Brian Burke, a Research Vice President at Gartner Inc., recently authored, Gamify: How Gamification Motivates People To Do Extraordinary Things.1 Presented in two parts, the book “introduces the concept of gamification” 2 and then “takes you step-by-step through designing and launching a gamified solution.”3

The books release stirred some controversy as a result of Gartner’s new definition of gamification:

“the use of game mechanics and experience design to digitally engage and motivate people to achieve their goals”4

It was the inclusion of the word “digitally” that raised some eyebrows. Gartner justifies its inclusion by arguing that gamification is about “players interact[ing] with computers, smartphones, wearable monitors or other digital devices, rather than engaging with a person.”5

 

It should be noted that Gartner’s definition does not apply to all implementations. There are many examples of gamified solutions that are low tech to “no tech, ” specifically in the training and development area.  Monica Cornetti, founder of EntrepreNow! speaks frequently on this subject.  Learn more about Monica and her approach as she shares her experiences with Gabe Zichermann in this Gamification Revolution Spreecast6 video.

 

Regardless of agreeing on a consistent, widely- accepted definition, gamification is about helping companies and employees reach their goals.  As gamification gains popularity, companies become eager to jump on the trend and think that it is easy to implement. They believe that they’ll reach the company’s goals by introducing points, badges, and leaderboards.  As a result, most gamification efforts fail.

 

In Part I, Mr. Burke addresses how gamification can be used to “change behaviors, develop skills, and drive innovation with customers, employees, and communities of interest.”7 He defines gamification and addresses how it can be used to engage and motivate people to reach their goals while meeting organizational objectives.

 

What do you need to know about gamification?

  • Gamification should focus on the goals of your players and engage them at an emotional level to help them achieve a meaningful goal.8
  • Gamification “can play an important role in implementing change by defining a clear transformation path with simple steps and encouragement along the way.” 9
  • Collaboration and competition can be used in gamification.  The collaborative approach is best for learning environments.10 Competition-based approaches are best for innovation solutions.11
  • “Disintermediation, social networking, and crowdsourcing are adjacent trends that enable gamification.” 12
  • Motivation can be both extrinsic and intrinsic.  Intrinsic rewards tend to sustain engagement.13

 

In the second part of the book, Mr. Burke offers a how-to approach to designing gamified solutions.

What is the Player Experience Design Process? 14

  1. Business Outcomes and Success Metrics – Targeted business outcomes should be realistic, achievable, explicitly stated, and should include success metrics.” 15 Focusing on this step will allow companies “to determine whether gamification is suitable for the business challenge at hand.”16
  2. Target Audience – Define your target audience to help “limit the number of different player types that need to be addressed with the solution, and therefore direct and guide the design decisions.”17 Developing player personas can be helpful when considering a particular groups goals and motivations.18
  3. Player Goals – What will the player achieve by participating?  Business outcomes and player goals should be analyzed for overlap.19 It is the overlap or shared goals that provides the most opportunity for “players to achieve their goals while at the same time achieving business goals.”20
  4. Engagement Model – The structure of the solution must be determined by considering each the following on a sliding scale: Cooperation/Competition, Intrinsic/Extrinsic, Multiplayer/Solitary, Campaign/Endless, and Emergent/Scripted.21
  5. Play Space and Journey – What environment are you providing for the players to engage with the game and with one another and what is the path they will take through the solution?22
  6. Game Economy – “There are four basic currencies that players accumulate in game economies – fun, things, social capital, and self-esteem.”23 “Self-esteem and social capital are the primary rewards of a gamified solution.”24
  7. Play and Test and Iterate – “Collect data on all player interactions with the solution. Once the solution has been released, this data will be invaluable in determining which engagement cycles are working, and which are not.”25

 

Why do gamified solutions fail?

“Gamification efforts fail for three primary reasons:

  1. The business outcomes haven’t been clearly defined.
  2. The gamified solution has been designed to achieve the organizational goals rather than the player goals.
  3. The solution engages people on a transactional level rather than an emotional level.”26

 

What are some common design pitfalls?

  • Jumping to the endgame – The solution must provide meaningful achievements. It’s not just about points, badges and leaderboards.27
  • Being inappropriately competitive – Consider the Engagement Model (step 4 above) for collaboration/competition and ensure it is appropriate given the expected business outcomes.28
  • Creating skill/challenge imbalances – Make it easy to begin playing the solution and focus on a sense of accomplishment as player progress.29
  • Mandating motivation – Players must be allowed to chose to use the system.30
  • Gaming the system – “Work to analyze the structure and rules of the solution to try to find the loopholes before players do.”31

 

How can gamification be managed for success?

  • “Gamification must be proposed, funded and managed just like any other change initiative.”32 Leaders will want to see examples of replicable successes from other companies.33
  • Gamified solutions require different skill sets and thus specialists should be considered depending on the approach taken (custom development, purpose-built solutions, or generalized gamification platforms) to develop the solution.34
  • As with any change, communication is key. The new gamified solution must be promoted in order to attract players.
  • “Once the project is initiated, [the gamified solution] must constantly align with the target business outcomes that are being addressed.”35

 

What’s next?

Gamification is not a new concept. It is the new applications of gamification that offer opportunities to engage and motivate people. Gamify offers readers an overview of gamification and a process to follow should a company want to consider creating a gamified solution.  If companies understand why gamification fails, recognize potential pitfalls, and embrace the management challenges that can result, the gamified solutions developed will have a better chance of achieving its goals while helping employees reach theirs.

 

 

1 Burke, Brian. Gamify: how gamification motivates people to do extraordinary things. Brookline, Ma: Bibliomotion, 2014. Print.
2 p. 11
3 p. 11
4 p. 6
5 p. 6
6 Zichermann, Gabe, and Monica Cornetti. “Gamification Revolution: Monica Cornetti.” Spreecast. Spreecast, 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 16 July 2014. <http://www.spreecast.com>.
7 Gamify, p. 11
8 p. 24
9 p. 58
10 p. 73
11 p. 85
12 p. 38
13 p. 23
14 p. 90
15 p. 98
16 p. 98
17 p. 100
18 p. 102
19 p. 106
20 p. 107
21 p. 110
22 p. 115
23 p. 118
24 p. 118
25 p. 125
26 p. 127
27 p. 130
28 p. 130
29 p. 131-132
30 p. 134
31 p. 135-136
32 p. 140
33 p. 140
34 p. 142-143
35 p. 148

 

P.S.  First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site.Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

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