tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54196090953021408352024-03-13T20:52:41.220+01:00All the World is a GameThis blog is about Gamification : how to use game mechanics and game thinking to engage audiences and solve real life problems.Szigeti Csúcs, Norberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884705222217973212noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5419609095302140835.post-87657087420705713342012-03-31T11:20:00.117+02:002012-04-23T15:08:05.577+02:00The Fuel of your Gamified experience : what is the definition of Fun?<b>In order to create and fuel engagement, you need to figure out what is fun for your target group.</b><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: #d8e9fc; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px;">"</span><i style="background-color: #d8e9fc; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.</i><span style="background-color: #d8e9fc; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px;">"</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: #d8e9fc; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px;">Obi-wan Kenobi</span></blockquote><br />
In our previous blog posts we shed light on how <a href="http://alltheworldisagame.blogspot.com/2012/01/gamificaiton-new-trend-that-has.html" target="_blank">engagement</a> and the<a href="http://alltheworldisagame.blogspot.com/2012/02/force-behind-gamification-science-of.html" target="_blank"> flow experience</a> can be created by gamified systems and applications. But this does not necessarily answer the question : what is fun for the individuals interfacing the experience? How can we figure out what are their motivations and their definition of fun?<br />
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For one thing it's very tempting to look at it very narrowly, and say that what is fun for most is fun for all. It's even more tempting to think that what is fun for us is fun for everybody.<br />
However, if any of these hypotheses were true, why are there so many types of hobbies, pasttimes or games?<br />
So this begs the question : can 'fun' be categorised? Can the participants (or better call them 'players') who are taking part in a gamified experience put into groups, and can we identify what are the motivations of a given group to take part?<br />
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Luckily, we can bring on research associated with early multiplayer games (called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD" target="_blank">MUD</a>s (Multi User Dungeons), text based multi-user adventure and role playing games) to help us determine what can be fun, and how we can categorise participants.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bartle" target="_blank">Richard Bartle</a>, British writer, professor and game researcher (creator of the first MUD) used actual player feedback to try to determine what was fun for the early multiplayer gamers.<br />
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In his <a href="http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm" target="_blank">work</a>, he identified four types of players, based on what they found fun in the game.<br />
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It's important to say that each player enjoyed a combination of factors in the game, so all of them was a little bit of each type, with one or two being the most dominant.<br />
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According to his research players' types can be determined based on their relation to two factors : action vs interaction and players vs environment.<br />
Hence, the four player types are the following :<br />
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Socialiser : interacting, players<br />
Explorers : interacting, environment<br />
Achievers : acting, environment<br />
Killers : acting, players<br />
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The four types can probably best described by the following picture :<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmsxg1Oj-oaq3jlGhoBBhPJyX9z2qTWd9NXvcwJd5LiUziZ9L6VypPAJ-A__WYQGX8kt5jM5q69WuzAdRaM9qwFKVB_5vBqFI6eK8LytNyVC-zLlKBPJ8hA27Lg9JsaNeyGhMBT5bSHs/s1600/MUD_player_types_img-e1324043345909.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmsxg1Oj-oaq3jlGhoBBhPJyX9z2qTWd9NXvcwJd5LiUziZ9L6VypPAJ-A__WYQGX8kt5jM5q69WuzAdRaM9qwFKVB_5vBqFI6eK8LytNyVC-zLlKBPJ8hA27Lg9JsaNeyGhMBT5bSHs/s320/MUD_player_types_img-e1324043345909.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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What each type of player enjoys is different :<br />
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<ul><li>Socialisers enjoy meeting new people and talking to them, for them the environment (the game) is just a backdrop to meet and engage with interesting people</li>
<li>Explorers like discovering as many things as possible about the game, turning every stone, exploring every nook and crany, and being proud that they know the most about the game</li>
<li>Achievers must always collect all the points, achievements that is possible in the game, and be the best in the most quantifiable categories</li>
<li>Killers have to beat other players to have enjoyment and satisfaction, and be able to brag about their accomplishments</li>
</ul><div><br />
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Based on the four types, we can make distinctions what is fun for our target group, and how we should build up our gamified experience.<br />
We must taylor our gamification mechanics, based on the preferences of the target group, with the following examples of mechanics helping us to determine what we should use :<br />
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<ul><li>Socialisers : Like, Comment, Give, Gift, Share, Greet</li>
<ul><li>Tools to engage : Newsfeeds (status updates), Friends Lists, Chat, Being able to give 'gifts'</li>
</ul><li>Explorers : View, Explore, Rate, Review, Curate, Vote</li>
<ul><li>Tools to engage : hidden pages, secret levels, exclusive content, undisclosed achievements</li>
</ul><li>Achievers : Win, Challenge, Create, Showoff, Compare</li>
<ul><li>Tools to engage : points, leaderboards, challenges</li>
</ul><li>Killers : Hack, Harass, Cheat, Heckle</li>
<ul><li>Tools to engage : leaderboards, ranks, head-to-head competitions</li>
</ul></ul><div><br />
