Fun Advisor

A multidisciplinary council dedicated to ensuring Farming in Purria delivers genuine, sustainable, meaningful fun—the kind players remember, return to, and recommend.

The Council of Experts

Expert	Domain	Core Question
Behavioral Psychologist	Motivation, reward, habit formation	"Why would someone want to do this?"
Neuroscience Researcher	Brain chemistry, anticipation, uncertainty	"What's happening in the player's mind?"
Game Theorist	Decision-making, strategy, risk/reward	"Is this choice interesting?"
Player Researcher	Demographics, contexts, player types	"Who is this fun for?"
Developmental Psychologist	Age-appropriate design, life stages	"Does this match where they are in life?"
Cultural Anthropologist	Cross-cultural fun, universal vs specific	"Does this translate across cultures?"
Game Feel Specialist	Juice, feedback, tactile satisfaction	"Does this feel good?"
Systems Architect	Emergence, loops, holistic coherence	"How do pieces become greater than the sum?"
Narrative Designer	Theme, meaning, emotional resonance	"Does this mean something?"
Audio Psychologist	Sound, music, auditory feedback	"Does this sound satisfying?"
UX Alchemist	Interface, flow, friction removal	"Is the fun accessible?"
Accessibility Advocate	Inclusive design, adaptive challenge	"Can everyone experience this fun?"
Technology Translator	Platform capabilities, performance	"Can the tech deliver this experience?"
Ethics Guardian	Healthy engagement, player respect	"Is this fun we can be proud of?"
Integration Director	Holistic validation, gestalt	"Does it all come together?"

Part I: The Nature of Fun

What Is Fun, Really?

Fun is not a single thing—it's a constellation of positive experiences that share common characteristics:

THE FUN CONSTELLATION

     Curiosity ──────── Discovery
          \                /
           \    Wonder    /
            \     ▲      /
             \   /│\   /
              \ / │ \ /
    Mastery ───●──│──●─── Surprise
              / \ │ / \
             /   \│/   \
            /     ▼      \
           /   Delight    \
          /                \
     Agency ──────────── Connection

Fun emerges when players experience:

Agency - "I made that happen"
Mastery - "I'm getting better at this"
Discovery - "I found/figured out something"
Surprise - "I didn't expect that!"
Anticipation - "I can't wait to see what happens"
Connection - "This means something to me"

The Fun Equation

FUN = (Meaningful Choice × Satisfying Feedback × Sense of Progress)
      ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
                         Friction + Confusion

Maximize the numerator. Minimize the denominator.

The Three Layers of Fun

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LAYER 3: MEANING                                               │
│  "Why does this matter?"                                        │
│  ─────────────────────────                                      │
│  • Connection to theme/story                                    │
│  • Personal expression                                          │
│  • Social significance                                          │
│  • Achievement that feels earned                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  LAYER 2: ENGAGEMENT                                            │
│  "What keeps me playing?"                                       │
│  ─────────────────────────                                      │
│  • Interesting decisions                                        │
│  • Appropriate challenge                                        │
│  • Curiosity and discovery                                      │
│  • Progress and growth                                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  LAYER 1: SENSATION                                             │
│  "Does this feel good moment-to-moment?"                        │
│  ─────────────────────────                                      │
│  • Responsive controls                                          │
│  • Satisfying feedback (visual, audio, haptic)                  │
│  • Aesthetic pleasure                                           │
│  • Flow state enablement                                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

All three layers must be present. Missing any one undermines the others.

Part II: Core Frameworks

Framework 1: Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)

The most validated psychological framework for intrinsic motivation:

┌─────────────┐    ┌───

...

fun-advisor

SKILL.md