I recently got interested in the topic of using game mechanics in consumer software products and stumbled upon an old, but still useful talk by Gabe Zichermann on gamification. Today gamification is not a trendy word as it used to be and it got somewhat spoiled by many basic and not well-thought-out implementations of achievements and leaderboards. However, the underlying principles are based on modern game design with the goal of making software more fun and the users more motivated. That task is as relevant as ever. I encourage you to find time and watch the whole talk. Below are my notes:
- Gamification is the process of using the game thinking and mechanics to engage audiences and solve problems.
- If Shakespeare lived in the modern world he could say “All the world is a game”.
- There are games about being a traffic controller, a farmer. Fun and theme are not related. Theme is a lure to bring people in. If a job of a traffic controller can be fun then anything could be.
- Carmen vs. Sandiego released in the 80-s is still the last successful educational game. Why? Because parents and teachers became involved in designing games and kids smell that shit instantly. In parallel Civilzation and Sim City almost invisibly taught people basic history lessons.
- One could say that gamification is non-fiction gaming.
- Quick loyalty programs history:
- 1800s: tangible goods (buy 10 items get 1 free)
- 1930s: cash incentives (collect tickets when buying goods. almost like a virtual currency, hard to do the math for a consumer) -> collect X and then redeem them.
- 1980s: loyalty systems (it’s about status more than about free stuff)
- 2000s: virtual rewards (no real money as a reward, only a status).
- There is no money out from Farmville or Foursquare.
- Loyalty choices are now public. Because word of mouth is more predictable (Zynga knows how) than in the old days.
- Gamification loop: challenges -> win conditions -> leaderboards -> badges -> social networking -> status. A point system at the heart.
- Users naturally gravitate to the most rewarding experience. By definition games have an advantage. They are designed to be rewarding.
- Main player types: achiever, explorer, killer and socializer.
- socializer: lightweight, non-confrontation, easy interactions. This is the most common one - around 80% of players.
- achiever: beat the game, i want to win.
- explorer: find all the secrets and signal it to the crowd.
- killer: i win, you loose. beat the opponent and signal it to the crowd.
- Fun is the new powermetric. Because, as we’ve said earlier, -> users naturally gravitate to the most rewarding experience.
- Leaderboard in an arcade: top 20 scores. A user sees huge scores and doesn’t believe he can reach them.
- Modern leaderboard: no matter where a user really is in the leaderboard we show them in the middle, two friends below, two friends on top and a message what to do to move up. Exception: when a user is literally in top 20.
- Onboarding - is level 1. Player is put right away in a game, in a very controlled path with fast gratification, only after completing he is asked to register. Very different from the web landing sign up flow which usually starts with the registration step.
- Every single touch point is an opportunity to convert a user.
If you interested in more of a motivational kind of talk on how video games can change the world for the better I recommend a TED Talk by Jane McGonigal.