📈
We're all driven by a desire to feel competent. The Matiks adaptive algorithm is key here. It keeps you in the "zone"—where puzzles are tough enough to be interesting but not so hard that they're discouraging. Every solved puzzle gives you a genuine feeling of "I'm getting better at this," which is far more satisfying than any digital badge.
3. Giving You Autonomy
We give you the problem, and then we get out of the way. You have the freedom to experiment, to try weird strategies, and even to fail. When you finally discover the solution, that victory is 100% yours. This sense of ownership transforms learning from a passive chore into an active, creative pursuit.
The goal of Matiks isn't to trick you into learning. It's to help you discover the deep, lasting satisfaction of thinking itself.