Gamification and Engagement
Stacey Edmonds, Director Projects, Strategy & Transformation, Transport for NSW
Stacey Edmonds, Director Projects, Strategy & Transformation, Transport for NSW
In 2016 games generated $91 billion worldwide. In the US the average age of a player is 33 and earning $58K per annum. Almost half of all adult gamers are female.
They are also not content with simply playing games. 665M people around the world tune into sites like Twitch and YouTube to watch other people playing them. Like the old days when many of us stood watching our friends play Pac Man and Space Invaders at the arcade.
The surging popularity of gaming has not gone unnoticed by organizations and businesses who seek to harness the motivational, engaging and influencing power of games.
What has been interesting is not just the rise of games but also of Gamification; the application of game mechanics and dynamics to traditionally non-game activities and processes, creating more engagement in what might otherwise be perceived as routine and boring activities.
Game mechanics are the ‘rules’ of playing the game. One of my favorite rules is the ‘collect $200 as you pass GO’ in Monopoly – which has saved me from bankruptcy on many occasions. Other game mechanics include: points, levels, challenges and leaderboards. Game Dynamics are the emotions and behaviours that arise from interacting with the Game Mechanics. Game dynamics include: status, achievement, self-expression, competition and altruism. Understanding this cause and effect relationship increases the chance of designing a ‘gamified’ experience where behaviour and business objectives are fully aligned.
Why do we enjoy playing games? We are human and we are hardwired to play. We learn and build trust through play. I also refer to the work of psychologist and professor of psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of ‘Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience’ and game design guru Jane McGonigal, author of ‘Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World’.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains the state of flow as… “The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
To Gamify or not to Gamify, is no longer a question. It is inevitable and an essential addition to your strategic technology roadmap
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains the state of flow as… “The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
Jane McGonigal explains how entering this state of flow makes playing games so engaging and motivating.“In a good computer game you’re always playing on the very edge of your skill level, always on the brink of falling off. When you do fall off, you feel the urge to climb back on. That’s because there is virtually nothing as engaging as this state of working at the limits of your capability – or what psychologists call “flow.”
So, being human means we live and love to play. Our innate drive for achievement and status means that the application of gamification to everyday activities and processes has proven to build loyalty, enhance customer interaction (and the inclination to load up their shopping carts), improve health and wellbeing and increase employee engagement and capability.
Success Story: Nike
In 2006 Nike developed Nike+. A gamified app that tracked and stored running distance, speed, and time. You could compete with friends and other Nike+ users, strive to be at the top of the leader board and share your awards on social media.
The impact? “It created an incredible community where physical health is celebrated and encouraged. The application of game mechanics created a community based around running and friendly competition. The demand for Nike shoes skyrocketed, and the brand awareness led to a controlling share of the running shoe market”.
Now of course there is Nike+ Run Club, Nike+ Fuel and Nike+ Move. More reasons for you to voluntarily engage with the brand and willingly give huge insights to a company on how and when to sell their products to you.
The use of games and gamification in learning, education and training is well established. What excites me is that enterprise wide platforms are now available that can provide a personalised, adaptive and gamified learning environment to organizations and government entities of any size. Now, that is officially a game changer.
To Gamify or not to Gamify, is no longer a question. It is inevitable and an essential addition to your strategic technology roadmap.
“As organizations expand their deployment of gamification to include more strategic objectives, it will be increasingly important to have an effective technological foundation in place to support these efforts. CIOs will play a critical role in supporting the enterprise’s ambitions for the strategic reach of Gamification.”
Whether it’s a gamified wellbeing platform, learning environment, CRM system or customer-facing experience, it’s time, if you’re not already, to consider how you will enable your business to benefit from more playtime.
Game on.
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