We need more real-world prizes in our video games

Prizes are everywhere. Simply take a look at your TV: Sports and racing, dancing and singing contests, game shows and reality shows. Beyond the TV, we have poker and chess tournaments, even eating competitions. Prizes capture our interest, for killing terrorists ($25 million for Osama Bin Laden) and capturing common criminals.

People love prizes. They give us competition and drama. Las Vegas thrives on relatively mindless games like slot machines, craps, and blackjack, where the engagement isn’t nearly as deep as in video games. So why do the people who make video games ignore what could be the dramatic centerpiece of our best-known games, the prize?