Tiny Tarantula Tower by SeeOne is very very fun! Why? Well because you get to see whether or not you are the best in the world. But who am I, why should you listen to me? I am ranked 1st place worldwide in Tiny Tarantula Tower (as of this writing).

Leaderboards: they work. Comparing yourself to others is the killer of joy in daily life, but in games it is flipped around, it can be the provider of fun. Well, only if you feel like you are progressing or winning. This is why very large competitive games use leagues to make you feel like you are doing those things. It needs to feel possible to become first relative to your group.

The deeper underlying psychological need this progress is fulfilling is competence, one of three basic needs according to self-determination theory. But competence hinges on success or perceived opportunity to succeed.

Bottom line: if you have a small game, use leaderboards, they’ll make it more fun for the player, or motivate them to play more. If you have a gigantic game with a large number of players, use relative leaderboards.

One thing I forgot to mention in the podcast is that the game uses a one minute timer for one attempt. I think that is a great addition to a game such as this because it reduces the bigger loop of the game. Each attempt to balance a new object is like a mini loop. And each one minute run is a bigger loop of success and failure. Capping it at one minute, instead of making it endless, makes me feel like I am progressing faster or learning quicker.

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