I am a self-confessed Clash of Clans addict. If you haven’t heard of this game, you either don’t have an Apple or Android device, or you don’t deserve one. Over a year ago (before I was introduced to the game), the app where I spent the most time on my iPhone was either Facebook or email. Now, CoC is mostly the reason I pick up my phone. I only check Facebook and emails and other messages as a filler while waiting for my troops to be done. It’s not so much the game that is addictive (I agree it is a very well-designed game), it is my virtual family that is the addiction. My clan (#MoreJellyBeans) is hands down the best one can ever ask for. We are not only active in war, we are active in chat and CCs are filled within seconds of request. There are not too many friends I chat with on a daily basis like I do with these folks. We are supportive of each other’s problems, personal or otherwise. These are genuinely good folks. I have been with the clan for almost a year. 2 weeks ago, they sprung a surprise on me. They promoted me to Co-Leader! In our clan, Elder and Co are earned (hard earned). It touched me to my core that my hard work and loyalty were recognized and rewarded. There is no monetary or CoC benefit in being a Co. And it is not about that.
The need for recognition is not about money/benefits. It is an innate human need. We have been introduced to the system of rewards to promote certain behavior by our parents since we were born. The pat on the back, extra TV time, gold medal in competitions, Dean’s List, promotion at work etc. We need it. We need to feel good. We need it to let us know we are going in the right direction and to keep at it. We will be lost without that reward system to guide us. It is a very powerful system to control other human beings. How do you get another human being to do your bidding? By dangling that carrot. Of course, another equally powerful motivator is fear. The punishment system. I personally find the reward system to be more enduring and effective. Humans work in self-interest. If you find the use of rewards failing on you, it is probably because you are using the wrong rewards. Most of us will not kill for nothing. Some will kill for money (different people have varying price points). Those that will not kill for any amount of money will kill for other rewards, such as self-defense (the reward of living another day). It is a powerful system that works when used right. All you gotta do is to make them an offer they can’t refuse. There is no such as thing as impossible. The only question is: “How much?”
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