The hype around gamification exists for a reason. Gamification uses psychological behavioural techniques in order to make a usually boring and mundane activity into something more exciting and worthwhile. Gamification makes use of technology in order to get a person more interested in something. Here, we will take a look at some examples of where the practice of gamification has been successfully applied.
Health
World famous apps such as MyFitnessPal changed the world of health and fitness forever when they came onto the scene several years ago. MyFitnessPal uses gamification in order to set milestones, challenges and tasks for users who wish to achieve their daily, monthly, and yearly health goals. The apps extensive database means that you can enter into the app almost any food item from any shop in the western world, and the app will already have access to all the food items information from its protein count to how many calories it contains, in its database.
MyFitnessPal has changed the health and fitness scene to such an extent, GPs have begun recommending the app to patients who want to both lose and gain weight. The app asks for your height, age, amount of exercise you partake in and weight. It then calculates the number of calories your body needs to eat per day in order for you to hit your preferred weight.
There are also a number of other fitness apps as well as devices. FitBit, for example, uses ‘milestones’ in order to measure progress. Once milestones have been completed, the user will be rewarded with badges and encouraging messages. Users can also take part in ‘adventure races’ against fellow FitBit users.
Gaming
Although gamification is usually applied to non-game contexts (it is meant in order to make a tedious task fun after all) there are situations where gamification is successfully used within game settings. For example, the immensely popular game platform Steam uses gamification to increase sales on the site. Certain games on the Steam store often offer players the chance to earn steam card sets after purchasing. These cards can be obtained by making progress through the game. Cards can then be swapped between other Steam users which increases social interaction. Once players have acquired a full set of cards, they can then be traded in for medals, game skins, mods and even discounts.
A second example of gamification can be found within iGaming. Casino games are often very similar across the hundreds of online casino websites that exist today. For example, the UK slot game Slot Bonanza can be found across numerous casino websites, so it can be tricky for casinos to keep hold of their players. Therefore, in order to ensure players remain loyal to their casino, some casinos have begun to use gamification techniques. One such example of this has been implemented by the online casino Playfrank.
Playfrank uses a gamification system called ‘Tracks’ which rewards users for completing games in a certain order. Once the player has successfully completed a ‘track’ they are then levelled up and given a reward. Rewards can range from free spins and free games to deposit bonuses and cash rewards. The higher the player is ranked within the tracks system, the greater their rewards become.
Commerce
Offline gamification techniques have been used in the world of commerce for a long time. In the late 1800s, Coca-Cola introduced a promotional card that entitled pharmacy shoppers to one free glass of Coca-Cola. Of course, marketing techniques have evolved immensely since then, but it showcases that the tactic of offering freebies is nothing new.
Now-a-days, supermarkets throughout Europe are offering consumers the chance to personalise their own shopping rewards. Supermarkets have their own loyalty reward cards which consumers are able to scan every time they make a purchase. Once they have spent £100, for example, the supermarket may add £1 onto their reward card. So, for every £1 spent the customer will receive a free £1 that they can spend on goods within the store.
The world famous fast-food restaurant McDonalds use a promotion called McDonalds Monopoly where they offer customers the chance to win prizes based on whether they are able to collect different Monopoly property sets. Customers are able to unlock sets by purchasing McDonalds food items. Customers can also win free food and drinks during this promotion. Again, this is a great example of successful gamification being implemented. Last year, McDonalds introduced a web app where McDonalds Monopoly players were able to upload their property sets online.
Education
Education apps are another huge success story when it comes to making use of gamification. Language apps such as Babbel and Duolingo have made learning a language more widely accessible. Not only that, these apps have ensured that learning a new language can be fun and even quite easy sometimes. Duelingo makes use of ‘lingots’ which are earned by users who complete different levels of learning. These lingots can then be sued by users to unlock other levels or by buying other features of the app at the lingot store.
The idea of using games within teaching has been around for a long time. Incorporating a competitive element into something that can often be long and dry-winded ensures that users are given greater motivation during the run to achieving their goals. After all, what is better than beating your friends at something?
Gamification Is Your Friend
Gamification, when used correctly, inspires people to do things and achieve goals that would often be un-interesting for them to work towards. Health and fitness is a prime example of this, not many people enjoy running on a treadmill in a gym three days-a-week after work or getting up at 5am in order to jog their extra belly fat away. However, apps such as MyFitnessPal have ensured a healthy lifestyle is much easier to obtain.
It will be interesting to see how gamification evolves along with advancements in technology. With any luck, technology will help improve gamification within apps and other devices to increase the level of fun to an even greater extent. Before we know it, we might all be turning off the football on our television screens and instead be opening up our iPad in order to learn a new language due to how fun the process will be.
