Gamification: Let's Gamify your website !

Gamification: What It is, What It Can Do For Your Business, And How Best To Use It To Your Advantage

“Every startup CEO should understand Gamification because gaming is the new normal.”

 – Bing Gordon

What Is Gamification?

Gamification is the process of applying game elements to non-gaming situations with the aim of motivating and influencing certain behaviors in users. Armed with the spirit of competition and an insatiable thirst for victory, people can boost their levels of concentration and interest, and thus increase their productivity to exciting new heights. 

According to Yu-kai Chou, author of Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards, “Effective gamification is a combination of game design, game dynamics, behavioral economics, motivational psychology, UX/UI (User Experience and User Interface), neurobiology, technology platforms, as well as ROI-driving business implementations.”

A Brief History Of Gamification

No one really knows how far back in history the concept of Gamification emerged, but one good point of reference could be 19th-century Russian scientist and educator, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev. Mendeleev is perhaps best known for creating the first Periodic Table of Elements, but what many don’t know is that he might have been one of the first ever scientists to implement gamification into educational tasks.

Dmitri Mendeleev (1834–1907)

As a keen card player, at some point in his quest for understanding, Mendeleev started using cards as a way to categorize the elements of chemistry, by listing separate elements and other information on cards. In this way, the inventor gained priceless insights into the relationship between the elements. After he shared his findings with the world, scientists started discovering new elements to complete Mendeleev’s work and expand the table further. 

Although Mendeleev was not among the best students, he made history thanks to his use of gamification. And that is a perfect example of how much positive impact gamification can have on an average or even low-performing student.

In the last few years leading up to the 21st century, the power of gamification slowly but steadily made itself known to the world. An increasing number of people were starting to think of games as a revolutionary tool to increase productivity in the workplace. 

In 2002, British-born computer programmer Nick Pelling coined the term ‘Gamification’ while creating a user interface for commercial electronic devices with in-built game-like elements. This was the year Gamification took off with never-before-seen intensity.

Eight years later, American game designer Jane McGonigal took to the stage and delivered her historical TED Talk: Gaming Can Make a Better World, where she foretold of the gamified business world we inhabit today:

“When I look forward to the next decade, I know two things for sure: that we can make any future we can imagine, and we can play any games we want, so I say: Let the world-changing games begin.” 

The same year, in his Visions of Gamepocalypse speech, another American videogame designer by the name of Jesse Schell, predicted that gamification will play a major role in the future of… well, basically everything from smart toothbrushes to buses that give people points for good behavior. 

Lo and behold, we have now entered the 2020’s and the predictions of yesterday’s experts turned out to be surprisingly accurate.

Image source: TED

Why Gamification Is So Important In Today’s Increasingly Competitive Market And What It Can Do For Your Business

Games have the unique ability to motivate us to take bold steps into territories we otherwise wouldn’t step into – and nowadays it’s hard to miss out on the action – because it’s all around us. It can be seen and experienced through social media, dating apps, exercise programs, e-learning systems, iGaming, and much more. 

Gamification revolutionized the way companies and educators of various backgrounds approached their clients as it offered never-before-seen ways of boosting motivation, engagement, and customer loyalty.

What makes it all even more exciting is that thanks to Gamification, fun, and productivity no longer need to be categorized as separate experiences, because:

• It encourages learning. Aside from injecting fun and entertainment into what might otherwise be seen as mundane activities, the repetitive actions of a game also have a strong impact on learning because they increase retention. 

• It is multifunctional. Gamification can be implemented into pretty much everything, whether it be education, business, life coaching, apps, and more. 

• It boosts engagement exponentially. The addictiveness and joy that games give us are unmatched. And when gaming is seeded into work and learning, even the most stressful and boring tasks can turn into fun experiences. 

Image source: TED

The Basics Of Gamification Mechanics

Mechanics are the most crucial and visible part of Gamification and their importance cannot be stressed enough. You can think of mechanics as an army general’s war strategy. No battle can be won without an intelligent plan in place. In a similar fashion, the successful implementation of game mechanics is highly dependent on a smartly-designed gamification strategy built on a solid understanding of the player, the mission, and human motivation. 

In the following paragraphs, we’ll take a look at some of the most vital game mechanics that can be used to achieve high levels of engagement for your business or product: 

• Gameplay, Goals, and Rewards – Complete the task and earn a prize. The reward can come in the form of points, free play, badges, cash, discounts, vouchers, and more. This keeps the player motivated and eager to return for more. However, businesses also need to make sure that the gameplay is as exciting as the reward itself. 
• Community – Pairing players to solve problems and complete objectives as a team takes gaming to a whole different level of excitement and joy. 
• Status – Players gain experience and increase their level by completing objectives. Their score and status level are then shown on leaderboards. Competition inspires other players to play more and try harder to also reach the top of the leaderboards. 
• Education – Insightful hints, tips, tricks, and quizzes are shared with the players throughout their gaming journey

Once all the necessary Gamification mechanics are put in place, users will naturally reach higher levels of motivation, which will make them better at and more excited about the game, and more skilled at their job, while having a great time in the process. 

