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Gaming For Good

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Gamification as a term has been around for ages but I’m still often asked what it’s all about. Why would we want to turn our website into a computer game, what use is that? But gamification is more than just turning something into a game. It taps into the innate psychological predisposition to do something that is fun rather than boring. As an example approximately $70bn is saved annually in the USA each year, whilst $90bn is spent on gambling; it seems fun is more important than our future.

 

And gamification is getting used in more exciting ways. From Tuesday social gamers will be able take part in a Facebook game that will harness everyone’s collective brain-power to discover genetic variants that could help to counter ash dieback disease. If thousands of people play the game, which involves matching on-screen patterns that correlate with genetic data amassed by scientists in the field, the results could hasten the process of breeding trees resistant to the disease from 50 years or more to a decade or less.

 

Gamification can also be used for social good. We’ve seen lots of examples over the years from Tilt Pump to Play Pump but a new start up called AchieveMint is encouraging healthy living by giving you points for living healthily. The great thing about this app is that you don’t have to do anything new as it aggregates all the data from your Twitter, Facebook, Nike Fuel and Foursquare accounts to check that you’re doing healthy activities like eating right or visiting the beach. Being fit has never been so rewarding.

 

It’s also a great way of separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to employment. Hackermeter have developed an online resume game for web developers. No longer do employers have to sift through a waffling CV, now they can just simply supply them with a site that measures their proficiency to the task at hand. In this way, applying for a job is fun and easier for both parties. According to SAP gamification is the best way for employers to communicate with, engage, train, attract, and retain top talent and is one of their top 10 trends for 2014.

 

VW are a bit of a pioneer in this area with their fun theory website. But just last week they launched the SmileDrive app. This app connects to your cars Bluetooth (it works with any car with Bluetooth but instantly this makes VW feel modern) and away you go. As you drive you collect punch Dub points when you pass a beetle car or a Twinsie when you pass a car like yours. It has loads of other fun features and it’s completely free. Just another way gamification can make life that little bit more fun.

 

Morgan Spurlock and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are even making a short documentary on the topic of gamification (they actually need your help) as they feel it’s such an important aspect of today’s society.

 

Gamification is here to stay and not just a passing fad. It is a great way of not only improving engagement with customers but also improving the world at large. Though, like any initiative it has its pitfalls. You can’t just add a points system to your website and expect more people to use it. As always you need to have a clear objective, a benefit for the customer and empathy as to why people will keep coming back. But the virtues far out way the challenges: wouldn’t the world be just a little bit better if it was a little bit more fun!

 


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