I'm also slightly in awe of them.

我還有點小小地敬畏它們。

I'm in awe of their power

我敬畏它們在

in terms of imagination, in terms of technology,

想像力，技術

in terms of concept.

和概念方面的力量。

But I think, above all,

但是，最重要的，

I'm in awe at their power

我敬畏它們能夠

to motivate, to compel us,

促使我們，強迫我們，

to transfix us,

讓我們目瞪口呆，

like really nothing else we've ever invented

這是人類其它發明

has quite done before.

所不能企及的。

And I think that we can learn some pretty amazing things

而且我認為我們能從中瞭解到很多驚人的事實，

by looking at how we do this.

就是看看我們是如何玩電子遊戲的。

And in particular, I think we can learn things

特別是可以瞭解到

about learning.

關於人的認知。

Now the video games industries

目前電子遊戲產業

is far and away the fastest growing

發展之快遠遠超越了

of all modern media.

其他現代媒體。

From about 10 billion in 1990,

從1990年的一百億

it's worth 50 billion dollars globally today,

到今天的全球產值五百億。

and it shows no sign of slowing down.

而且完全沒有放緩的跡象。

In four year's time,

預計在未來的四年，

it's estimated it'll be worth over 80 billion dollars.

將超過八百億美圓。

That's about three times the recorded music industry.

這是唱片業的三倍。

This is pretty stunning,

相當驚人的數字，

but I don't think it's the most telling statistic of all.

但我認為這還不是最說明問題的數據。

The thing that really amazes me

真正讓我驚訝的是

is that, today,

現在

people spend about

人們可以

eight billion real dollars a year

一年花實實在在的八百億

buying virtual items

購買虛擬的物品

that only exist

只存在於

inside video games.

電子遊戲裡。

This is a screenshot from the virtual game world, Entropia Universe.

這是一個虛擬的遊戲世界《Entropia Universe》的遊戲截屏。

Earlier this year,

就在前不久，

a virtual asteroid in it

這個遊戲中的一個虛擬的小行星

sold for 330,000 real dollars.

竟以三十三萬美圓的價格售出。

And this

而這個

is a Titan class ship

是一艘泰坦級的宇宙飛船

in the space game, EVE Online.

來自EVE Online 這個太空遊戲。

And this virtual object

而這艘虛擬的飛船

takes 200 real people

需要200個真人

about 56 days of real time to build,

花費56天建造出來，

plus countless thousands of hours

還要加上不知幾千小時的

of effort before that.

前期工作。

And yet, many of these get built.

類似這樣被造出的還有很多。

At the other end of the scale,

而另一方面，

the game, Farmville, that you may well have heard of,

Farmville這個遊戲，可能你們已經聽說了，

has 70 million players

有七千萬個玩家

around the world,

遍佈全世界，

and most of these players

而且這些玩家中的大多數

are playing it almost every day.

幾乎每天都在玩。

This may all sound

可能這聽上去

really quite alarming to some people,

會令一些人相當警惕，

an index of something worrying

覺得是社會上那些令人焦慮

or wrong in society.

或不正確的現象。

But we're here for the good news,

但是我們來這是聽好消息的，

and the good news is

好消息就是

that I think we can explore

我認為我們能夠研究一下

why this very real human effort,

爲什麽這種真實的人類勞動，

this very intense generation of value is occurring.

這麼巨大的價值的創造會得以出現。

And by answering that question,

通過回答這個問題，

I think we can take something

我覺得我們可以從中得到

extremely powerful away.

極其強大的信息。

And I think the most interesting way

我認為最有趣的

to think about how all this is going on

思考這些問題的角度

is in terms of rewards.

就是獎賞。

And specifically, it's in terms

更具體來說，

of the very intense emotional rewards

就是非常密集的情感獎賞，

that playing games offers to people,

通過玩遊戲提供給人們，

both individually

既是個人的，

and collectively.

也有集體的。

Now if we look at what's going on in someone's head

如果我們觀察一下某人的大腦，

when they are being engaged,

當他們忙碌時是怎樣運作的，

two quite different processes are occurring.

兩個相當不同的進程同時發生著。

On the one hand, there's the wanting processes.

一方面是想要的進程。

This is a bit like ambition and drive -- I'm going to do that. I'm going to work hard.

