Gamification is the use of game
elements and game-design techniques in non-game contexts. Let me break that
down.
Game
Elements: Think
of game elements as a toolkit for building a game. Game elements include game
pieces, avatars, rules, scoring points, proceeding to the next level, receiving
badges, or unlocking a reward. As you begin to gamify a system, you can and
should modify the elements to target certain business objectives and to make
the experience more engaging.
Game
Techniques: The aspects of games that make
them fun, addicting, and challenging can’t be reduced to a list of components
or step-by-step instructions. This is where game-design techniques come in. How
do you decide which game elements to put where to create an overall productive
gamified experience? Just like strategic leadership, managing a team, or
creating a killer marketing campaign, game design is a strong mix of knowledge,
skill, and luck.
Non-game
Context: The final aspect of our
definition is that gamification operates in non-game contexts such as
on-boarding, marketing, training, client engagement, etc. The key element in
each is that they involve real-world business goals. Your players are not
storming a fortress, they are exploring the website of your new product. They
are not collecting gold coins, they are collecting achievements on the way to
learning a new skill or process in the workplace.
The three major non-game contexts
are: internal, external, and behavior
change.
- Internal gamification means that companies can use gamification to improve productivity within the organization in order to encourage innovation, enhance teamwork, or otherwise obtain positive business results through their own employees. The motivational dynamics of gamification must interact with the firm’s existing management and reward structures.
- External gamification involves your customers or prospective clients, members, or donors. These applications are generally driven by marketing objectives. Gamification here is a way to improve the relationships between businesses and customers, producing increased engagement, identification with the product, stronger loyalty, and ultimately higher revenues.
- Behavior-change gamification seeks to form beneficial new habits among a population. That can involve anything from encouraging people to make better health choices, such as eating better or working out more, to redesigning the classroom to make kids learn more while actually enjoying school. Generally, these new habits produce desirable societal outcomes: less obesity, lower medical expenses, or a more effective educational system.
Gamification invites people to
participate and engage by integrating game mechanics and game dynamics into
non-game contexts. My favorite space to use gamification is in the area of
Talent Development. By adding game mechanics to training, Gamification not only
increases interest, it makes training “fun.”
The goal is to increase
learning and engagement through key concepts found in game design and behavioral
psychology.
Welcome
to the Real World
The challenge of gamification,
therefore, is to take the elements that normally operate within a game space
and apply them effectively in the real world.
Gamification of real-world activities
represents a powerful technique which can drive motivation in individuals,
differentiate an organization from other similar organizations, and help
generate loyalty to the organization, its products, or its messages.
Most gamification efforts seek to
achieve or drive one or more of the following: motivation, differentiation,
and/ or stickiness. There are a variety of ways gamification of real-world
activities motivate, including:
Engagement -
When challenged and rewarded, individuals are naturally motivated to engage
more directly and intensely with information or activities. When implemented
successfully, gamifying an activity can result in increased engagement.
Competition
– A sales leaderboard in an office represents a gamification mechanic
that can help motivate individuals to move up or stay on top by selling more.
Gamification elements that generate competition can act as powerful motivators.
Progression – The
inclusion of a progress bar linked to a simple set of tasks, such as completing
training, frequently results in an immediate improvement in individual and
collective progress towards the real-world goal. By using gaming mechanics such
as badges or ‘leveling up’, individuals are often motivated to continue to
strive for higher levels of achievement.
Habit
Formation – Once a pattern is established, individuals are more often motivated
by the reward to engage in activity as a preprogrammed response – individuals
are likely to continuously engage in activities which reward specific
behaviors.
Gamification is an important strategy
for influencing and motivating people, and forward thinking organizations
everywhere are beginning to understand the power of gamification to increase
engagement to improve their bottom line and are eager to learn how to leverage
its power.
Connect with Monica on Twitter @monicacornetti
or the company website
LinkedIn Author Page: https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/monicacornetti
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