Gabe Zichermann on Gamification, Fun & Metrics

There’s no denying it. Gamification is hot. We talked recently with Gabe Zichermann, entrepreneur and author of “Game-Based Marketing,” about how fun and gaming techniques are permeating every aspect of marketing, and what it means for measurement.

How do you define gamification?

Gamification is the process of using game-thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems. Many gamified systems are designed like updated loyalty programs.
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Can Games and Gamification Fix Washington?

Even without protests in Cairo and Tea Party insouciance, there’s no doubt that most governments eventually lose “sync” with their people. Much like the software process that keeps the contacts, music and photos on our phones up to date with our computers, syncing government with the governed is challenging from a systems perspective. With so many moving parts, money, competing interests and lives at stake, it’s no wonder that sometimes the only way to fix things is to do a complete wipe and reinstall.
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Four directions enterprise tech will take in 2011

Social, the cloud, gamification — it all sounds like consumer-enterprise convergence. It’s not, exactly, but these trends are a sign that enterprise has some catching up to do after a year of massive evolution in consumer gadgets.

Gamification of enterprise apps running on tablets? In 2011, you bet.

With only a day to go until the end of 2010, the lists predicting which technologies will dominate the headlines next year are rampant. Well, I’m throwing my hat into the ring as well, with a list of the top four enterprise tech trends to watch in 2011:
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Study Says Playing Videos Games Can Help You Do Your Job Better

Incorporating video games into work training can help people do their jobs better, according to a new study by the University of Colorado in Denver.

The study found that trainees who used video games had a nine percent higher retention rate, an 11 percent higher factual knowledge level and a 14 percent higher skill-based knowledge level, according to an announcement today by the game industry trade group, the  Entertainment Software Association.
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Play to win: The game-based economy

Companies are realizing that “gamification” — using the same mechanics that hook gamers — is an effective way to generate business.

Since the advent of videogames, skeptics have questioned their inherent value: why do players spend hours accruing virtual points working towards intangible rewards?

Chalk it up to basic human behavior, which game makers have been trying to understand and appeal to for decades. The more effective a game resonates with users, the better its sales. The developer’s goal is to design a structure and system of rules in which players will a) enjoy the process or journey, and b) create a sense of added value. As gamers and developers have found, a fun process coupled with a system for incentives or rewards for a job well done can become downright addictive.
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Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.

Reality is broken, says Jane McGonigal, and we need to make it work more like a game. Her work shows us how.
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