Gamification: Will It Yield an Epic Win

GAMIFICATION
WILL IT YIELD AN EPIC WIN?
Dr Paul Coulton

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

GAMIFICATION ?

Use of game
mechanics to
encourage
engagement in an
activity that
otherwise might be
considered a chore
or boring

GAMIFICATION ?

Use of game
Encouraging certain
mechanics to
user behaviour
encourage
using Games as a
engagement in an
Lens
activity that
otherwise might be
considered a chore
or boring

GAMIFICATION ?

TWO TRIBES?
Game Designers Vs Game Based Marketers


GAMFICATION CONTINUUM

To play a game is to engage in
activity directed towards bringing
about a specific state of affairs, using
only means permitted by rules,
where the rules prohibit more
efficient in favour of less efficient
means, and where such rules are
accepted just because they make
possible such activity…playing a
game is the voluntary
attempt to overcome
unnecessary obstacles.”

WHAT ARE GAMES?

WHATS IS A
GAME
MECHANIC?
“Game mechanics are rule
based systems / simulations
that facilitate and encourage a
user to explore and learn the
properties of their possibility
space through the use of
feedback mechanisms”


HIGH SATISFACTION
PERFORMANCE
PAYOFFS

DELIGHTERS
Not required but when
added brings value

NEUTRAL

ZONE
FULLY
NOT (OR POORLY) IMPLEMENTED
IMPLEMENTED
BASIC NEEDS
Only noticed if missing

LOW SATISFACTION

KANO MODEL

Acting

Killers Acheivers Approximately
25% of players

Killers Acheivers

Players World

Socialisers Explorers


Interacting

PLAYER TYPES
From Richard Bartle’s Classiﬁcation of MUD Players (1996)


Acting

25% of players

main goals points
gathering and raising
Killers Acheivers
levels
Players World



Interacting

PLAYER TYPES


Acting

25% of players

main goals points
Killers Acheivers
levels
Players World

like to fully explore
game world and its
limits


Interacting

PLAYER TYPES


Acting

25% of players

main goals points
Killers Acheivers
levels
Players World

The game is Socialisers Explorers
essentially and
game world and its
backdrop to socilasing
limits
with other players


Interacting

PLAYER TYPES


Acting

25% of players

Like to impose main goals points
themselves on others gathering and raising
Killers Acheivers
levels
Players World

The game is Socialisers Explorers
essentially and
game world and its
backdrop to socilasing
limits
with other players


Interacting

PLAYER TYPES


PossibiltyNaches
Humour
Puriﬁcation
Mark LeBlanc Gifting
Surprise
Expression Schadenfreude
Discovery Masochism
Thrill
Sensation
Anticipation
Fellowship
Wonder
Nuturing
Challenge Fantasy
DestructionFiero
Narrative Jesse Schell

MISSING MOTIVATIONS

HARD FUN EASY FUN
Fiero Curiosity

N
O
M

I
AS

AT
THERE ARE

IN
TE

AG
RY

IM
Uncertainty
Obstacles
Nicole Lazzaro
ALL TYPES

ity
St

tiv
ra
te

a
re
gy

C
Detail

OF FUN!
Goals

Emotion<Choice<Mechanic>Choice>Emotion
Player Interaction Stimulation

NPC Interaction
e
iz

Pr
al

ac
on

Rhythm

tic
rs

e
Pe
S
IP
SH

VA
N

L
O

U
TI

ES
LA
RE

SERIOUS
PEOPLE FUN
FUN
Amusement Relaxation


Self
Reward Status Achievements Competition Altruism
Expression
EPIC
WIN WIN WIN
Points
WIN

EPIC
WIN WIN
Levels
WIN

EPIC
WIN WIN WIN
Challenges
WIN

Virtual WIN WIN
EPIC
WIN
WIN

Goods
Leader WIN WIN
EPIC
WIN

Boards
EPIC
WIN WIN WIN
Gifting
WIN

GAMIFIERS HANDBOOK

IS IT REALLY
NEW?

