Chance-Based Virtual Awards for Task Completion Incentives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing games face challenges in incentivizing task completion with chance-based awards, as providing high-value awards to all users can negatively impact business metrics and manual winner selection is time-consuming and prone to errors, while non-winning users may lose motivation.
Innovation Solution
A system that distributes virtual chance items to users upon task completion, where these items have assigned probabilities for obtaining primary and secondary awards, allowing users to receive awards even without winning the primary award, thereby maintaining motivation and reducing discouragement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If every user is provided with a high-value award for completing a specific action, then user motivation and incentive to complete tasks is improved, but business metrics such as cost control and reward distribution sustainability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The award distribution is segmented into multiple tiers: primary awards (high value) and secondary awards (lower value). Instead of providing the same high-value award to all users, the system segments the reward structure to provide high-value primary awards to a subset of users and lower-value secondary awards to other users, thereby controlling total cost while maintaining broad participation incentive.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of award value distribution by introducing probability-based selection. Users are assigned different probabilities of receiving primary versus secondary awards, allowing the system to control the expected value distribution. This parameter change enables cost control while maintaining user engagement through the element of chance.
2Reliability
If manual winner selection is used for chance-based awards, then control over award distribution is improved, but time consumption and human error increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service through automated probability-based award distribution. Instead of requiring manual intervention to select winners, the system automatically determines award recipients based on pre-defined probabilities and user actions. This automation eliminates manual selection time and reduces human error while maintaining controlled and reliable award distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical process of selecting winners is replaced with an automated computational system. The system uses algorithms to randomly select winners based on probabilities, substituting the manual mechanical selection process with an automated digital system that is faster, more reliable, and scalable.
3Quantity of substance
If only primary awards are offered for task completion, then reward value is improved, but user discouragement increases when users do not win
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides beforehand cushioning by ensuring that all users who complete the task receive at least a secondary award, in addition to the chance to win a primary award. This cushioning prevents users from feeling discouraged when they don't win the top prize, as they still receive some form of recognition and reward. The secondary awards act as a safety net that maintains user motivation.
Solution Approach 2:
Secondary awards serve as an intermediary between the task completion action and the primary award. Instead of a direct binary outcome (win primary award or nothing), the secondary award acts as an intermediate reward that bridges the gap for users who don't win the top prize, maintaining their engagement and reducing discouragement.
4Quantity of substance
If chance-based awards are used to control costs, then cost control is improved, but manual intervention and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service automation where the award distribution process is entirely automated based on pre-defined probabilities and user actions. The system automatically determines which users receive primary awards and which receive secondary awards without requiring manual intervention, thereby controlling costs while minimizing operational complexity through automation.
Data Source
AI summary
A game provided to users of a game space may include a task to be performed by the users. A plurality of virtual chance items may be composed. Individual ones of the virtual chance items may be configured to be activated by the users in the game space to obtain virtual awards in the game space. The virtual awards may include one or more primary awards and one or more secondary awards. Composing the virtual chance items may include determining probabilities that the individual virtual chance items will provide a primary award and/or a secondary award upon activation. The virtual chance items may be distributed to the users that complete the task responsive to these users completing the task. The virtual awards may be provided to the users in accordance with the probabilities assigned to the virtual chance items in response to the users activating the virtual chance items.