This document analyzes the 2001 PlayStation 2 game ICO from the perspective of its reward system for players. It discusses the minimalist design of ICO, which removed unnecessary elements to focus on core gameplay. There are three main characters, and the story involves the boy Ico protecting the girl Yorda. The document categorizes different types of rewards in ICO, such as adrenaline from fighting enemies, enjoying the artistic style, getting immersed in the atmosphere, overcoming puzzles, feeling emotion from the story and characters, overcoming the low challenge level, experiencing the novelty of the unique game, and social incentives from discussing it with others. It concludes that ICO offers many rewards despite its minimalist design.

1. ICO Game Analysis ICO analyzed from a reward perspective Mikael Andersson Introduction to Game Design, Luleå Tekniska Universitet, Spring 2009