Gamification, RAMP and Christmas

Christmas is almost on us and it feels like a great reminder (again) about the dangers of Over Justification Effect!

Whatever your beliefs, it is easy to get wrapped up in one aspect of Christmas – getting presents. It seems that to some it is a right for surviving another year, their reward for not going postal, a pat on the back for being a decent human.

However, those are the extrinsic rewards that hook us into Christmas. They are not the real meaning of Christmas. Consider it from a RAMP perspective.

  • Relatedness: You spend time with you with those that you love, family and friends
  • Autonomy: For many it is a time where they can take a break from work and do more of the things they want to do
  • Mastery: Well, this is a stretch, but you get to explore your Turkey cooking and present wrapping skills 😀
  • Purpose: This is the big one. As it is so inherently linked to Relatedness, the Purpose of Christmas is to spread love. Sounds silly, but that is the reason for it all. That may be spending time with your loved ones, it may be volunteering, it could be giving gifts – whatever it is, the Purpose of Christmas is to spread love.

Nowhere in that list do we see “get given stuff”.

This is how gamification can be viewed. How do we use gamification to “spread love”? Now, it doesn’t need to be quite as soppy as that, but one of the main reasons I got so invested in gamification was because I could see the massive capacity it could have for good – not just encouraging people to spend more.

That is why the Philanthropist type exists. Their main purpose is to give back.

So over Christmas, think about how your gamification efforts could improve the world, not just a profit margin.

Happy Holidays all 🙂

Similar Posts:


Also published on Medium.

1 thought on “Gamification, RAMP and Christmas”

Leave a Comment

Exit mobile version