2021 was not a productive year on the blog, after so many years of writing, I needed a break to be honest. I also decided that 2021 was the year to get my mental health sorted a little bit, so made a few changed here and there.
However, it’s 2022 now and I want to get a fresh start on this blogging stuff again. So, expect a bit more activity (don’t expect 1 a week though!)
I’d love to hear what you would like to see more of moving forward though, let me know in the comments or on Twitter (DaveRage)
As is traditional, below you will find my roundup of the year’s blogs. Hope you enjoy and I’ll see you all very soon 🙂
1) The “Is it a now thing, or a later thing?” prioritisation framework – Beat the Post Christmas Slump
Posted on December 29, 2021So, Christmas is done and we are now in that no mans land between Christmas and New Year. No one knows what day it is, what they should be doing or what their next meal might consist of – but know that it is in the freezer and is bit sized. The next week or… More…
Posted on December 24, 2021As we hit Christmas, I just wanted to wish you the best of times and hope that the coming months are safe for you all. You will see more of me next year as I finally have more to say about gamification and the world surrounding it. In the mean time, here are a couple… More…
Posted on December 14, 2021A million years ago (well 2013) I did a talk at my first big conference – Gamification World Congress ’13. I chose to talk about a potential framework for a gamified career path, using a game board, constant feedback loops etc. https://www.gamified.uk/2013/10/21/career-2-0-gwc-talk/ It was a decent talk and the concept was, if I do say… More…
Posted on November 27, 2021 £10 Gamification Bundle: Even Ninja Monkeys eBook, Gamification and Solution Design Lenses, Inspiration Cards and Design Toolkit Note: this is a download only, there are no physical copies being sent. You should get a link after purchase to download the items. Gamification and Solution Design Lenses (Normally… More…
Posted on November 22, 2021So, in my last post I set the cat amongst the pigeons a little by offering my new definition of gamification. Well, the conversations that followed were superb 🙂 That’s one of the reasons I did it, to start up the conversation again – to get people to step away from the business as usual… More…
6) I was wrong: A definition of gamification that should make sense to everyone!
Posted on November 15, 2021I was wrong… for many years in fact. So, here I am again, banging on about definitions. I have been here before, but usually trying to push through the idea of a more academic and “correct” definition of gamification. However, over the years I have realised that this is not much use to most people!… More…
7) The Engagement Channel Model 2.0: Fun, Flow and Engagement
Posted on November 4, 2021Fun. A three letter word you won’t hear me mention often when discussing gamification! Why? Well, fun is really subjective. What you find fun, I may not. However, for the purposes of this blog, we will assume I like fun as do you and when I mention fun – it means something you will find… More…
8) The Truth About Gamification: The Ugly, the Bad and the Good
Posted on October 13, 2021Gamification is a little over 10 years old now, but has much really changed since its wild days of infancy? I remember when I first started getting involved in 2011, it was a time of excitement, learning and playing. There were meetups, webinars, conferences, knowledge sharing and all sorts going in. It was liberal, free… More…
9) New Solution & Gamification Design Lenses Card Deck
Posted on September 20, 2021For the first time in a while, I have a sort of new product for you! The Solution & Gamification Design Lenses Card Deck! Basically it is a series of cards that contain questions related to various frameworks I use in my life as a solution designer. They cover ground from the User Type HEXAD,… More…
10) The Danger of Unbalanced Incentives and Negative Expectations
Posted on September 6, 2021I recently saw a news article that certain parts of America were trialling an incentive program to try and encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The idea was that individuals could earn $100 by getting vaccinated. If you have ever read any of my work, you will probably know that I am not… More…
Posted on August 4, 2021The last year or so has been pants to say the least. Personally it has taken a huge toll on my already dubious at times mental health! However, there has been one shining light since the later stages of 2020 – Mischief Movie Night In from Mischief Theatre. Mischief Theatre is a group of very… More…
Posted on June 30, 2021It’s been a while since I wrote about the HEXAD user types, but the world does not stand still and I keep seeing them turning up in academic papers – which is amazing, so I thought it time to say a few words on things that have repeatedly come up! I was inspired by a… More…
13) Confirmation Bias and How to Embrace Being Wrong – #UX
Posted on May 26, 2021When we design anything, be it user experiences, gamified experiences or even just Lego buildings – we become emotionally involved with what we are doing. We invest ourselves in the process and the outcomes of the process. Because of this, it can be very hard for us to accept someone telling us that they think… More…
14) 6 rules for surviving and enjoying social media.
Posted on April 18, 20211. Don’t believe everything you see or read.Social media has no filter, so anyone can post almost anything and they don’t always post the truth. From politicians to socialites, very often what is put out is tweaked in some ways be it the facts or the flawless texture of a models skin. Be alert to… More…
Posted on April 9, 2021Progress bars During lockdown and thanks to our newish dog, I’ve been playing a lot of Xbox in the early mornings. I try to play games when I can, but until recently have not really had time to invest much of my life into them. But, I’ve always maintained that to understand what makes games… More…
Posted on February 22, 2021Ludic, or playful design, involves designing products or experiences through the lens of play. How do you make people feel safe to explore, encourage experimentation and even add some fun? A while back I introduced my Play Framework, so you can find out more there, but essentially it’s all about creating an environment that focuses… More…
Posted on February 9, 2021In gamification, you will hear a lot about Flow. I myself have spoken about it many times. In games and gamification, we use it as a way to describe the moment that you get the challenge of a task exactly balanced with the skill of the person involved, leading to a state of absolute focus… More…
18) Animal Farm the Game OR How to use games to introduce the classics to new audiences
Posted on January 5, 2021Well, happy new year everyone. I wanted to start 2021 off by talking about an incredibly satisfying gaming experience I had over Christmas. Playing Animal Farm on my phone. For those that don’t know, Animal Farm is a very stark book written by George Orwell in the 1940s that uses power struggles between farm animals… More…