gamification: future or fail?
DESCRIPTION
This deck is based on a paper we wrote for the SAMRA 2011 conference. It's a short introduction to some of the ideas underlying the concept of "gamification". It also details the results from a simple experiment we conducted to measure the effectiveness of gamifying an online community. We were restricted by a tight deadline and the existing capabilities of the online platform we partnered with, but the results are still pretty clear (although small base sizes makes it difficult to draw solid conclusions). To follow up these tantalising results, we are writing another paper for ESOMAR Congress that collects more numbers describing the effectivness of gamification. I had a lot of fun illustrating the deck. Hope you enjoy reading it.TRANSCRIPT
LEVEL 1What it’s not
LEVEL 1: What it’s not
Video games
LEVEL 2What it is
LEVEL 1: What is it?Definition
“The integration of the mechanics that make games fun and absorbing into non-game platforms and experiences in order to improve engagement and participation”~ The Authors
LEVEL 1: What is it?Example mechanics
Appointment dynamic
Achievement
Community collaboration
Cybernetics
LEVEL 1: What is it?Haven’t we seen this all before?
Behavioural economics
Control theory
Behavioural theories
Behaviour change
LEVEL 1: What is it?What’s in a name?
Game mechanics
Gaming
dyna
mics
Game theory
Serious games
Badgification
Game design
Pooh
LEVEL 1: What is it?Hijacking the brain, or, “How does it work?”
Experience systems
Short- and long-term goals
Rapid, frequent feedback
Other people
Rewards for effort
Uncertainty
LEVEL 1: What is it?“Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD)”
LEVEL 1: What is it?Types of rewards/incentives
Status
Access
Power
Stuff
LEVEL 1: What is it?Incentives and rewards make the world go round
LEVEL 1: What is it?Flow
LEVEL 1: What is it?User/gamer types
Achievers (10%)
Killers (1%)
Socializers (80%)
Explorers (9%)
BOSS BATTLE!Pitfalls
It’s difficult to engage everyone
Rewards are not equivalent to achievement
Limited participation bandwidth
Unintended consequences / Gaming the system
Undermining intrinsic values and…
…interfering with social norms
CONGRATULATIONS!!!You defeated the Pitfall Boss!
BONUS LEVELExamples
BONUS LEVELFarmville
BONUS LEVELFoursquare
BONUS LEVELKlout
LEVEL 3Experiment
LEVEL 3Experiment Overview
LEVEL 3Experiment Design
1. A virtual currency
2. Parallel goals
3. Badges
4. Progress bar
5. Appointment dynamic
Game mechanics included:
LEVEL 3Experiment
Control Experiment
Results: Discussion content
LEVEL 3Experiment Results: Number of
posts
Number of posts(average)
Ave. number posts
1.5
2.3
Control Experiment
LEVEL 3Experiment Results: User
participation
Control Experiment
83%
17%
Contributing Dormant
68%
32%
Contributing Dormant n=25 n=30
LEVEL 3Experiment Results: Community
interaction
Control Experiment
63%
37%
Answers Comments
97%
3%
Answers Comments n=37 n=68
MARKET RESEARCH CONSIDERATIONS
Interference with data integrity
Unsolicited responses
Surveys too complex for mobile execution
Gamification appears to work
…it’s something we’ve always done to some degree
Now we’ve just articulated it, giving us a powerful tool
CONCLUSIONS
Its more subtle that just making something look like a video game, and…
CONGRATS!!! You defeated the Final Boss
