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Soon-to-be dad Nick Bentley, who’s also a game designer, has come up with a specific process to follow, if you’re trying to motivate your kid and help them improve at a game quickly.
His theory is rooted in neurobiology, because he used to be a neurobiologist and it’s based on something known as a variable ratio schedule, which is what they use in Vegas to keep you playing the slot machines and always feeling like you’re just about to win.
Here are his four steps:
- The first time you play a game, let the kid win.
- After that, let the kid win some of the time. He suggests 60% of the time to start and dialing it down slowly as the kid gets better.
- Make the wins and losses as random as possible.
- It’s very important to make the outcome as close as possible every time, especially when the kid loses. He emphasizes that “she should always feel like she barely lost.”