Destiny is an MMORPG game that was released in 2014. First reviews were mixed and hence I did not pick up the game. After the third expansion called “The Taken King” was released on September 2015 and a Quality of life update in April 2016, the game’s base exploded. This piqued my interest and I got the game in September 2016 when the newest expansion "Rise of Iron" released. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the game since, and I have poured thousands of hours into it and its sequel Destiny 2 and its subsequent expansions. I have always wondered as to what keeps pulling me back to this game, what “motivates” me to play this game. By using the Self-determination theory provided by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, it is easy to classify my motivations.
1. Competence: The need to feel good at something.
The game provides the player access to many single-player and group activities. They are classified into two categories: Players vs. Environment (PvE) and Player vs. Player (PvP). Examples of PvE activities are strikes, story missions, raids and free roam. These activities can be done solo or as part of a group. PvP activities come under the “Crucible” banner. This includes many formats from 6v6 to solo.
For PvE, the activity at which I wanted to be good at was the Raid. A team activity that required co-operating with 5 other players to finish. The activity included various encounters each with a boss battle leading up to a final encounter with a final boss battle that would require us to have mastered of the mechanics up to that point with the activity culminating in an epic boss fight. It requires a tremendous amount of cooperation and communication. I wanted to become more efficient with each run through the activity. I did this by comparing the time it took to finish the raid to the completion time of a previous run, by the number of kills I got and by the amount of damage I did to each boss during the raid and compare it to my previous runs and my teammates. These stats were available via an online tracker. Another source of motivation was the chance to guide novice players through the activity after I mastered it.
The second aspect I wanted to be proficient at was PvP. Matching up against similarly skilled or highly skilled players, pushed me to improve my tactics, my gunplay, my reaction times, etc. This internal drive to be as good as possible when going up against another player drives me to this day. The sense of competition and the drive to be better than someone else is a huge draw in the game.
2. Autonomy: The game gives me the freedom to do things my way and at my own pace. The game has a single-player campaign. Each mission can be started at the player’s discretion. I can put the story missions on hold and free roam in the game world or just play PvP activities. The game also does not force me to complete a mission within a time limit. I can take my time exploring the mission area, and to find hidden secrets in each area. The collectibles that are found in the areas help us learn the lore behind them. This freedom to play at my own pace, and play any activity of my choosing is a great motivational factor for a player with a limited amount of time to play.
3. Relatedness: As stated before, Destiny is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). And the community is massive. This game allowed me to connect with players from all around the globe. The game allows you to make teams of 3(for strikes and story missions, and certain PvP game modes) or 6(for raids). The game allows you to play these activities with friends or complete strangers you meet online. The social hubs and free roam areas allow you to interact with other players; invite them to an activity or join them for an activity, help out a novice player or seek help from an experienced player or just hang out with your teammates/friends. The game also has a clan feature, which allows you and your friends to play under the same banner and form tight-knit communities. You can also recruit players to your clan. The social aspect of this game is really fleshed out, and the possibility of meeting new and interesting players kept pulling me back day after day. All these factors keep me interested in the game to this day.
Now let's take a closer look at two pinnacle end game activities which are responsible for attracting a large audience and helping the game retain a large section of its players.
Raids:
The raid is a 6 player activity requiring communication and proper coordination. It’s split into various encounters, with each encounter having a unique set of mechanics. For example, one part of the raid called “The wrath of the machine” required the players to be split into 3, 2-man teams. One guarding a motor that would dispense orbs to damage the boss of the encounter. While the other would collect charge to dunk in this motor. Players in the community came up with unique strategies like 4 runners and just 2 protectors for the 3 motors, 2 runners and 4 protectors if one of the players was a novice in the raid. Strategies would depend on the experience of the group. Also, players had to make split-second decisions when something unexpected happens such as one of the defenders going down. One of the players would have to switch from runner to defender and this decision had to be made quickly so that the motor doesn't have its energy sucked away by an enemy while another player would have to coordinate and revive the downed player in the meantime.
PvP:
In PvP, your mechanical skills, positioning, map awareness, and accuracy are tested. Your decision-making skills are stretched to the limits because each fight depends on how fast you can switch between weapons depending on the engagement (close or ranged), or if the situation required you to retreat. The option you take would depend on stats like the number of bullets you have left in the mag or how much HP you have left. In team vs team game modes, the players have to come up with efficient strategies to get the advantage over the opposing team. Who would flank? Who will act as a distraction? Etc.
The game makes you think long and hard to come up with efficient strategies for both PvP and PvE activities. The game leverages these aspects efficiently and rewards you for you quick decision-making skills and ability to make efficient strategies for each activity.
Destiny has a variety of activities that appeals to many types of players. From casual players to hardcore players, from the collectors to the completionists, or the overachiever. The game allows everyone to express themselves in unique ways and create their own experiences in the game.
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