Much has been written in the last few years about gaming and the users that play, and how much we might learn about experience, usability, and strategy from perhaps the least obvious source. Game on!
In a recent Mashable article titled, “7 Winning Examples of Game Mechanics in Action,” Gabe Zicherman suggests that “seven gamified innovations should inspire you to strategize via game analysis.” Here, some quick cheats point you to the starting gate. Read the entire post and see if there’s something to putting some play into your work.
1. Make a Market: Foursquare
Foursquare’s founders, exposed to gaming while working at Area/Code (Zynga’s recently acquired New York City-based game design shop), believed mobile social networking would work as a “single player” experience. Competing for badges and mayorships — whether or not anyone is there — proves that location-based networking and simple game mechanics can affect the behavior of users.
2. Get Fit: NextJump
NextJump built a custom application that enabled employees to check in to each on-site workout and rewarded top performers prizes. After double-digit adoption by staff, NextJump’s CEO retooled the fitness “game” to become a team sport. Leveraging the game themes of tribalism and competition, 70% of employees now exercise regularly, and have improved workplace and staff health and attitude.
3. Slow Down and Smell the Money: Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson, game designer at MTV, re-imagined traffic cameras and tickets using game thinking. The Speed Camera Lottery idea rewards drivers who obey the posted limit with a split of the fines colllected from speeders. Richardson used gamification concepts to turn a negative reinforcement system into a positive, incremental experience.
4. Generate Ad Revenues: Psych and NBC/Universal
Club Psych, the online branded and gamified platform for the popular show Psych, has incorporated game-like incentives to raise page views and return visits. Registered user counts are at nearly 3 million since the launch of the gamified version and NBC/Universal has incorporated gamification to online platforms for Top Chef and the The Real Housewives.
5. Make Research and Evangelism Count: Crowdtap
Crowdtap offers virtual and gamified rewards to complete research tasks and to share brand advocacy with others — something mere market research simply cannot do. CEO Brandon Evans reports that competition-oriented users are four times more likely to create quality comments and 12 times more likely to refer others to the platform. Instead of competing against the system, they challenge themselves and peers to excel — an extraordinary achievement by any measure.
6. Save the Planet: RecycleBank
Across the U.S., incentives experts at Recyclebank are using gamification to improve home environmental compliance. They’ve used game mechanics such as points, challenges, and rewards to drive double-digit increases in energy conservation, sustainability and recycling.
7. Make Teaching Fun: Ananth Pai
Executive-turned-school-teacher Ananth Pai grouped students by learning style and retooled the curriculum to make use of off-the-shelf games (both edutainment and entertainment) to teach reading, math, and other subjects. Points are up on leaderboards. Reading and math levels improved and students call learning “fun and social.”