toolkit

Getting Into Gamification

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Gamification bundle Getting Into Gamification

[purchase_link id=”6616″ style=”plain” color=”” text=”Buy the Bundle” direct=”true”]A question that is often asked, is “How do I get into Gamification?”

First off, don’t go my route – it was long and painful!

However, there are things I did that will help you to get into it all and get a great understanding of what gamification is all about.

  1. Get a book on gamification. I, of course, recommend my one,
    • Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play, but there are others you should check out.
    • For the Win by Kevin Werbach. This book accompanies his online course, which I will mention in a bit, but it is one of the most practical approaches to gamification design I have seen.
    • eXPlore Like A Pirate. If you are in education, I recommend Michael Matera’s great practical book.
    • On the Education note, I also recommend everything by Karl Kapp
  2. Take Kevin Werbach’s Gamification MOOC over at Coursera. It is old now but will give you a great foundation.
  3. Read a few game design books, my personal recommendations are
  4. Check out a few gamification and game design related blogs
  5. One or two other books / things to read
    • Hooked by Nir Eyal is a great introduction to some of the psychology you may need to understand in gamification.
    • Nudge from Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein is another great look at the psychology we use.
    • Self Determination Theory by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan is also extremely important to know about.
  6. Search ReasearchGate for new research on gamification
  7. Listen to the Professor Game podcast for great insights from experts.
  8. Do a search on Twitter for gamification related posts and ideas of who to follow.
  9. Talk to any experts you find. Many are more than happy to offer advice.
  10. Try things, take your time and experiment as much as you can, then tell people about it. It’s no good being an expert and just expecting people to know about it through osmosis.

I hope this helps a little.

Also, I have a special offer bundle of my Gamification Design Toolkit and printable Gamification Inspiration Cards at the moment, £15 for both (rather than £9.99 each). Get it now!

[purchase_link id=”6616″ style=”button” color=”” text=”Get Them Now!”]

PDF Tray Getting Into Gamification

4 Simple Questions To Transform Your Gamification Implementation

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WWWH 4 Simple Questions To Transform Your Gamification Implementation

It is simple to jump to solutioneering as soon as you feel you have a problem that needs fixing. However, taking a step back and asking 4 simple questions can save you time and money in the long run.

  1.  “What is the problem”
  2.   “Why do we need to fix it”
  3.   “What needs to change to fix it”
  4.   “How do we do that”

What is the problem?

First, you need to explore What you are wanting to change. This is the easy bit and is likely to change, but it is a start. Be as specific as you can, but be open minded as you explore further!

Most people already have this in mind when they first go to someone asking for gamification.

Why do we need to fix it?

I have spoken about this in the past, but it is so important that I like to bring it up from time to time.

Many gamification projects happen with the best of intentions, but are doomed to fail because no one stops to as the question “Why?”

Any behaviour focused intervention needs to have a clear focus, otherwise, you have no hope of solving your problems. You need to have a clear understanding of why you need to make a change. Is there an issue with people using a system? Are people not doing what you expected day to day. Are people not donating to your charity site when you thought they would?

Very often the answer to the initial what is “We want to improve engagement”. However, that still begs the question “why?” Not just that, it also creates the new question “What is engagement?”

What needs to change to fix it?

To be successful you must identify what the root problems are, and what needs to change to fix them. If you have decided that people are not using your system because it is too complex, you must ask the question “what needs to change”

What may have looked like a behaviour issue, people were not using the system properly, may be a usability issue. That requires a totally different solution.

You will cycle between What and Why for a while until you have solid answers to the questions. You can also talk yourself in circles, so need to be pragmatic and occasionally start from scratch!

How do we do that?

Once you have got your solid answers to

  •  “What is the problem”
  •   “Why do we need to fix it”
  •   “What needs to change to fix it”

 you can start to look at how to make those changes and gamification may form part of that. Then you can move onto the next phase. There are many frameworks, such as my own Gamification Design Framework and Toolkit, that can help from there.

 

PDF Tray 4 Simple Questions To Transform Your Gamification Implementation