有些類似進取心和動機——我要做那件事。我要努力工作。

On the other hand, there's the liking processes,

而另一方面是喜歡的進程。

fun and affection

樂趣和喜愛

and delight --

以及快樂——

and an enormous flying beast with an orc on the back.

這是一個巨型飛行獸，上頭騎著一個獸人。

It's a really great image. It's pretty cool.

這幅圖很棒，很酷。

It's from the game World of Warcraft with more than 10 million players globally,

它來自魔獸世界，全球的玩家超過一千萬，

one of whom is me, another of whom is my wife.

其中一個就是我，另外一個就是我老婆。

And this kind of a world,

在這種世界裡

this vast flying beast you can ride around

你可以騎著這種巨型的飛行獸到處閒逛，

shows why games are so very good

而這正顯示出爲什麽遊戲是多麼善於

at doing both the wanting and the liking.

讓人同時做要做和喜歡做的事。

Because it's very powerful. It's pretty awesome.

因為這很強大，相當厲害。

It gives you great powers.

它給予你強大的力量。

Your ambition is satisfied, but it's very beautiful.

你的野心得到滿足，但又非常美麗。

It's a very great pleasure to fly around.

飛來飛去帶來絕大的快感。

And so these combine to form

所有這些組合起來形成

a very intense emotional engagement.

非常巨大的情感投入。

But this isn't the really interesting stuff.

但這還不是真正有趣的部份。

The really interesting stuff about virtuality

虛擬世界真正有趣的地方在於

is what you can measure with it.

你從中可以量度的東西。

Because what you can measure in virtuality

因為你在虛擬世界中能度量的東西

is everything.

就是最重要的東西。

Every single thing that every single person

每一個人在遊戲中做的每一件事

who's ever played in a game has ever done can be measured.

都可被度量。

The biggest games in the world today

今天世界上最大型的遊戲

are measuring more than one billion points of data

正在量度玩家的上十億的數據

about their players, about what everybody does --

具體到每個人做的事——

far more than detail than you'd ever get from any website.

其細緻程度超過任何其他網站。

And this allows something very special

而這就使得一些非常特別的東西可以

to happen in games.

存在於遊戲中。

It's something called the reward schedule.

這就是獎賞機制。

And by this, I mean looking

通過這個機制，

at what millions upon millions of people have done

觀察成百萬上千萬的人是怎麼玩的，

and carefully calibrating the rate,

然後仔細校準比率，

the nature, the type, the intensity of rewards in games

屬性，類型，以及遊戲中獎賞的強度

to keep them engaged

令人持續投入

over staggering amounts of time and effort.

數量驚人的時間和努力。

Now, to try and explain this

現在為了試圖用一些實際的概念

in sort of real terms,

來闡釋這個機制，

I want to talk about a kind of task

我要討論一種任務

that might fall to you in so many games.

就是你在很多遊戲中會遇到的那種任務。

Go and get a certain amount of a certain little game-y item.

去找到一定數量的某種遊戲小道具。

Let's say, for the sake of argument,

比如說，

my mission is to get 15 pies,

我的任務是得到15個餡餅，

and I can get 15 pies

然後為了這15個餡餅

by killing these cute, little monsters.

我要殺死這些可愛的小怪物。

Simple game quest.

很簡單的遊戲任務。

Now you can think about this, if you like,

現在如果你喜歡可以把這個想像為

as a problem about boxes.

一個關於盒子的問題。

I've got to keep opening boxes.

我需要不斷打開盒子。

I don't know what's inside them, until I open them.

我不知道裡頭有什麽，直到我打開它們。

And I go around opening box after box, until I've got 15 pies.

然後我四處去打開一個又一個盒子，直到得到15個餡餅。

Now, if you take a game like Warcraft,

現在如果你在玩的是魔獸世界這樣的遊戲，

you can think about it, if you like,

如果你願意可以把它想像為

as a great box-opening effort.

一個繁重的開盒子的勞動。

The game's just trying to get people to open about a million boxes,

遊戲想讓人去打開大約一百萬個盒子，

getting better and better stuff in them.

從裡頭找到越來越好的東西。

This sounds immensely boring,

聽上去是極度枯燥，

but games are able

但遊戲卻能夠

to make this process

使得這個過程

incredibly compelling.

極其吸引人。

And the way they do this

而它們所使用的方法

is through a combination of probability and data.

