CyberSightings

In the Spotlight

“Gamification” refers to the application of online game design techniques in non-game settings, with the goals of engaging users and motivating action, learning, and problem solving. In the last couple of years, this term has gained considerable attention from business, education, and policy. The reason for this growing interest is that gamification promises to be a powerful strategy to engage players and encourage desired behaviors (i.e., driving customer engagement).

The term “gamification” has been popularized by game designer Jesse Schell, author of The Art of Game Design (2008) and founder of the company Schell Games. In a talk given at the Dice Conference in Las Vegas in 2010 (video: www.ted.com/talks/jesse_schell_when_games_invade_real_life.html/), Schell envisages a future in which gaming will go beyond PC and consolles, becoming “the medium for everyday life.” According to Schell, we will soon become part of a real-world game, in which every action will be tracked and rewarded with bonus points. The concept of gamification has been previously explored also by other human–computer interaction researchers—for example, in relation to playful interaction design and serious games. However, whereas serious games are usually designed “for the purpose of solving a problem” and include a plot, objectives, and routes, gamified applications use elements of games that do not give rise to complete games (S. Deterding et al., Gamification: Toward a Definition, CHI 2011, May 7–12, 2011, Vancouver, BC, Canada). These game elements include, for example, points (to motivate players), levels (to indicate achievements), challenges (to keep the interest high and stimulate involvement), virtual goods (to create links to real-life rewards), and ranking (to promote competition and self-improvement). There are essentially two final objectives of the gamification process: first, to stimulate an “active” and measurable behavior; second, to focus the interest of the user toward the message to be communicated. The most popular example of gamification (and probably the oldest platform to implement it) is Foursquare, a location-based social networking website in which users check-in at venues, are awarded with points and virtual badges, and can earn discounts at retailers. In the field of healthcare, an interesting example is Humana Vitality, a program that uses a points-based rewards system to encourage healthy behavior and wellness education. Other gamification applications can be found in fields as diverse as training, wellness, financial services, and sports.

The increasing interest in gamification has lead scholars and designers to understand better the the motivations that drive player behavior. From the standpoint of psychological theory, often-cited models of gaming behavior are the Flow Theory developed by M. Csíkszentmihályi and the Behavior Model introduced by B.J. Fogg (also known as the “FBM”). According to Csíkszentmihályi, flow as an optimal experience in which the person is “completely involved in an activity for its own sake.” The Flow Theory predicts that in order to reach this optimal state, it is important to help the player to find the right balance between challenges and skills. The FBM, instead, posits that in order to drive a behavior successfully, the game mechanic/dynamic must guide three key factors so they all occur at the same moment: sufficient motivation (to perform the behavior), sufficient ability (i.e., the player can easily carry out the behavior), and an effective trigger (i.e., the player is triggered to do the behavior through reminders, cues, calls to action, etc.).

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