Is Gamification Really a Long Term Solution to Anything?

When you look at how gamification has been used over the years, I personally have seen the greatest successes coming from short term “interventions”.

  • Use gamification to improve onboarding into a product
  • Use it to make a learning module, or course more interesting
  • Use it to learn a few words in another language
  • Use it to help build better excercise habits
  • Use it to build better medication routines

All of these have great success stories, but by their nature are short interventions being used to either reduce the barrier to entry, create short term engagement or help to build intrinsic habits.

I ask you this – who has become fluent in a language using Duo Lingo?

However, gamification experts (myself included) always talk about gamification being better used as a long term strategic change, rather than a quick win enabler?

So is that true? Can you really change your life, or change long term behaviours with continuous gamification, or does the game has to end eventually?

It is an open question I would love to hear your thoughts on.

Personally, I think that the longest changes happen when you change the attitude of people to become more gameful – or dare I say it – infuse them with the Ludic Spirit!

So, Gurus Unite – I want to hear what you have to say!!

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Also published on Medium.

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