Small game mechanic influence

 When you want the player to do x by having small benefiting factors that lead up to the result you want will get the player to do more of what you want. By making a small factor that builds up into something big like in Neon White shooting a bullet provides a small speed boost.

However since it's a small factor you think nothing of it until you realize all of the small boost from said speed build up into something of a meaningful advantage.

The same goes for other game genres where you need x or y to be leading for the carrot as of where you want the player to go. You want the player to pick up junk? Make it where the player has a purpose for said junk.

You want the player to avoid getting shot? You make game mechanics that benefit the player the more HP they have. You want the player to land more shots? You create game mechanics that encourage the player to chain shots together.

Keep in mind the balance will change the more you do this and the more game mechanics that provide said small boost. You have to rethink a lot of the things you've designed. The more of the tied small factors involved the more likely it is to snowball out of control into a big advantage.

For this reason you need to keep yourself from over doing it.

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