Keeping an Open Mind on Gamification
Jinfo Blog

By Steve Bynghall

Abstract

Gamification is, perhaps, the buzzword de jour, and for some this is off-putting. However it is worth trying to consider its potential by getting gamification into perspective. It is a design tactic which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, depending on what it is being used for and the specifics of the design.

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Gamification is commonly defined as the application of game-design thinking and mechanics in non-game contexts. It has received a lot of attention of late from the media, consultants and vendors. In fact last year Gartner placed it at the top of their "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies", firmly in the zone of "overflated expectations".

This focus and exposure is perhaps both a blessing and a curse. It puts into the spotlight a design technique which is often associated with the social enterprise and can have a positive effect on levels of adoption and engagement with online systems.

The Problem with Being a Buzzword

But at the same time it pitches gamification as a concept and a buzzword which for some is off-putting, makes it trivial or instantly not right for their organisation.

Using game design? No thanks, that's not for us!  

Earlier this month I did a presentation about gamification to a professional services crowd. I noticed a definite split along sector lines in how people reacted. Largely the law firms, which are traditionally more conservative, said "this isn't for us". Accounting and consulting firms were more accommodating and some were already using it as a technique.

Keep an Open Mind

If you're thinking about whether using gamification internally is right for your organisation, then it's worth thinking about it in a way which is stripped of the hype and keeps an open mind about its potential. For example, it's already used seriously in organisations such as Accenture and Deloitte with some success.

The truth is that gamification sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't, and there are a number of factors (far too numerous to go into here) which determine its chance of success. Cultural fit is important, but this is often more to do with how it is communicated, the context of its use and some of the specifics of the design.

Points for Sceptics to Consider

So if you're sceptical, before dismissing gamification out of hand there are several things which are worth keeping in mind:

• Some serious "grown-up" organisations are using it successfully
  
  
• It's not about games, which are often trivial in themselves, but about some of the design techniques which make games engaging
  
  
• This is a design tactic, it's not a strategy, so actually "gamification" can be a modest and small element of an initiative to help it along
  
  
• Gamification for online platforms is not new or particularly leftfield - for example ideation platforms, employee recognition systems and some elearning systems have been using points, badges and the like for over a decade
  
  
• There are many areas which gamification can be applied to and departments and users it can be aimed at within one organisation - it certainly doesn't have to be an enterprise-level initiative
  
  
• Success or failure is often in the detail of the design.

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