Gamification and Advertising

Image courtesy of Gamingbolt.com

Gamif-what?


Gamification is the application of game dynamics to non-game scenarios. It takes advantage of people's natural instinct to take part in games, encouraging new behaviors and convincing them to invest in a product or brand. Game dynamics are things like levels, points, leaderboards, skills, and competition to name but a few. They're the arsenal of tricks game designers have been using for years to create incredibly successful computer games.



Sounds interesting, but why should I be concerned about any of that?



First some facts

The gaming industry is the largest entertainment industry in the world - eclipsing even the juggernaut that is Hollywood making a revenue of $25 billion in 2010.

FarmVille, the popular facebook game has more people playing it than there are on twitter.

Angry Birds' immense popularity has spawned the amount of merchandising you'd expect from the latest Disney movie.

Call of Duty: Black Opps generated $650 million globally on the first five days of it's release.

World of Warcraft has an online community of 12 million players.



And while you're at it, forget the stereotypes

Gamers are not young teenagers playing Call of Duty when they should be studying, the average game player is 34 years old and has been playing games for 12 years. The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 40 years old.

Forty percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (20 percent).

Sixty-four percent of parents believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives.

In 2010, 26 percent of Americans over the age of 50 play video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.

Here's the source.



So what brands use game dynamics already?


The social media based geo-location app Foursquare, uses badges and leaderboards (Mayors) to encourage people to check-in places and "Unlock Their City".

Nike+ brings together the once diverse and largely individual pursuit of running and turns it into a community based on competition, encouragement, progress and levels.

Nike Grid encouraged people to race around the streets using pay-phones to unlock levels and claim their city. They could play by themselves or in teams.

VW's amazing Fun Theory campaign encouraged the public to develop games to encourage people to do good. It generated some brilliant ideas such as The Speed Camera Lottery and The Bottle Bank Arcade.

Heineken and AKQA have just launched StarPlayer an app that syncs to the TV and lets people play along with a game in real time, attempting to predict goals and player performance.



With numbers like this and campaigns as groundbreaking and forward thinking as the ones above, it's clear that gamification and game dynamics are becoming a integral part of modern life and advertising.



Okay, how do I find out more?

I highly recommend this book Game Frame by Aaron Dignan. In it he explores how behavioral games can be used in business and branding and goes into a great amount of detail on the componants that make up a game.

Gaming company SCVNGR have released their Secret Game Mechanics Playdeck. It's a list worth reading and saving.

Gameful is an online community built around the idea that games can make the world a better place. As a member you take part in challenges to design behavioral games and critique others.