Image credit: Western Positive Psychology Association

Best Practices And Strategies For Successful Gamification 

High engagement means success for your business and your clients. But in order to attain stronger levels of engagement, it is crucial to understand what works and what doesn’t. Hence, to be efficient, your business needs to introduce a robust Gamification strategy and follow best practices. 

But what exactly is a Gamification strategy?

A Gamification strategy is the act of taking something that already exists – for example, a software app or an online community – and injecting gaming techniques to increase participation and long-lasting engagement. 

However, like with anything else in life, there are hazards, and going too far with your Gamification strategy could backfire on you and impact your business in a negative way. 

So let us take a look at what you should focus on when setting up a successful best practices gamification strategy:

1. Define Success

As human beings, we love being rewarded for successfully completing difficult tasks. Our brains light up at the thought of earning prizes, discounts, or vouchers for the same reason they do when anything new and exciting happens to us. And when our brains feel rewarded, we feel like we’re on top of the world – no matter the reason. 

If you promise your clients that they can win great rewards and freebies, you also need to be aware of how to go about achieving these things. 

The closer to their fingertips success feels, the sooner they will start associating your product with positive emotions and fulfillment. Knowing that the prize is within the players’ reach is one of the main pillars of constant engagement. You need to make sure players know what they should do to win, earn special badges and points, and move up the level ladder, or you risk losing their loyalty.

When you create your scoring formulas, make sure you don’t overcomplicate it for players. The rules should be simple to grasp and players need to know exactly what they should do to move forward in the game. 

The players’ hard work should be rewarded with satisfying game progression and prizes. 

Rules should be easy to grasp but the gameplay should be challenging. It’s also beneficial to have a tips and tricks section for them to be able to check out should they need some form of in-game assistance.

2. Incorporate Business

Business owners understand that training programs and activities play an integral role in the common good of the company, but they’re also crucially important when it comes to Gamification. 

The needs of your business need to be addressed accordingly, and Gamification should not just be used for its own sake. Careful implementation must be thought through to benefit your company to the highest degree.

3. Use Storytelling 

A gripping story will keep your clients and learners engaged and wanting to come back for more. Human beings need stories to feel alive and make sense of the world, and naturally, injecting a good story into a Gamified experience can have a hooking effect on the user. Make the stories you tell connect to the players, and inform them how completing a specific action will benefit the story. Keep it interactive to boost player engagement.

4. Stick To Simplicity

What is the most important difference between a story-driven puzzle game and a game of chess? 

Puzzles are easier to figure out and don’t overwhelm the player with rules. You can simply start the game, click here and there, and figure out how to play within seconds. A game like chess, on the other hand, demands the player’s undivided attention and brainpower, and most people wouldn’t want to invest so much of their energy when it comes to casual engagement. 

This also applies to businesses that use gamification. If there is an overabundance of rules, the element of fun can fade and the goals and rewards can start seeming unworthy of the effort. If the game is too difficult, the casual player will just leave it behind and opt for something simpler. 

In general, rules are transactional, behavioral, social, or locational, with some falling into more than one category – e.g. you buy a drink at the local coffee shop, you unlock a small prize. Simple and satisfying! Most of us can do this with ease, and many people make such things part of their daily routine. 

But if earning a reward means that you have to check into the app several times a day, buy five different pieces of content, and share every little achievement on social media, it just becomes a drag. Keep it simple and you’ll have a happy and loyal base of customers. 

Image credit: Gamification Europe

5. Make Sure All Players Feel Celebrated, Not Just The Best

Of course, this doesn’t mean that every child in the class should get an A, no matter their level of performance. However, you should be showing gratitude to every single person in your user base. 

If you have 400 out of 500 people fully engaged with your product, that’s a great win for you. Keep in mind that Gamification is a business success tool.

Sure, your best-performing users should be rewarded, but make sure the rest also get a little something to keep them happy along their journey. If not, their interest might start to fade. 

6. Use Exciting Reward Systems

When it comes to rewards that keep players hooked, leaderboards and badges are often put on a pedestal. 

Badges are elegantly designed, visually pleasing rewards that make a player feel proud of his or her accomplishments. They also display the stage of their development and, if the attainment of knowledge is the main goal, make learning more visible. Make sure to provide an area where users can pridefully display their badges to make the most out of Gamification’s social effectiveness. 

7. Do A Test Run

Before bringing your new creation out for the world to see, make sure you do a test spin with a small group of beta players. It’ll surprise you how many glitches they’ll find that somehow managed to slip through the cracks. Ask them to make a list of what works and what doesn’t, and make the necessary changes before scheduling your product for large-scale release. 

Summary

Gamification has taken the world by storm and is here to stay. The great thing about it is that you can always find something that works for your business needs and apply it. It is an extremely powerful tool when used the right way, whether it be in sports betting, online casinos, e-learning, or anything else.

The benefits are virtually limitless, and with a strong platform provider by your side, you can seamlessly create strategies that produce never-before-seen results.