Gamification: It’s happening all around us

When I tell people I’m doing research on gamification, many of them immediately ask what gamification is all about. They think it has something to do with games, and that would be correct. Gamification is all about creating short-term, achievable goals to maintain our engagement and make experiences more fun.

So what is gamification? It is quite simply the concept of using game-like features (such as points, leader boards and badges) to non-gaming situations to get people involved and engaged. For example, do you have a card you get stamped whenever you buy a coffee at a certain shop? Do you or your children participate in competitive activities (or games) in lessons at school? Is there an application on your phone designed to track your running performance? These are all examples of gamification. They grab your attention and, through encouraging participation in some kind of activity, entice you to interact and spend time with a product or service.

So what is gamification? It is quite simply the concept of using game-like features (such as points, leader boards and badges) to non-gaming situations to get people involved and engaged.

Though it’s a relatively new term, gamification is attracting a lot of attention in many different areas. Businesses, for instance, are finding it more and more necessary to use sales gamification – ‘gamifying’ sales experiences – to attract new customers and maintain the loyalty of existing ones. The market is, after all, becoming increasingly competitive. Companies are using gamificaion to increase employee engagement.

Of all the airlines you could fly with when you travel, what makes you choose, say, Air Canada? Well, aside from being recognized as a good airline, they have Aeroplan, a rewarding loyalty program that allows members to collect miles for free air travel.

Even healthcare is being ‘gamified‘. A variety of motivational smartphone applications have been developed to help consumers become healthier. You can track what you eat, how many calories you burn, and even what routes you run or cycle. Everything from losing weight to managing chronic illnesses can be logged and shared.

Games are being integrated in the classroom in efforts to make learning more fun. Educators are now using elements like points, badges, and leader boards to motivate students to complete tasks and earn rewards. Zondle, for instance, is a website that allows teachers to set interactive quizzes for their students, with short games in between.

So, let’s re-cap: gamification is the idea of using features of gaming in non-gaming contexts to drive user engagement. It can be collecting points, answering trivia questions or pushing buttons. No matter what the mechanics, it’s making something that might have been difficult or tedious more fun. It’s an experience, and one that you take part in probably more often than you realize.

Amanda Beitz is a University of Waterloo graduate who is currently teaching in London, England. She is exploring the use of game elements in education.