Amy Jo Kim

Onboarding
Newbies

GAMIFICATION LOOP

Outcome of Conditioning

Increase Reduce
Behaviour Behaviour

Positive Positive
Response Cost
Reinforcement
Stimulus (add stimulus)
(remove stimulus)

Negative Negative
Punishment
Reinforcement
Stimulus (remove stimulus)
(add stimulus)

OPERANT CONDITIONING

REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES

Fixed Interval
User gets points every
time they login


Variable Interval
Fixed Interval
time they login
10-15 games


Variable Ratio
Fixed Interval
Fixed Interval
User gets trophy after
winning 50 games
time they login
10-15 games


ContinuousIntervalRatio
Variable Fixed
Fixed Ratio
Fixed Interval
time they games
winning 50 games
time they login
10-15 check-in


Variable Ratio
ContinuousIntervalRatio
Variable Fixed
Fixed Ratio
Fixed Interval
On average every 3
games user gets some
time they games
winning 50 games
time they login
10-15 check-in
points


20

15
Time in Seconds

10

5

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Sections of Run

GOAL GRADIENT EFFECT
Even The Illusion Of Progress Is Motivating!


20
InfoBucks Virtual Coffe Shop

15
Time in Seconds

10

5 InfoBucks Virtual Coffe Shop

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Sections of Run

GOAL GRADIENT EFFECT
Even The Illusion Of Progress Is Motivating!


Ebbinghaus Illusion

SIZE MATTERS!

Heidegger

ENFRAMING & TIME CRUSH
Enframing in that they take a concept and formalise it with a
particular apparatus and excerpt time crush.

FLAVOURS OF
GAMIFICATION
Badgiﬁcation: the boy scout
reward


MINDING THE
GAPS
Completing the missing
elements of a set is strong
motivator for many people
and is the basis of what many
of these systems try to exploit


FLAVOURS OF
GAMIFICATION
Pointsiﬁcation: Accumulate
points for repeated activity.


BADGES AND
POINTS ARE
FEEDBACK
Most implementations of
badges and points reward
repetition not achievements


Challenge

ie ty
A nx

l ow
F
d om
e
B or
Abilities

Csikszentmihalyi

New Player Design
Mechanic Learns Grokked

PROGRESSIVE GROKKING
“Playing video games is fun because it provides experiences of
competence, self-efﬁcacy, mastery” - Ralph Koster


Long Term Short Term

Intrinsic Extrinsic

Autonomy

Mastery

Love
Fun

Meaning
Power

Group
Identity
> Points

Badges

Leader
Boards
Rewards

Levels

Punishments

MOTIVATIONS

r
ye
Pla
er
lay

gle
iP

Sin
lt
Mu

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

CO-OP VS DEATH MATCH

ME

o n
la ti n
Is o
ti o
r a
b e
L i i ty
C o fo rm
on
C
WE
DEKOVEN’S CO-LIBERATION

ALL GAMES
AREN’T FUN
“Asking me which Elf Bowling 1 or
2 is better is like me asking you if
you'd rather eat a spoonful of rat
turds or hamster turds” IGN
Review 2005


“Games are not fun
ALL GAMES because they‘re
games, but when
AREN’T FUN they are well-
“Asking me which Elf Bowling 1 or
2 is better is like me asking you if designed”- Sebastian
you'd rather eat a spoonful of rat
turds or hamster turds” IGN Deterding
Review 2005


WHERES THE FUN?

Fun is a
means not
the end

WHERES THE FUN?

WHATS MY
MOTIVATION?
“Game elements aren't the
monosodium glutamate of fun that
you can simply add to an activity to
make motivating and engaging” -
Will Wright


GLITCHES IN THE MATRIX
Games get gamed!


RECOMMENDATIONS
• Gamification does not necessarily mean you make a game
• Ask yourself what do I want to achieve? then decide is
gamification the answer.
• Is there a skill to be learned? If not Gamification wont help
• Try to ensure you provide intrinsic rather than extrinsic
rewards. Make sure the game is meaningful to the players.
• Make sure you understand your players before you create the
game. Make it appropriate for the audience.
• Don’t over emphasise operant conditioning your brand will
often stick if the game is fun enough.
• Discuss ideas with game designers as well as game based
marketers if you really want to make a game.
• Make sure you know what you’ll end up revealing.

GAME OVER
Congratulations you just unlocked
@mysticmobiles gamification badge


Gamification: Will It Yield an Epic Win

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Gamification: Will It Yield an Epic Win