</div><div>So what do you think, what are the major motivations in your target group?</div><div>How are you going to use any of the tools presented to engage people more?</div><div>Have you got any positive or negative experience, when the motivation was well placed or quite the opposite, it was totally misplaced?<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>About the author</b> : Norbert Szigeti Csúcs is an online marketing, CRM and gamification expert with more than a decade experience working with global companies to create value. His latest endeavour is in the realm of gamification, as he does a lot of research at Aquilone Training and works with companies on the practical side of gamification to benefit their customers and employees.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>About Aquilone Training</b> : <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Business efficiency development by training, coaching and organizational development, working through corporate organizational maturity modelling.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Professional, rational, ethical.</span></div></div>Szigeti Csúcs, Norberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884705222217973212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5419609095302140835.post-42278707129047742622012-02-01T10:00:00.003+01:002012-02-01T10:57:09.970+01:00The Force behind Gamification : The Science of Flow<b style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Gamification may well be the latest trend in human motivation, but it builds on many decades of psychological research and proven results.</b> <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px;">"</span><i style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Force is ... an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us."</i> </span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #3a3a3a; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Obi-wan Kenobi</i></blockquote><br />
So in my <a href="http://alltheworldisagame.blogspot.com/2012/01/gamificaiton-new-trend-that-has.html" target="_blank">last post</a> I described <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification" target="_blank">gamification</a> as a way to use game mechanics and game thinking to motivate audiences and solve problems.<br />
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What are the scientific and psychological research results that support gamification?<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi.jpg/209px-Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi.jpg/209px-Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi.jpg" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi" target="_blank">Mihály Csíkszentmihályi</a>, former head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago, studied happiness and personal fulfilment and came up with the notion of <i>flow</i>, which is a state when we are completely absorbed by what we are doing, be it arts, reading or playing a game, without complete disregard to the outside world, or our basic necessities like eating or sleeping.<br />
Mihály Csikszentmihályi is a Hungarian national who was born in Fiume, Italy in 1934, who moved with his family to Venice, when he was just 10 years old, fleeing from the horrors of war. He faced the inevitable effects of the war on people, but he was also intrigued by the fact, that some people seemed just as happy during the hard times, as before, and that made him curious about human happiness. At the age of 22, he moved to the United States and started studying psychology. He found it very interesting, that some people, could enter a kind of trance, a state of complete involvement and absorption of the self in the given activity. He interviewed many people, for example painters, and created the notion of <i>flow</i>, when we are completely involved and absorbed in the activity we are doing, and feel happy without being rewarded for it. <i>Flow </i>is also a state, where we enter due to our intrinsic motivation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In order to achieve the state of <i>flow, </i>there must be a balance between the challenge of the activity and the skill of the person performing the activity. Otherwise if the challenge is too high compared to the skill (or the skill is too low for the challenge), the person becomes anxious, and if the challenge is too low (or the skill is too high for the challenge) boredom sets in.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRQPHhJWmBGgjOStAccMYcYA-2gLGX-_EBdODWH3ROOJvFPyyfKWQ&t=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRQPHhJWmBGgjOStAccMYcYA-2gLGX-_EBdODWH3ROOJvFPyyfKWQ&t=1" /></a></div><br />
Therefore this area is, where games and game design do very well. It builds on intrinsic motivation, and provides just enough challenge to be beatable at the particular skill level, in this way keeping the player "in the flow".<br />
If we translate <i>flow </i>to the work environment, Csikszentmihalyi comes up with the following conditions needed to achieve <i>flow </i>:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. goals are clear</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. feedback is immediate</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. a balance between opportunity and capacity</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. concentration deepens</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. the present is what matters</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. control is no problem</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. the sense of time is altered</span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. the loss of ego</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><div style="font-size: 13px;">Some points sound familiar from game mechanics?<br />
Not coincidentally.</div><div style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><b>Gamification may well be the latest trend in human motivation, but it builds on many decades of psychological research and proven results.</b></div><br />
So how are we translating these results into everyday applications?<br />
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In any gamified system, the following principles have to be kept in mind :<br />
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1. Intrinsic motivation is important : a good gamified system must build on the intrinsic motivation of the player (customer, employee, user etc.), so through gamification, the designed solution has to be able to help motivating with going through the personal journey, what the player wants to take. If we take the goal of losing weight as an example, the 'player' must have an intrinsic motivation to lose weight and the system must build on, strengthen and nurture this motivation via taking the player through the journey.<br />
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2. The challenge has to equal the skill, special care to be taken at the beginning : It's very important to give a sense of accomplishment all through the process, but especially at the beginning, when our player is new to the process and needs a lot of encouragement and support to take the first few steps, so that he or she can see that it really works as they expected. It's a good idea to put him or her in a sort of 'safe zone' or tutorial level, if you will, where it is very easy to succeed and at the same time, there is very little chance of failure or doing the wrong thing.<br />
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3. Give feedback, and a lot : always keep your 'players' in the loop about what they are doing right, what they have accomplished and what their next goals are and how to reach those goals. If you think you've given enough feedback, give some more. Positive reinforcement is key to the success of a gamified system.<br />
