gamification (2010)

GAMIFICATION by Mirco Pasqualini http://www.linkedin.com/in/mircopasqualini

GAMIFICATION

Gamification Elements & Mechanisms


The process of Gamification in Digital Advertising & Community is undoubtedly a hot topic

explored by the interactive business.

In the Gamification ecosystem is build based on three basic pilars: Game Mechanism, Visual

Elements and Reward.

Overview


The first and fundamental step is to create and adopt a mechanism of play that defines the relationship be-

tween the users and content and offering a fun and positive experience with the brand. Some models:

The Discovery: The mechanics

of the discovery is fun because

everyone loves to explore. Be the

first to discover something can

be exciting knowing that there

are more reasons for a player to

continue browsing. Earn points

each time you discover something

or a badge for loyal users to visit

with more often your sites and/or

applications.

Survey: (UserCentric) Get advices,

opinions, suggestions and feed-

back and improve thanks to these

critical success factors for a brand,

but it ‘s also true that involving a

user in this process is rather diffi-

cult. The simplest way to motivate

engagement is to reward the user

for his/her participation.

Sharing and collaboration: Since

prehistoric time, man has always

clustered in tribes since relation-

ships with other individuals and

active participation in the groups

produces a high degree of sat-

isfaction the human nature. The

active participation of the user in

the collaboration process becomes

a strategic choice for every brand.

Game Mechanism01


The visual elements are part of the Gamification ecosystem. The audience aspect these specific of visual ele-

ments in any game mechanism world:

Notifications object: the object

provides instant feedback for user

actions thus involvement in-

creases dramatically. The Notifier

informs the user about the points

and badges earned, levels that

he/she has reached and all other

information important to the users.

The user chooses which informa-

tion to receive and how often to

receive it.

Progress Bar: The progress-bar is

a simple concept in the process of

determining the gamification. The

instant feedback provided by the

progress bar visually motivates the

user to complete activities despite

of the time that these require.

Leaderboard: The Leader-board al-

lows users to confront each other

and create competition. The Lead-

erboard normally includes a variety

of formats, comparing only friends,

users of any platform or users who

share a relationship with the player

(usually people in proximity to the

player)

Profile: The user profile is the

“home” user. View the details of

his identity, his badge and more

information relevant to show in his

stats.

Social: Sharing and invite friends

in the same game environment.

Avatar: An avatar is a visual repre-

sentation of the player. The avatar

can be a simply picture (like Face-

book) or a more structured. Giving

a face to a player is a key factor in

engaging with others.

Visual Elements02


The reward system is the last element to close the Gamification process circle.

The aspected form of rewards are:

Points: Points are a reward for

players who purchase through ac-

tions and are allocated according

to the player’s achievement.

Rewarding a player with more

points for specific actions is a

method to influence the actions of

the user. The definition of points is

one of the first things to do in the

project preparation.

Levels: The levels represent a

method for players to show their

status and seniority in a commu-

nity. The players are motivated to

hear what action they need in the

game to earn points necessary to

advance the level and unlock new

benefits.

Badges: Badges are the motivation

for unlocking and completing cer-

tain actions. The easiness or the

difficulty to earn badges are not

relevant but become an attraction

to share with friends.

Virtual goods: The virtual goods

prizes are virtual or “accessories”

for the avatar. These items add

depth to the project and motivate

people to socialize and express

themselves. The virtual prizes in

the process of gamifcation can be

added late.

Coupons: The Coupons are a sort

of special prize for the player’s

achievement and emphasize the

connection between the user and

the brand.

Rewards03


See Also

Interactive Advertising Platform

by Mirco Pasqualini http://www.linkedin.com/in/mircopasqualini

InterActIve AdvertIsIng PlAtforMby Mirco Pasqualini november 2010

Interactive Advertising PlatformWriten by Mirco Pasqualini

gamification (2010)

Technology