Practical Play Framework

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Practical Play Framework 2 Practical Play Framework

Serious games and serious play both have an issue. The issue is, the word serious. It sounds far too, well, serious!

I have heard lots of people complaining about this, somewhat misunderstanding what the serious refers to. “Why can’t it be fun, not serious?” “Serious does not sound fun, that can’t be right!”

Obviously the serious in these terms is there to differentiate entertainment focused and non-entertainment focused games. That is to say, games that we play just to enjoy the experience and games that we play to achieve something, such as learning and skills acquisition. Read More ...

Gamification: Is Activity as good as Engagement?

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Engaged 1525345895 Gamification Is Activity as good as Engagement

Gamification is often accused of creating activity rather than engagement. Whilst this can be true, is it a bad thing?

First, let’s look at the difference between activity and engagement. Engagement is very hard to define and has plenty of definitions out there. For our purposes, we will consider it as a state where a person is voluntarily participating in an activity with commitment, without the feeling of being forced or coerced into participation. It is heading towards them “wanting” to participate. Read More ...

Quick Gamification Advice: The 70/30 Rule

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Balance 1524667220 Quick Gamification Advice The 70 30 Rule

One of the best bits of advice I was given at Capgemini revolved around the idea that you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

It was the 70/30 rule of engagement. I am pretty sure that whoever told me it made it up, but it was a great rule of thumb that I have used many times over the years.

The rule says that when trying to engage a group you are always going to have around 30% who will not engage. 15% will have no interest and 15% will actively and deliberately choose to not engage (a bit like a Disruptor, no?). Read More ...

Snakes and Ladders: Gamification Hell or Heaven?

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Snakes and ladders1 Snakes and Ladders Gamification Hell or Heaven

I recently made a very strong statement on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn about snakes and ladders and whether it was a game..

Snakes and Ladders is not a game and we should stop using it in gamification and serious games.

Obviously, it was designed to provoke some comment, but boy was I surprised with the level of interaction I got over the three channels. The LinkedIn conversation may still be going on!

As expected, there were those who agreed and those who did not. Some were using Snakes and Ladders in training very successfully, others agreed that it was a pile of pants. Read More ...

Say No to FoMO in Gamification?

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Fear 1523530393 Say No to FoMO in Gamification

Let’s start at the beginning.

What is FoMO?

FoMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out. In our gamification elements, it is often related to Loss Aversion and Curiosity.

If we start with Loss Aversion, used carefully, loss aversion can be a great way to encourage certain positive behaviours. Consider teaching kids how to save, for instance. If they feel they have earned the money, they will (normally) have a stronger desire NOT to lose it! However, physical items are not all that people want to avoid losing. Far more important motivations lie around social interaction, connections, status and more.  If someone is considered to be influential in their circles, they will not want to do anything to lose that status. Kids don’t want to miss out on play dates with their friends or even hugs and validation from their parents. How many times has parent used the term “I’m not angry, I’m disappointed”? It hurts more than “If you do that again, you lose your teddy.” Read More ...