Learning from Games: Escapism

by
Escapism 1559724120 Learning from Games Escapism

As gamification practitioners, we are looking to utilise things that games do really well in areas that could desperately do with being more engaging in some way.

I read somewhere recently that “in games, we are trying to become our best selves” or something similar. I have to say, I only partially agree with that. In some games that is true, but most of the time I am trying to forget who I am and be someone totally different, be they better or worse than the real me. In reality, many games bring out the worst in people as a sort of catharsis! For me, I want to escape from reality, and that is the point. Games provide a way to escape the reality of life. That is why the concept of Uncanny Valley exists, where something that isn’t alive looks uncomfortably close to real. It makes us uneasy. Read More ...

The Fearification of Fun

by
Big brother 1558624160 The Fearification of Fun

I recently read about a large online outlet who had introduced “Gamification” into the workforce. The idea was that by doing activities that the company felt were correct and efficient, the employee would earn points. Those points in some way affected the “games” they had created.

On the face of it, that sounds ok. However, when you dig down to the motivations of the company and really start to think about what it means – it starts to sound much less enjoyable for the workers. Read More ...

£19.99 #Gamification Bundle: Even Ninja Monkeys eBook, Cards and Design Toolkit

by
Bundle 19 99 Gamification Bundle Even Ninja Monkeys eBook Cards and Design Toolkit

Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play: Unicorn Edition as a colour PDF, printable cards and the Gamification Toolkit for just £19.99!

Of course, I know lots of you have one or all of these in various formats, and I may offer the PDF version of my book separately at some point, but I wanted to give people the chance to get a good start into gamification in one bundle.

[purchase_link id=”7087″ style=”button” color=”” text=”Buy now” direct=”true”] Read More ...

Take A Step Back Before Going Off the Rails…

by
Train 1557504047 Take A Step Back Before Going Off the Rails 8230

Just a short thought for your today. When building or designing anything, it is very easy to get caught up in your own thoughts and ideas. Introspection is fine, but from time to time you need to step back and just ask yourself a few simple questions;

  • Am I still solving the client’s problem?
  • Am I still staying true to the original vision for the solution
    • If not, why not?
    Is the solution still viable? Is the solution still going to prove valuable to the users as well as the client? Has anyone released a better solution whilst I have been building this one?

    If you are not happy with your answers to any of these questions, then you need to take a moment to consider how you are going to fix that before moving on.

    Blundering on blindly, even though you know there are things you are not happy with, will not lead you to a solution you are proud of or that your client will truly find valuable. Read More ...

Analogue vs Digital Gamification

by
Card games 1556289315 Analogue vs Digital Gamification

Gamification is often thought about as a digital realm, but that is not the case at all! Some of the best gamification I have seen has been “analogue”, or not digital. I myself have written about simple gamification experiments with eh kids that were entirely paper-based.

Just like games, gamification can be just as effective in the non-digital world as it can in the digital world. Think about it, games have existed since history began, with games like Senet being dated back to 3000BC in Egypt and evidence of dice like objects as far back as 5000BC. Read More ...