We’ve written a lot about gamification and gamers. The term “gamification” turns a lot of traditional associations and companies off as they envision young members sitting around playing video games but “gamifying” your offerings is not about bringing in Guitar Hero or World of Warcraft to your next event or meeting. It’s a way of captivating an audience, giving them an incentive to return to your site or participate in your events. It has little to do with video games. (Video games do use game theory. They reward certain actions and mastery with leveling up. However, when we talk about gamification it is independent of gaming.)
Grades and advancing levels in school are very primitive forms of gamification. You master a level, you move up. We’ll save the education and gamification talk for another time but I mention it to point out that harnessing the power behind and desire to achieve is not a new concept. Gamification should not turn off the older contingent of your organization. It focuses on rewarding behavior and expertise, concepts that have multi-generational appeal. Read the rest of this entry »