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4. Challenge low and high : As you go along, add additional challenges as well as abilities, in order to keep them engaged and keep them challenged and rewarded for the positive actions. It's a very good idea to start with a minimum number of tasks and challenges, and add more in number and more challenging ones, not just in magnitude but in variety to the mix. You can at the same time combine earlier smaller challenges into series of challenges in later phases (levels), so that you can combine the familiar with the new challenging tasks. Not all people are equal, some like more challenge, some like less, so provide for all type by adding challenges, but only in a ramped up manner, never give more than just what they can accomplish based on their current skills.<br />
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5. Add a social layer : Many individuals appreciate to be able to share their progress and be able to compare themselves to others, or even challenge or help them in the goals. Therefore, add a social aspect to the system, that will motivate them to come back and be motivated to achieve in the context of the achievements of their peers. It not only motivates but also reinsures them in what they are doing.<br />
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<i>Obi-wan, I understand all this, but I was thinking that games are just an easy way of satisfying oneself, isn't it the case then?</i><br />
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I would like to take a moment to dispel one of the misconceptions about gamification. It's often said, as criticism, that games or gamified systems are just cheap and easy ways of satisfaction, and they are just feeding the individuals with easy things to do and reward them for it. Now, if a game or gamified system is like that it's a bad representation of it. Since, by human nature, if something is too easy, we will get bored with it, and will not pursue the activity any further. As humans we <i>do </i>like to be challenged (might be amazing really for some), but at the same time we would also like to be rewarded for it.<br />
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In our next post we will look at what each player is motivated by.<br />
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What do you think it is each person motivated by regarding the player journey?<br />
Are the end results important or the way to get there?<br />
Are we the same or are we different in this respect?<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>About the author</b> : Norbert Szigeti Csúcs is an online marketing, CRM and gamification expert with more than a decade experience working with global companies to create value. His latest endeavour is in the realm of gamification, as he does a lot of research at Aquilone Training and works with companies on the practical side of gamification to benefit their customers and employees.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>About Aquilone Training</b> : <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Business efficiency development by training, coaching and organizational development, working through corporate organizational maturity modelling.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Professional, rational, ethical.</span></div><br />
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</div>Szigeti Csúcs, Norberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884705222217973212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5419609095302140835.post-3769388148746800372012-01-16T11:16:00.006+01:002012-01-31T17:06:46.418+01:00Gamification The new trend that has the potential to change how we motivate ourselves<div class="PadderBetweenControlandBody"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>All the world’s a game. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="PadderBetweenControlandBody"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>(And all the men and women merely players.)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="PadderBetweenControlandBody"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>'Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my last hope.'</i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Why a Star Wars quote?<br />
This is what has come to my mind when I started writing my blog about gamification. What is gamification? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification" target="_blank">Gamification</a> is a recent trend which uses video games design methods and techniques to engage and motivate audiencies in areas such as marketing, education, workplace or health.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>(Then how is it connected to Star Wars again?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Well, just before last Christmas the latest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mmorpg" target="_blank">MMORPG</a> came out titled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Old_Republic" target="_blank">Star Wars : The Old Republic</a>.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>I found myself having played close to a hundred hours of this game in 3 weeks. According to my regular playing habits, it’s very much, though I have met people who played 200 hours or more (you do the maths, how much that is in a day). So I got really curious : what is this phenomenon that keeps people in the loop so much and for such a long time? What motivates them? So I started a journey into gamification, and I invite you to come with me.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>And how is Obi-Wan Kenobi going to help us?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Like a sage, he guides us through the secrets of the 'Force', and help us understand the powers and techniques of the motivation behind gamification and how it could help improve many areas of life.)</i><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>'Learn about the Force, Luke!'</i></blockquote><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What is gamification?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">According to Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification" target="_blank">gamification</a> is the use of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_design" title="Game design"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">game design</span></a> techniques and mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Gamification is a very new discipline, which is inspired by videogames design. If you have ever played a Facebook game, like Farmville, or any kind of online game, it is apparent that these games can wonderfully engage players, and can motivate to play more. But what are these motivational powers thatm motivate players to play on? As it’s the game designers best interest to keep the players playing, games are designed with techniques and methods, that enables them to keep their players.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What are the drivers behind gamification?*</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><br />
