video games

GSummit,Bubbles, Badges and the Future

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1381916 89731304 GSummit Bubbles Badges and the Future

I have been catching up on the events of GSummit over the weekend. I was very heartened to hear so many people talking about moving beyond badges and xp systems. They were looking for the next phase of engagement. You just need to look at FourSquare recently ditching its gamified elements to see that we are hitting the first big dip in user interest in this kind of thing.

However, there were still quite a few talking about promoting engagement with the use of simple badging / xp systems. I must admit, at first I was a little confused. Then I realised that I was totally missing the context that these ideas were being discussed in.

Badges still have a place.

When you look at instances where people were talking about badges and the like being of some use, it tended to be related to enterprise. The thing with enterprise gamification is that you have one key thing in the back pocket before you start. An audience. Not only that, you have an audience that has already got one very important motivator. They are doing their job. This may not sound like a motivator, but let me explain.

Think back to before you heard the word gamification. People still turned up to work every day. They still did their job to the best (usually) of their ability. Why? Because that is what you, do. You get a job, you try to do it well and then you go home. At a set point in time, you are paid for doing this. This payment then allows you to do other things, like pay your mortgage and buy your wife nice things. As it happens, in just that little run through you can see game mechanics in use (though I would not call this gamification!!)

  • Go to work every morning – appointment mechanic. Don’t turn up, don’t get paid
  • Do your job everyday – Behavioural Momentum
  • Do your job well – Pride

Anyway, I digress. The people who are seeing success with badges and xp are using them to try to make this daily churn a little more interesting, by setting up a little competition and fun. In this case, it does not seem to have that negative an effect, because it is not trying to replace the intrinsic motivation of doing your job each day (if done properly). Another factor is that these are closed groups of people who are all in it together. In addition, there is nothing to be lost by joining or not joining.

There is sooo much more that people could be doing though. Gamification of a rubbish process makes it more rubbish (ish). What enterprise should be looking at is changing the processes to make them more intrinsically engaging. They should be using gamification to change the behaviour of the company as a whole, but just make it a little bit more fun. It is not all about making everything a game.

It’s all about making everything a game.

So that is enterprise. In brand engagement things are a little different. Badges, points and leaderboards are proving to only improve engagement for a short period of time. What is happening (as with FourSquare), there comes a point where the “I really don’t care anymore” factor kicks in, there is a sharp drop off. Where people are succeeding is where they have seen that there is a drop and offer something more. I had a great chat with Steve Bocska from PugPharm.com who are currently trying to combat this Badge Fatigue or Loyalty Backlash as they call it.

I will talk about PugPharm more at some point, but essentially their Picnic platform tries to make it all a bit more playful. Using badges and ladders to get people into the “game”, they then throw more enjoyable challenges and collectables (in the form of iCards) into the mix. Finally they use those collectables to connect you with other people with similar interests in a social network. Their hope is that this will keep people engaged with the brand or anything else for far longer.

The big players (Badgeville springs to mind) are now trying to give the end user more than just the basics. They have all seen that as the general population is getting wise to the gamification that has been successful up until now, that they need to focus less on trying to influence or manipulate the customer. Now it is about giving them something that they find enjoyable and engaging.

The Bubble has to burst

We are at a crossroads, that much is sure. I can see a bubble waiting to burst with lots of people floating in it repeating the word Gamification over and over again. When it does burst, I really hope that those who are left floating in the remaining bits of the bubble are the ones who are repeating – how can we be different, what’s in it for the customer. That’s when we shall start to really see the more mature and focused side of Gamification that so many of us know is there.

PDF Tray GSummit Bubbles Badges and the Future

Rewarding Failure – Can It Work In Gamification?

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914483 54526013 Rewarding Failure 8211 Can It Work In Gamification

In a lot of posts, I talk about rewards. My last post discussed the potential dangers of extrinsic rewards when used to try to motivate intrinsic behaviour. So I imagine that most of you think that rewarding failure is a bit of a no brainer. No way. Why would anyone reward anyone for failure?

Banks Do It

A good example this kind of reward can be seen in bonus culture. Think of all of the bankers who were blamed for the recent collapses. Many were quoted as being shocked at the idea that they may not get their bonuses. Bonuses in the banking business are expected. They are used to ensure that people stay in their role. The fact that they failed horribly is irrelevant. They were still rewarded for failure. If that is the case, how do you motivate success?

