What is Gamification?
- annemiekefrank
- Mar 22, 2016
- 2 min read
Finding a definition for Gamification is tricky and basically it is made up of 3 components: Use of Game Elements and Game Design Techniques in Non-Game Context.
(1) Game Elements – Can be identified as a type of toolbox, using a familiar „game-like“ structure and adopting conceptual patterns. Elements can consist of points, resources, levels, quests, avatars, social graphs, etc.
(2) Game Design Techniques – The idea is to systematically and artistically design products for the purpose of being fun. Using the power of design to make users think about a problem in a certain way. You could also classify this as a “way of thinking”.
(3) Non-Game Context – The objective of gamified systems are not necessarily about the success of a game, but rather about playing to learn and finding the rational outside of game.
There are many reasons WHY Gamification can be such a useful technique in marketing/education/business models:
(1) It is an emerging business practice and more and more businesses are adopting gamification
(2) Games are very powerful and engaging, sucking users into games easily.
(3) Games and Gamification has a lot to do with psychology and use techniques of motivation.
(4) We have a strong emerging social and technology market growing by the minute, creating a perfect atmosphere for gamified systems.
Wonderful thing to keep in mind: Creating a successful game or gamified system is a lot more difficult then one thinks and it simply slapping a few game elements on top of a business model won’t work.
There are many fields where using gamification can be a successful tool, such as:
(1) Externally for marketing, sales and customer engagement purposes, motivating and engaging customers to interact with a product/service, leading to a purchase or brand loyalty for example.
(2) Internally for HR or crowd-sourcing purposes, more and more companies adopt gamified systems to motivate employer participation. Or doctors crowd source a question, looking for a solution to a complex question within the online community.
(3) Envoking a behavioral change by using strong motivational mechanisms, a great tool for health and sustainability fields.
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