Beware of Popularity Contests

Book thumbs Beware of Popularity Contests

Voting. A fair and representational way to decide if A is better than B… Isn’t it? A simple mechanic where people are asked to express their opinion by way of simply ticking a box, or clicking a button or whatever.

However, as we can see time and time again, this is not actually as fair as it seems on the face of it. Instead of being a fair view of what people feel about something, it actually turns into a popularity contest.

If you set up a competition where the criteria is “he who has the most votes wins”, what do you think is going to happen? Are those invovled going to just sit back and wait for votes to come in, or are they going to campaign? If they campaign, who will they campaign to? Will they be people who can make an informed decision on what is actually the best option, or will it be friends, family and social media followers? Worse still, will it be people who have been encouraged into voting (read bribed)? Read More ...

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Speaking at Gamification Europe 2017

Gamificationeurope2017logo 1 Speaking at Gamification Europe 2017

For those of you who are interested in gamification events and live in the UK or indeed Europe, November the 278h-29th should be pretty exciting for you. The first edition of Gamification Europe is happening in Brighton and the line-up is looking excellent! You will get to hear from the likes of Marigo Ruftopolous, Michael Wu, An Coppens and of course me!

If you want to attend the conference, you can register at the Gamification Europe website. Use the code GE25AM to get a 25% discount. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gamification-europe-registration-38868140655 Read More ...

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#Gamification: Voting Mechanics

IMG 2272 Gamification Voting Mechanics

Balancing systems is a time consuming but highly important part of any gamified design. Getting the points per action right, knowing how to reward each activity. Ensuring the narrative is well rounded and keeps the pace going. Testing and retesting the team dynamics.

Missing out this crucial phase can mean the difference between success and crushing failure.

Recently I was involved in a simple competition that revolved around voting. It had a mechanic I had never come across used in quite this way before and pray to God I never do again. Read More ...

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