Is Gamification Dead?

by
Screenshot 20190223 000824 Chrome Is Gamification Dead

As a quick break from my Introduction to Gamification series, I wanted to ask a serious question. Is gamification dead?

It is a tough question for someone who lives and breathes gamification to consider, as the answer could be problematic!

If we look at the hype that surrounded gamification, it would be easy to assume that it never really lived up to its promise! However, what was it promising?

Gamification, no matter how you personally refer to it, lives by one simple rule. It is not about making games. It is using lessons and elements from games in places where there are not games. If you make a game, you have done that, made a game. In a business context it would be a serious game, it education it would be an educational game. If you gamify something then you have made a gamified something, not a game. That’s why they are different terms. Read More ...

Introduction to Gamification Part 5: Goals and Feedback

by
Intro to Gamification Part 5 Introduction to Gamification Part 5 Goals and Feedback

The core of gamification can be boiled down to two key components. Goals and Feedback. Of course, there is more going on that supports these, but those are the two keys of gamification.

Gamified systems need to set specific tasks for users to complete, and then provide them with feedback as they progress towards completing those tasks. A good gamified system then uses other techniques, elements, mechanics etc to support the user towards those goals.

The hard bit is setting good goals, creating good feedback mechanisms and wrapping the experience in something that is engaging! But that is for later. Read More ...

Introduction to Gamification Part 4: Motivation (R.A.M.P, Maslow, SDT and more)

by
Intro to Gamification Part 4 Introduction to Gamification Part 4 Motivation R A M P Maslow SDT and more

Warning, this is one of my longest blogs ever!

Now we know a bit about what games, gamification and game-based solutions are (and are not), it’s time to start to consider some of the non-game related topics you need to understand to be good at building game-based solutions. The first of these is motivation.

In gamification we tend to look at motivation in varying depths, starting from a very simple perspective with just two options. Intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation.

The most basic way to look at this is that activities that are intrinsically motivating are those that people will do because they want to or appreciate the benefits of doing them. Activities that require rewards, extrinsic motivation, people do because there is a reward, not because they want to do it. It is not quite as black and white as that, but it is a good starting point – read on! Read More ...

Introduction to Gamification Part 3: Games, Play and Toys

by
Intro to Gamification Part 3 Introduction to Gamification Part 3 Games Play and Toys

In the last part of my introduction to gamification, I explained a little about my thoughts on Games Based Solutions, but I didn’t really explain what a game actually is. The reason for that is, it is a little complicated from an academic perspective. Now, that doesn’t really affect you in a business setting or as you undertake your job as a gamification designer, but it is always useful to have a deeper understanding of things you are speaking about.

Play

Let’s start with play as this is the foundation of games. There are many thoughts on play, I have a whole ebook and sections of Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play dedicated to it. However, in this introduction series, I want to try and keep things simple! Read More ...

Introduction to Gamification Part 2: Game Based Solutions

by
Instroduction to Gamification Part 2a Introduction to Gamification Part 2 Game Based Solutions

In part 1, we spent some time discussing what gamification is and isn’t. In Part 2, we are going to take a look at something that was introduced previously, but not explored; Game Based Solutions. My definition of Game Based Solutions is as follows:

The use of games and game-like app­roaches to solve problems and create better exp­e­ri­ences.

This expands upon gamification by including games as part of the toolkit for solving problems. This opens up a whole new dimension of possibilities when you are looking at solutions to client challenges. Gamification may be ideal for one product, but a training issue may be best solved with a serious game, which I will explain in a moment! Read More ...