The “Little Piggy” Communications Test

Pig 1535532496 The 8220 Little Piggy 8221 Communications Test

Do you remember the old poem, “This Little Piggy”?

This Little Piggy poem

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Wee wee wee” all the way home…

Well, this can hold one of the keys to good communications with users and clients…

When you communicate with someone, especially if you feel you are doing something that will help them – such as providing gamified solutions, you have to consider what they want and need.  You have to put yourself in their shoes and offer something in a way that resonates with them. Read More ...

Gamblification – don’t gamble with your people unless you are sure!

I often hear people talking about adding elements of chance to an experience to make it more interesting. For instance, adding a random reward for doing a certain task in a system.

However, when does adding randomness turn into adding gambling elements? Well, we have to look at the definition of gambling and look at an example.

In the UK the Gambling Commision looks after all things related to gambling and has a long list of things that it considers to be gambling – http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-the-public/What-is-gambling.aspx Read More ...

Playbrush Smart Toothbrush Review (Or, “How I have to admit when I’m wrong..”)

About 2 years ago I was speaking at a Gamifiers event in London. One of the other speakers spoke about a new product called “Playbrush”. It was an add-on for a toothbrush that allowed it to interact with a mobile device like an iPad. As well as the add-on, there were a couple of games that it controlled on the mobile device. The idea was to encourage kids to brush for longer and with higher efficiency because they want to progress in the games.

It is fair to say the idea got mauled by us all. I hold my hand up as one of the maulers. I had several issues with the idea of a parent. The first was the concept of having to have my iPad in the bathroom with the kids. After that, it was the idea of getting kids to clean their teeth because it let them play a game. I could not see how that activity could convert into a permanent behaviour if when you took the game element away. Read More ...

Gamification Advice: Points

Generally speaking, in gamification, a reliance on nothing but the unholy trinity (Points, Badges and Leaderboards) is a guaranteed recipe for eventual failure.

However, that does not mean they should be ignored – especially not points!

Points are how a system records activity, tracks progress, understands achievements – they are the currency of gamification. That said, they don’t need to be the central focus of the user experience in a gamified solution. In fact, they can be totally hidden from view at all times, just ticking away in the background making other more interesting things happen for the user. Read More ...

Am I Evil? Gamification Brought Into Perspective By My 11 Year Old!

I had an interesting chat with my eldest daughter recently. As with many chats with her, I was left thinking about the choices in my life… yeah, she’s reached that age!

  • O: I really want this shark in my game. It is only 500 crystals!!
  • Me: And how much do 500 crystals cost?
  • O: Well, I’ve got £10 in my purse and I would pay you back as soon as I can?
  • Me: So it’s more than £10?
  • O: It’s £20, but…
  • Me: £20!?!??! Of real actual money for a f@#king shark graphic in an iPhone game!??!?!?!??!
  • O: Yes, But, it is a special deal that I can only get today, normally it would cost £60
  • Me: (Words I am too polite to use her)
  • O: Yes, But…
  • Me: No. Absolutely not, no way, no how.
  • O: (Almost in tears) But I will never have this chance again, it is only today and the shark is new and it is a special deal just for me and and and and…
  • Me: Sweetheart, it isn’t. The developers are just trying to get money from you. They are using psychological tricks to make you come to me and tell me what a great deal it is. They are making you feel special and like you are being offered a once in a lifetime, exclusive offer.
  • O: (Crying) Oh.
  • Me: These are the sorts of things that gamification often uses to encourage people to do things.
  • O: (Shouting) Well, you’re just as bad as them then aren’t you!?
  • Me: (Spluttering slightly) Yes, but I am usually trying to encourage peole to do important things, like complete important safety training or learn things that will help them at work.
  • O: Yeah, tell yourself that (Storms off). 

This really hit me hard. It got me thinking, “am I as bad as them?” Does what I do equate to greedy devs trying to screw every last penny out of parents, players and children?

For example, one F2P game she had involved making milkshakes. To complete level 1, you needed an orange straw. However, the orange straw only came in straw pack 1 that cost £1. Level 2 required a blue straw. However, the blue straw only can in straw pack 2. You can see where this is going. It was an expensive lesson for me as a parent on how low game devs will go. The worst was on one of the Talking Tom games though. Here, at the point they wanted you to pay, they showed a graphic of a child handing the phone to their parent and asking them to pay!! Read More ...

Exit mobile version