<ol><li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Autonomy : players voluntarily play games, at their own pace, at their style of play</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Progress to Mastery : games provide a unique way of learning to succeed</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Purpose : an epic goal, to be a part of something larger than yourself</span></li>
</ol></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*Based on David Pink’s book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594488843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272135900&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Drive</a> :<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What principles are used to cater for the above needs?*</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Clear goals and rules of play (Autonomy, Progress to Mastery)</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">A compelling narrative (Purpose)</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Accelerated feedback cycles (Autonomy, Progress to Mastery)</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Group tasks that are challenging, but achievable (Purpose, Progress to Mastery)</span></li>
</ul></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">*Based on <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/avantgame/the-power-of-resilience-and-how-to-get-it-through-gameplay)" target="_blank">Jane McGonigal's presenation</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What are the basic human desires in play that gamification caters for?*</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><br />
<ul><li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Reward : the basic human need for being rewarded for our positive actions</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Status : to be able to show what we have achieved</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Achievement : to be able to be successful what we do</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Self expression : to be able to express ourselves, and be accepted as we are</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Competition : to be able to play and compete with friends and family or just others</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Altruism : to be able to give and share with others what we have</span></li>
</ul></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*<a href="http://www.bunchball.com/gamification101" target="_blank">(Gamification 101 whitepaper by Bunchball)</a> (can only be downloaded after registration)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What are the techniques and mechanics of game design used to serve the above desires?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Points : to reward desired behavior</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Levels : to acknowledge and celebrate success and progress</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Challenges (aka Trophies, Badges, Achievements) : missions to accomplish and rewards for doing so</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Virtual Goods : the means to spend your well earned points for creative expression or just to show off your status</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Leaderboards : for competing with others for the fame, designed for driving desired actions further</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Competitions : for competing with other players head on, giving a social edge</span></li>
</ul></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Wait, wait, wait Obi-wan. OK, I understand all this, but aren’t games for children? Isn’t playing games childish?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Well, partly true, but let’s examine why is that we think about it that way. Because children still have the time to play games, and their ’work’ to learn about anything is playing games. Adults have to invest much more time into everyday activities like work, chores and errands. However let me point out that according to research the average <a href="http://enterprise-gamification.com/index.php/en/facts" target="_blank">gamer (in the US) is 37 years old</a>, with <a href="http://biobreak.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/the-average-age-of-gamers/" target="_blank">average age growing</a> and <a href="http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_Essential_Facts_2010.PDF" target="_blank">more gamers above 50 (26%) than below 18 (25%)</a>!</i><br />
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</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What are the areas that can benefit from gamification?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<ul><li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Marketing : to better engage with customers through game mechanics and techniques in an enjoyable and fun way</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Health : to celebrate and reward healthy living and working out and give an emotional boost</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Education : why isn’t education and learning made of fun and fame, instead of guilt and shame?</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Enterprises : we could really improve the workplace with the use of gamelike elements for better productivity and for a better workplace athmosphere</span></li>
<li><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Anything really : the list could go on, only imagination is the limit, and time will tell what else is worth gamifying</span></li>
</ul></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In true gamification fashion, I rally you to come with me on the epic quest of exploring gamification.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Achievement unlocked : Gamified.<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the next post, you will find out the science behind the Force of Gamification.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What do you think? </div><div class="MsoNormal">How do you think we could harness the power of motivation behind game mechanics in real life? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>About the author</b> : Norbert Szigeti Csúcs is an online marketing, CRM and gamification expert with more than a decade experience working with global companies to create value. His latest endeavour is in the realm of gamification, as he does a lot of research at Aquilone Training and works with companies on the practical side of gamification to benefit their customers and employees.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>About Aquilone Training</b> : <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Business efficiency development by training, coaching and organizational development, working through corporate organizational maturity modelling.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Professional, rational, ethical.</span></div>Szigeti Csúcs, Norberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07884705222217973212noreply@blogger.com0