Slashdot Mirror
American Business Embraces 'Gamification'
Hugh Pickens writes "JP Mangalindan writes that for years psychologists have studied what makes video games so engrossing — why do players spend hours accruing virtual points working towards intangible rewards and what characteristics make some games more addictive than others? Now, companies are realizing that 'gamification' — using the same mechanics that hook gamers — is an effective way to generate business. For example, when Nike released Nike + in 2008, it 'gamified' exercise. 'Place the pedometer in a pair of (Nike) sneaks and it monitors distance, pace and calories burned, transmitting that data to the user's iPod. The Nike software loaded on the iPod will then "reward" users if they reach a milestone,' writes Mangalindan. 'If a runner beats his 5-mile distance record, an audio clip from Tour de France cycling champ Lance Armstrong congratulates him.' In addition, users can upload their information, discuss achievements online with other users, and challenge them to distance or speed competitions. The result: to date, Nike has moved well over 1.3 million Nike + units."
Am I only the one who doesn't need a pat on the back every 5 minutes in order to enjoy something or derive satisfaction from it?
"Congratulations! You survived a bird looking at you! Achievement unlocked, 10 points!"
People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
then they can run around stealing gold instead of whatever it is they do now to fleece the public
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Sounds like something out of /b/
I don't want to know what Pedobear uses it for.
What's legs got to do with?
---Technology will liberate us if it doesn't enslave us first.
My best guess as to 'why it works' is that it makes people feel good about themselves. If people can't feel good about themselves in the real world why wouldn't they escape to some other world where they can feel good? MMOs provide this for some people. Why can't other things give people this sensation regardless of how mundane they are?
Say what you want about (ab)using this for commercial gain, but at least Nike has found a way where this can have a positive benefit on someone's real world existence. If this helps someone who needs more exercise to actually get out and exercise, I can't really say it's a bad thing. We've discovered something that can motivate people. Whether we use it for good or bad is entirely up to us.
I personally do not need that. My tennis shoes do communicate with me, through a stench interface. When they smell like something that would knock out a hard-boiled coroner, I know that they want to be placed out in the sun.
Actually, the whole thing reminds me of ELIZA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA , a program written to mimic a psychotherapist. It just really picked up some keywords that the user typed in, and formulated something to spit back at the user. However, some folks started thinking that the program was a real psychotherapist, which frightened the author, Joseph Weizenbaum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Weizenbaum
So will folks start developing personal relationships with their 'Gamification' gadgets? I think I will try to avoid Nike wearers from now on.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Probably better for the employee because US Dollars are so worthless these days anyways.
Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
Don't pretend you're immune to the allure of accumulating shiny points.
Building the game layer on top of the world: Seth Priebatsch on TED.com
What you need to sell is to create an emotional connection between the product and the consumer. Games and rewards are one way to do that. Exploration and discovery also engage people, as do video content (ie traditional commercials), contests, surveys, build your own tools, etc. Each of these methods is a way to get the user to self identify with the product or the community it is perceived to be used by. Once someone has said to themselves, this product is something I value - even if the value was created through an arbitrary game or other tool, all that is left is the price ( which often isn't an issue sue to credit.
A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
It's all about the incentives. If you want someone to work their ass off, give them the right incentive. It's much more effective than fear of punishment in producing effort. And just about everyone responds to some kind of incentive, hopeless slackers aside. You just have to find out what it is.
In group behavior: 'because they're evil/morons/sheep/crazy' is not 'insightful' it's 'oversimplified'
A few years ago, Microsoft Research Labs created a "game" add-on for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that turned training and using the software features into a bit of a game.
Basically, in challenge mode it gave you some task to perform with an example (such as "Turn on columns and add a vertical line"). When you got it right, you got points.
And in regular mode, the more features of the app you used, the more extra points you got.
A few other twists let you get points for repeating tasks a few times, doing them quickly, using shortcut keys, etc.
And to wrap up it all up, you could post your scores to Facebook automatically and "compete" with your friends.
Everyone I've shown it to really likes it, and it's totally unobtrusive during your normal work unless you're in Challenge Mode.
-David
i thought they'd were gamifying for their employees. earn achievements to boost your salary, that kind of thing. they should do that.
