Do Game Bots Dream of Electric Rewards?: The universality of intrinsic motivation

The purpose of this paper is to draw together theories, ideas, and observations related to rewards, motivation, and play to develop and question our understanding and practice of designing reward-based systems and technology. Our exploration includes reinforcement, rewards, motivational theory, flow, play, games, gamification, and machine learning. We examine the design and psychology of reward-based systems in society and technology, using gamification and machine learning as case studies. We propose that the problems that exist with reward-based systems in our society are also present and pertinent when designing technology. We suggest that motivation, exploration, and play are not just fundamental to human learning and behaviour, but that they could transcend nature into machine learning. Finally, we question the value and potential harm of the reward-based systems that permeate every aspect of our lives and assert the importance of ethics in the design of all systems and technology.