The term “Gamification” has been thrown around on tech blogs, websites and tech media enough times to give you a hint of how trendy it is. “The reason why gamification is so hot is that most people’s jobs are really freaking boring,” said Gabe Zichermann, organizer of the “Gamification Summit” conference held last month in New York. Games have been traditionally thought to be a big waste of time but there is no denying the engaging power they hold over the players. Social media and mobile have taken the gaming element to the next level and that is why we have the buzzword gamification. It was only a matter of time before someone spotted an opportunity and now we have a slew of startups in the “gamification” space. These companies are employing technology, behavioral science and innovative ideas to incentivize certain behaviors or make mundane tasks more fun. Aside from the corporate environment, sky is the limit to possibilities of gamification. It looks like a lot of areas could use some fun. I am sure we will soon see the gamification idea being employed in areas like education and political campaigns (if it has not been used already). The variety of applications that now are being offered is growing every day.
Gamification of business
Marketers have always relied on adding a gaming element to attract customers .But recently, businesses have started using games in a variety of ways. JC Penney uses it for their loyalty programs, Cisco and Canon have training programs that take out the ‘boring’ out of training sessions. Take the example of Cold Stone Creamery. More than 30% of Cold Stone employees have voluntarily downloaded a training game from their corporate website. In a cartoon-like simulation, players scoop cones against the clock and try to avoid serving too much ice cream.
Letting employees have fun is not the only reason companies resort to gaming. They end up saving a lot of money over time by eliminating the need for real human trainers. Plunking an employee in front of the computer is so much cheaper than managing the logistics for a real training program.
Here is a roundup of a few new entrants and trends to give you an idea of the latest in gamification. Pick one that suits your lifestyle.
There is a game for that!
Life Improvement: Of all the gamification ideas, this one takes the cake in my opinion. If you have been planning on re-inventing the way you live your life but you don’t want to go down the path of self-help books, consider playing a game like Mindbloom. The goal is to grow a life tree that is green and healthy. This is done by achieving personal goals that you set for yourself at the outset. Choose from a list of 500 activities to improve your life like “smiling at a stranger”, “taking the stairs to the office”, “thanking a friend” and many more. The rewards are “seeds” and “badges “that can be spent on expanding image galleries or getting “life area action packs”
Fitness: We are not exactly new to fitness gaming or exergaming. Already, as far back as June 2009, health games were generating revenues of $2 billion, largely due to Wii Fit’s 18.22 million sales at the time. The new thing is throwing in social media and mobile in the mix. When you have an app like Fleetly, the support, accountability and encouragement will be priceless. Not only it makes it convenient, losing weight might be much easier when you have partners following the routine with you. You can track your fitness levels, document your activities and goals and do it all in a social environment. Needless to say, when it is a game, it is fun.
Social:Now, games are still played just for the fun of it. It is estimated that social gaming market will grow to $8.6 billion by 2014, with $5.6 billion of that total generated by non-Facebook social sites outside the U.S. The only difference being social game players don’t fit the profile of hardcore video-game players. They are not engaged with the game for several hours a day. And the social element is a big part of why they play the game. So if you are Farmville, Words with friends, Mafia wars player, be rest assured that the number of players joining in is only going to grow.
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