Who'd have thought that taking a leisure product and making it into a game would take off?! What will they think of next? Special shoes for recreational activities like basketball and running? I'm truly in awe of Nike's prowess!
This 'gamification' is shiny and new like monetization, as if the concept of making money only occurred to some tween in the mid noughties.
"Your honour, my milk stool is complete"
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Slashdotters as a whole never consider ease of use as a feature. In fact, the more obtuse and hard to use an interface is, the more they will extoll it as the next best thing and something sure to make this year the year of Linux on the desktop.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
...like nation vs nation games http://www.trojangames.co.uk/
Yep push the model of Nike+ and them trying to sue every manufacturer of shoelace pouches designed to hold the sensor in a effort to force buyers in to buying only Nike+ approved shoes. Guess that is like the lock down on modding of games on the PC lately, traveled over from the console and it's mostly (in the stock form) locked down platform?
In Capitalist America, buisness games you!
Oh, I know, lets label it addictive so we can treat them for a disorder ...
It's somewhat different then what the article is talking about, but I am reminded of it. In that Facebook game you gets points which can be used to lower the price of a real item by 1 cent which one has the option of buying, of course. All players of the game can lower the item's cost and it can go down a fair amount in some cases (1 dollar for a 10 dollar gift card for example).
I don't really have a point with this, I just find the strange combination of advertising plus discounting amusing, and somewhat relevant to the equally strange combination of electronic rewards for laudable goals. Speaking of which, I wonder why the Pokéwalker hasn't been mentioned in the article. God knows that evil was all over PAX East and Prime.
Not to make psychological (or ludological) research sound trite, but it's not too terribly complicated...
What's the appeal of a book? Or the appeal of a movie? Now add interaction.
You get to decide what happens to the character between the start and the finish.
Video games offer the potential to recreate facets of the human condition in a more engrossing way than almost any other form of entertainment.
We all start and finish the same way (birth and death), the interesting part is what happens along the way.
That's not true. There are a large number of Slashdotters who value ease of use. Though, it is a feature that we only look for in certain areas of our lives.
It's just that most of us like to tinker with things. You can't do that with a buttoned down product.
So, while we may play with things that are less than user friendly, I'm willing to bet that the majority of Slashdotters have tech devices and software in their lives that are very user friendly, if for no other reason than to make it easy for the significant other, family, friends, etc. when they come over to visit. Plus, there are certain tech areas that we just want to work. For me, its digital Video and Photo editing and operating my A/V system (I'm a film buff).
For example, I highly recommend the Logitech Harmony Remotes. In fact, I have my sisters and parents using them. They all have full A/V setups. A single button push allows them to watch TV, a movie, etc. I have the exact same Harmony remote. This helps them to feel at home when they come over to visit.
the numbers in your bank account . Points for being a good boy .
Deleted
Next gen of horse and carrot.
That post deserves a pat on the back.
Don't bother. The drops suck.
I don't disagree, but I would point out that I thought my "Slashdotters as a whole" term would imply the group think of members of the site, not individuals, or large but non-vocal-majority groups within the site. The other caveat I would offer is that what is 'user friendly' with a 'good interface' to a user of slashdot is not the same to a large chunk of the general population of the US (or developed world).
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
it seems difficult to conclude otherwise...love it or hate it, "gamification" is becoming "the way." yes, of course game mechanics tap into basic human psychology and have been used for years to get people to buy stuff and perhaps to do more than they would have done without the "game." but as the article demonstrates, the money-makers are catching on to ways to make it even more prevalent and more widely applicable. there is another ton of evidence just a few Google searches away.... not just the money-makers, but the movers-n-shakers as well: US Govt's "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top" for examples. and in education. not educational games, but real gamification of the school curriculum. i am trying to persuade educators and educational theorists to embrace the change and incorporated the game dynamics into the curriculum....to help transform the drudgery of traditional school learning into a challenging and rewarding set of interactions, behaviors, and progressions that make schooling more relevant to life, more fun, and less of a beatdown for so many students. i am a high school math teacher and curriculum theorist. i'd like to contribute to getting this education thing right! RKing