就是把概率和數據結合起來。

Let's think about probability.

讓我們來想想概率問題。

If we want to engage someone

如果我們想讓人去

in the process of opening boxes to try and find pies.

打開盒子尋找餡餅，

We want to make sure it's neither too easy,

我們想確保它不要太容易，

nor too difficult, to find a pie.

也不能太困難。

So what do you do? Well, you look at a million people --

那該怎麼辦？那麼你觀察一百萬個人——

no, 100 million people, 100 million box openers --

不，一億個人，一億個開盒子的人——

and you work out, if you make the pie rate

然後來計算一下，如果你設定餡餅出現的比率

about 25 percent --

大約為25%——

that's neither too frustrating, not too easy;

這樣不會太令人挫敗，也不會太容易；

it keeps people engaged --

這樣就能讓人投入進去——

but of course, that's not all you do -- there's 15 pies.

當然，這還不是全部——這只是15個餡餅。

Now, I could make a game called Piecraft,

現在，我可以做一個遊戲叫做餡餅世界，

where all you had to do was get a million pies,

你在這裡要做的就是找到一百萬個餡餅，

or a thousand pies.

或一千個。

That would be very boring.

這個遊戲會很無聊。

15 is a pretty optimal number.

15是一個最優化的數字。

You find the -- you know, between five and 20

你要尋找的，——你知道，在5到20之間，

is about the right number for keeping people going.

這是讓人願意玩下去的一個恰到好處的數量。

But we don't just have pies in the boxes.

但我們在盒子里找到的不只是餡餅。

There's a hundred percent up here.

這點我敢百分百肯定。

And what we do is make sure that every time a box is opened,

我們所做的就是要確保每次盒子一打開，

there's something in it, some little reward,

裡頭總有點什麽，一些小小的獎勵，

that keeps people progressing and engaged.

就是這些東西令人投入地玩下去。

In most adventure games,

在大部份的冒險遊戲裡，

it's a little bit in-game currency, a little bit experience,

這獎賞會是一點遊戲幣，一點經驗值，

but we don't just do that either.

但我們也不是僅僅為了這個才玩。

We also say there's going to be loads of other items

可以說裡頭還有一些其他道具

of varying qualities and levels of excitement.

帶著不同的內容和不同級別的興奮感。

There's going to be a 10 percent chance you get a pretty good item.

大約有十分之一的機會你可能得到一個相當好的道具。

There's going to be a 0.1 percent chance

而有大概千分之一的機會

you get an absolutely awesome item.

會得到一件絕對厲害的道具。

And each of these rewards is carefully calibrated to the item.

而所有這些獎賞都小心地與道具調整在一起。

And also, we say,

而且，我們還會說，

'Well, how many monsters? Should I have the entire world full of a billion monsters?"

“好，放多少鬼怪呢？我是不是應該讓整個世界充滿十億個鬼怪？”

No, we want one or two monsters on the screen at any one time.

不，我們只想讓一到兩隻鬼怪同時出現在屏幕上。

So I'm drawn on. It's not too easy, not too difficult.

於是我就被吸引住了。這不太容易，也不太難。

So all this is very powerful.

加在一起就很強大了。

But we're in virtuality; these aren't real boxes.

但是我們是在虛擬世界；這些都不是真的盒子。

So we can do

所以我們還可以做一些

some rather amazing things.

更加令人驚奇的事。

We notice, looking at all these people opening boxes,

在觀察所有這些人打開盒子時，我們注意到，

That when people get to about 13 out of 15 pies,

當人們拿到15個餡餅中的13個時，

their perception shifts, they start to get a bit bored, a bit testy.

他們的注意力發生轉移，他們開始覺得有點無聊，開始急躁。

They're not rational about probability.

他們並沒有理性理解概率。

They think this game is unfair.

他們認為這個遊戲不公平。

It's not giving me my last two pies. I'm going to give up.

它沒給我最後兩個餡餅。我快要放棄了。

If they're real boxes, there's not much we can do,

如果要找的是真正的盒子，那到這裡我們就無能為力了，

but in a game we can just say, 'Right, well."

但是在遊戲裡，我們只需說，“好吧，這樣。”

When you get to 13 pies, you've got 75 percent chance of getting a pie now.

