Try This Tuesday- Gamification
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Gratification is the new rage, or will soon be. According to Gartner Group, by 2015, 70% of all the Global 2000will be actively using gamification in their business and 50% of their innovation process will be gamified.
Current Examples
Most of us have heard of or tried foursquare, the location based check-in service that makes a game out of checking in to different location. You collect badges and can become Mayor a location which might afford you special offers or awards. Some even classify Facebook and Twitter as a game where you’re collecting friends. Online collection games, search games an other types have been around as long as the internet. Other famous games include Farmville, which uses virtual currency as a motivator.
In addition to collecting badges you can get achievement awards, virtual or real currency and bragging rights to being at the top of a leader board.
Tapping Human Emotion
Games tap human emotion, reinforce desired activities and get people to do things they otherwise might find boring. Being the mayor of your Starbucks or at the top of a leader board gives a sense of accomplishment. This is nothing new. I found that if I timed my daughters 40 yard dashes and chart them, she becomes much more engaged in beating her previous times. Take this same effect and make it social and people will compete with each other for little other than bits on a screen.
Testing the Theory
Anyone wishing to try this without spending a bundle can go to Punchtab and use their gaming engine and see how it works. Let me know what you think. It’s really more of a social media play with a leaderboard but still pretty cool.
Give it a try and tell me if your company is planning to launch any games.
Related articles
- Gamification: Is everything a game? (econsultancy.com)
- With Playboy as proof, Bunchball says gamification works (venturebeat.com)
- By 2015, 50 percent of companies will embrace gamification, Gartner says (venturebeat.com)
- Event Rollup: Gamification At Altimeter Roundtable ” Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang | Social … (seome.me)