Kids Do It

I was at the birthday party of one of my daughters friends (five years old). We were doing musical statues with them. Now. At some point in the eighties, the UK ruling party decided that competition in children is bad. It promoted elitism and made children feel left out and demotivated of they lost. To this day we are still feeling this effect. In our game of musical statues, every player got a bag of sweets if they lost. They were rewarded for losing at the game. The idea is that by giving them this small consolation prize, they would not feel down and would be willing to play later. The interesting thing was, quite a few didn’t want the main prize, they just wanted the sweets. So, they joined the game and immediately tried to lose just so try could have the sweets! Rewarding failure actually motivated them to fail! Why go through the effort of trying to win if they only wanted sweets and not the winner’s prize?

Games Do It

The question is, can rewarding failure ever help to motivate success?

When you look at games this is often used to encourage the player to keep going. For instance, you may go bankrupt in a management sim for the first time. The game offers to give you a loan to get you back on your feet. This then give you a little boost that keeps you playing. You are motivated and able to continue.

Can You Do It?

This only works if the end prize is substantially better than the reward given after failure. The reason the examples I have use above fail, especially with the children’s game, is because the prize for succeeding is not all that much more interesting than the prize for winning. Mixed with the amount of effort it takes to play and win, losing is actually the easiest way to get something you want. The other thing to consider is that when using gifts and rewards for failure, you can’t just keep giving them. In our imaginary management sim, if the player is constantly saved by the game, they will quickly tire as there is no longer any challenge. You have to use it sparingly to make the user feel that winning is still important.

As with all things Gamification related, it comes down to execution.

PDF Tray Rewarding Failure 8211 Can It Work In Gamification

Thanks, a little housekeeping and other stuff.

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Gamification Thanks a little housekeeping and other stuff

Hello all. First of all, thank you so much for making this blog (and its syndication’s) way more successful than I had ever imagined! I would never have thought that people would be interested in what I have to say, so thank you.

This is all a big learning adventure for me, one that I am enjoying greatly. It has also opened up some amazing opportunities!

Facebook

A little house keeping. I have started a Facebook Page about gamification – Gamification World

The idea is to post my blogs up there, but also for it to collect articles I like and tweets I have seen that I think may be interesting to all those of you who love a bit of Gamification. Head over and Like the page if you could 🙂

Gamified Blog

Something else I have been thinking about is gamifying the blog. Thinking of quests rather than badges of course. Just something for a bit of fun, maybe help you explore the site. Any ideas?

My Book(let)

Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of my Book – Gamification: A Simple Introduction , if you have bought it and enjoyed it, I would love for a few reviews – no pressure though 😛 There are plans to do s a slightly more detailed follow up, but that may be some time away!

Those that made it possible

Lastly a couple of links to posts that I have done as a guest on other blogs – sort of a thank you for those opportunities.

Most recent is on Gamified Enterprise – Is Gamification in the Workplace just a Fad

Next is a post I did for the company I work for, Capgemini – Gamification for your company

Finally, my first ever guest post at OsakaBentures Motivation and Engagement

All of these articles are very similar, they were all written for different audiences though and at different stages of my understanding!

Shoutouts

Shoutouts have to go to a few twitter supporters as well. Saul Fleischman Scott Sincalair Guy Stephens Nyk Loates and so many more. Follow my twitter list on Gamification to see even more great people in this area.

Final thanks to Dr Jo Twist, Mark Sorrell and Paul Bennun who recently helped me find the words and research to articulate some of my ideas!

Stay Connected

Stay tuned for more, make friends with me on Facebook, say hi on Google+ or connect with LinkedIn and Twitter. I am always looking to bounce thoughts off as many people as possible!!!

PDF Tray Thanks a little housekeeping and other stuff

Gamification: Rules Rule, but Shouldn’t Rule Everything.

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Rules rule Gamification Rules Rule but Shouldn 8217 t Rule Everything

Everything has rules. Life works because of rules. Rules have many names and forms. Laws of physics, algebra, logic, frameworks, instructions and more. Without rules you have chaos. That said, some scientists think even chaos has rules.

In games, rules are vital. However free and open a game may seem, there will be a deep set rules that cannot be broken. Be it the size of the map or the way physics work in the game. Minecraft is a good example. Seemingly you can do anything. However, you have to follow rules and instructions to gain that freedom. You have to mine and craft and create – all within the rules of the world around you.

Without some kind of rules in a game, how do you know who has won and who has lost. Chess without rules is just two people moving prices randomly on a board with no purpose. Even then, it is natural for humans to start to invent rules and play “properly” so they can gauge each other’s skills and pick a winner.

Children playing often look chaotic and lawless, but watch them closely and you will see that their play quickly produces rule sets. They may evolve rapidly during the game, but (and this is where I start scrambling for a point) they keep each other informed of the new rules as they make them up. It is when one of them makes up a secret rule that no one else knew that you start to get tears.

