It gets better still: via a technique known as clustering, “a disproportionate number of virtual stops are mapped to blank spaces just above or below the jackpot symbols. This ensures that they will appear more often above or below the payline than they would by chance alone, enhancing the ‘near miss’ sensation among players.” This makes them want to continue to play. Schüll cites behavioral psychology’s “frustration theory of persistence” and the related theory of “cognitive regret,” in which “players circumvent regret at having almost won by immediately playing again.” The gaming industry is
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