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Game and Gamified Are Not The Same Thing
Games are the most engaging form of entertainment on the planet, but it’s important to understand that gamified products are not games. Gamified products lack the foundational mechanics of games that make an experience intrinsically fun and engaging. Unfortunately, all the badges, trophies, achievements, points and leaderboards in the world won’t ever make up for a dull core experience, which is why there is a huge difference in results.
Why isn’t gamification enough?
The problem with gamification is that the real engagement drivers in games come from the underlying core gameplay, not superficial elements like badges or achievements. Most marketing departments don’t know the difference, so they’ll pass off a gamified experience as being just as good as an actual game, but the engagement results won’t compare.
If you want next level results, like 94.4% sustained engagement and a 32.5% increase in participation over your historical wellness initiatives, you don’t want gamification, you want A Step Ahead.
How to tell the difference between a game and gamification
What is a game?
Games are, at their core, a structured form of play. They’re played according to rules and are typically decided by some combination of skill, strength, decision making, and luck.
They’re a powerhouse of psychology, designed from the ground up to engage the end user.
Things to look for that tell you it’s a game:
Flywheel
A simple, repeatable action or mechanic that can usually be improved upon and mastered (a.k.a. what you do in the game).
Escalation
Both the difficulty and rewards increase over time. Often used to show progress.
Social Interaction
Interaction with opponents and/or teammates. An x-factor that allows the player to anticipate and adapt to other players of the game.
Accrued Value
The more time you invest in the game, the greater your game assets.
Unpredictable Outcome
The outcome is driven by player interaction.
Replayability
The best games are designed to be played again and again without becoming predictable, stale or boring.
What is gamification?
“Gamification” is a term that means applying game elements to things that aren’t designed to be games.
It’s a marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service, but the product or service itself is not a game.
Things to look for that tell you it’s a gamified experience:
Only Surface-Level Game Elements
Gamified experiences typically include surface-level game elements like badges, achievements and leaderboards, but lack core game elements like a flywheel, escalation and unpredictable outcome.
Nongame Product
If you were to remove the elements of gamification, the underlying product would just be a standard nongame experience (ex. a website, tracking app, learning platform etc.).
Superficial Elements are the Core Driver of Engagement
In gamified services, things like achievements and leaderboards are the core engagement drivers. In a game, it’s the underlying game mechanics.
No Entertainment Value
Gamified products typically lack entertainment value, whereas games’ primary function is entertainment.
1. Dopamine
Pleasure is tied to the release of dopamine in the brain. After making a choice and receiving feedback that the choice was correct, there is a dopamine release that prompts the brain to seek to repeat the behavior.
2. Feedback Loops
Games are great at providing feedback for progress. Things like accumulating points, progress in a story, visual success indicators, sound effects, animations, social recognition, all help trigger that crucial release of dopamine.
3. Desire to Repeat
Through feedback, neuronal circuits become stronger, reinforcing the desire for the activity that triggered the dopamine response. Sounds a bit like addiction, no? Well, yes, games can be addictive!
4. Internalization
With proper feedback, the desire to continue transcends external rewards, becoming internal, as the brain seeks another surge of dopamine. This is the basis for behavioral change that lasts.