In Gamification the same is true. When you start to define the “game”, you need to build a framework and a rule set. This action is worth 1 point, but this more complex action is worth 5. Getting 100 points earns you this badge, 300 gets you another. If you don’t have at least the basics in place, how are people meant to know how to win? I would rather know that entering 500 lines of code into my gamified editor earns me a badge and 500 more earns another. If I am just randomly awarded points and badges, how do I benchmark my success and how am I motivated to do more. I may as well just wait for the next random award to just happen. (hindsight edit – Think of this as measure rather than achievement I am talking here about understanding my progress rather than striving to get more extrinsic rewards!)

That is not to say that surprises are bad. Sure, chuck in random awards – humans love surprise. They make things more exciting, let me choose what I earn next if you are using tangible rewards, but make sure that the basics are recorded and visible to all. That said, don’t be afraid to change the rules. Evolution is natural. Things often don’t work and need to change. Just make sure that users know what the changes are and how that may affect them.

The trouble is, the word rule conjures up images of overbearing teachers and creativity stifling jobs worth’s. Rules don’t have to stifle creative thinking. In some cases they can help, they let you forget about the simple things and concentrate on the important bits that require your attention. Make your rules flexible and this becomes even truer.

To break the rules you gotta know the rules, but maybe it is time we redefined the language we use to fit the true meaning as we see it?

 

PDF Tray Gamification Rules Rule but Shouldn 8217 t Rule Everything

Don’t Love Games? Step Away From the Gamification

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New dice Don 8217 t Love Games Step Away From the Gamification

Games. I love them. Board games, card games, video games and anything else you can put the word games after. I play them, I write about them, I think about them, I dream about them and from time to time I even try my hand at making them (http://www.fuzzyd.co.uk/robbers). So what does this have to do with such a business orientated subject as Gamification. One needs to be a savy expert to be able to speak on such highbrow topics – not a games loving lout?

Well Mr suit, that’s where I think you are dead wrong. Jesse Schell in his excellent “The Art of Games Design: A Book of Lenses” asks a simple question. “Do I love my Project”. He goes on to state “If the creators of a game do not love it, the game will surely fail”. So I ask you. If you do not love games, dream about them and want to play them all day every day – how can you talk about gamification with any conviction, let alone make decisions about it’s implementation or design? As horrible as the name may be, gamification contains a key word. Gam(e). Whether you like it or not, implementing gamification is implementing at least some elements that come from games.

Some might say – “Wait a moment Andrzej, it is all about setting rules and then getting others to follow them – then we can shove some badges on to make people come back for more”. To those I say “Step Away From the Gamification“. To be good at something you have to understand it. To be amazing at something you need more, you need to love it with every fibre of your being. If it were that simple then we would not need games designers. We could feed the magic Game Formula into a computer and it would churn out hit game after hit game.

I may be sounding a little preachy and over dramatic here. Of course you can implement gamification if you are not a lover of games, but how do you expect other people to want to engage with these elements if you do not believe in them yourself. If you don’t love games how can you expect people to play one that you have created? It is almost cynical. Like rock musicians making bubble gum pop to sell records. You know their heart is not in it and that always shows in the end product.

If you want to get into gamification, play some games. I am not talking about getting addicted (though that helps), but just try a few. Here is a list I once gave someone who asked. It is by no means complete, but it may get you on your way.

Space invaders. A game of such simplicity that you could be forgiven for dismissing it. However, just examine the core concepts. The task is shooting the aliens. The skill is in using your shields, timing your shots and avoiding the bullets. The reward is a high score chase.

Sid Meiers Pirates! An early open world game of sword fights and sailing. There is a brilliant remake of it available in iPad. It has been on pretty much every platform since the commodore 64, showing just how good it is. It takes a simple story, adds resources and action and puts it all into an open world for you to explore.

Sam and Max, Monkey Island, Broken Sword 2 or LA Noire. All are master classes in how to tell a story and bring the player along for the ride.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The second of the 3D GTA games and for me one of the most complete games ever made. You could spend a lifetime just messing about! Exploration, missions and again – fun.

Half Life 2. A solid, well made, well balanced linear single player fps. It has a strong story and great characters. The world it creates becomes very believable in no time at all.

All of these games demonstrate some real core thinking in games, be it creating a world you can lose yourself in or solid story telling.

When you think about gamifying anything, you need to look at it as game design. Is your core mechanic some kind of story. IE are you trying to bring the user through a series of steps to get them to some form of conclusion. Are you looking at making use of a selection of game mechanics to achieve a goal. Are you just wanting to influence the user journey without any direct or in your face gamification.

These concepts and more are seen in the games I mention. It is a very short list and of course, there are thousands I could have chosen from. You will probably disagree with me, but at least you will have had to think about it to disagree.

PDF Tray Don 8217 t Love Games Step Away From the Gamification