Glossary Entry: Skinner box

A skinner box is a device that uses rewards and punishments to train the animal inside it to repeatedly perform a desired action. Some video games borrow from this design to make the game more addictive - a move that is often viewed as predatory by parents and moral guardians.

By the by, they were named after their inventor, B. F. Skinner. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with skinning anything.