當你拿到13個餡餅時，現在你拿到餡餅的機會提高到75%。

Keep you engaged. Look at what people do --

這樣就會令你繼續玩下去。觀察人們如何玩遊戲——

adjust the world to match their expectation.

調整這個世界符合他們的期待。

Our games don't always do this.

而我們的遊戲並不總是如此。

And one thing they certainly do at the moment

目前有一件事它們肯定會做的就是

is, if you got a 0.1 percent awesome item,

如果你拿到那個千分之一機會才能得到的道具，

they make very sure another one doesn't appear for a certain length of time

它們會確保另一個這樣的道具在相當長一段時間內不會出現

to keep the value, to keep it special.

以此令其保值，讓它特殊。

And the point is really

而關鍵就在於

that we evolved to be satisfied by the world

我們適應了以某種特定的方式

in particular ways.

從周圍的世界獲得滿足感。

Over tens and hundreds of thousands of years,

通過幾百萬年，

we evolved to find certain things stimulating,

我們演化成尋找某種刺激性的事物，

and as very intelligent, civilized beings,

並且作為非常智能和文明化的生物，

we're enormously stimulated by problem-solving and learning.

我們通過解決問題和學習知識獲得巨大的刺激。

But now, we can reverse engineer that

但是現在，我們能反向設計這一行為

and build worlds

構造出遊戲世界

that expressly tick our evolutionary boxes.

很明顯地突出我們的演化特徵。

So what does all this mean in practice?

那麼所有這些在實踐中有什麽意義？

Well, I come up

我總結出

with seven things

七個要點

that, I think, show

我認為表明了

how you can take these lessons from games

你如何從遊戲中有所學習

and use them outside of games.

並將它們應用到遊戲以外。

The first one is very simple:

第一點很簡單：

experience bars measuring progress --

用經驗值條量度進程——

something that's been talked about brilliantly

有人已經很出色地討論過這個問題

by people like Jesse Schell earlier this year.

如今年年初時的Jesse Schell 。

It's already been done at the University of Indiana in the States, among other places,

在美國的印第安那大學和其他一些地方已經這樣去做了。

It's the simple idea that, instead of grading people incrementally

很簡單的道理就是，不用增量的方式給人打分，

in little bits and pieces,

不要去算計那些點點滴滴，

you give them one profile character avatar

你給他們一個角色化身

which is constantly progressing

這個化身會持續地發展

in tiny, tiny, tiny little increments, which they feel are their own.

一點一點地，以非常微弱的量發展，他們會感同身受。

And everything comes towards that,

然後一切都朝向那個目標前進，

and they watch it creeping up, and they own that as it goes along.

他們會看著它不斷增長，然後隨著它的發展他們對之認同。

Second, multiple long and short-term aims --

第二，多進程的長短期目標——

5,000 pies, boring,

五千個餡餅，太煩了，

15 pies, interesting.

十五個，有意思。

So you give people

因此你要給人們

lots and lots of different tasks.

很多很多不同的任務。

You say, it's about

你要說，這是

doing 10 of these questions,

解決10個這樣的問題，

but another task

而另一個任務

is turning up to 20 classes on time,

是在規定時間內升20級，

but another task is collaborating with other people,

但再另外一個任務是和別人合作，

another task is showing your working five times,

再另一個任務是展示你的工作五次，

another task is hitting this particular target.

再一個任務是擊中這個特定的標靶。

You break things down into these calibrated slices

你把任務拆分成這些經過調校的小塊，

that people can choose and do in parallel

人們可以挑選，以及並行處理

to keep them engaged

以令他們保持投入

and that you can use to point them

並將它們和

towards individually beneficial activities.

個人的獲利行為掛鉤。

Third, you reward effort.

第三，獎賞努力工作。

It's your 100 percent factor. Games are brilliant at this.

這是你的萬靈丹。遊戲在這點上極其擅長。

Every time you do something, you get credit, you a credit for trying.

每次你做點什麽事時，你都得到分數，從嘗試中得分。

You don't punish failure; you reward every little bit of effort --

你不會懲罰失敗；你會獎勵每一點微小的努力——

your little bit of gold, your little bit of credit -- you've done 20 questions -- tick.

一小塊金子，一小點分數——你已經做完了20個問題了——完成。

It all feeds in as minute reinforcement.

這些都是通過小小的鼓勵實現的。