While most action adventures are based around the “fight-or-flight” response to stress, Code is interested in “tend-and-befriend” — a more altruistic instinct to care for other people and form social communities. “In traditional games, designers encourage a flow state in the player by managing an ever-increasing balance between challenge and winning,” said Code. “But about half of us, or maybe all of us some of the time, have a response to stress that involves the desire for care and connection rather than the desire to win. If I were designing for a broader audience, I would look beyond the known adrenaline/dopamine reward loop.”
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