April 2011
iCivics Teaches Civic Duty
Education games have a tenuous history. I’m sure many readers brought up during the early days of attempts to put computers in school still harbor a deep loathing for Mavis Beacon and a deep confusion as to why teachers thought playing Oregon Trail exclusively for the hunting portion was educational in any way. Times have…
Announcing GSummit NYC Sept 2011
Today, we are announcing the Gamification Summit NYC 2011. Taking place on September 15-16, the event delves into how the techniques of social games and game mechanics can be used to engage audiences and drive behavior change in advertising, finance, branding, publishing, education, health, the enterprise and more. Speakers include Susan Bonds, the designer behind…
Why we gamify
O’Reilly Radar just put up a new post by our own Gabe Zichermann exploring “The purpose of gamification“. Gamification has been differentiating itself from the earlier attempts at dragging games out of entertainment such as advergaming and in-game advertising. It is quickly taking hold as a viable process not only in advertising but also within areas as…
Microsoft Unveils Ribbon Hero 2.0
We all know the pain of watching the uninitiated perform seemingly simple tasks on computers. Without the shortcuts and time savers that have become second nature, watching others use the computer can be as painful as nails on a chalk-board. But even software “experts” often utilize only 10% of any given software, so no matter who you…
O’Reilly Gamification Master Class
O’Reilly’s Gamification Master Class video has just been released as well as the early digital version of Gabe Zichermann’s new book, Gamification By Design. The Master Class video gives viewers the tools to understand the true power of games and how they can work with your business. It includes in depth coverage on the cutting edge…
Knowsy Knows Ad Games
The foundation of marketing is beginning to shift. For many decades, TV has been the focus of advertising campaigns, but with the Internet, social media, and now games, the structure of advertising has been forced to follow the audience to increasingly interactive mediums. Right now, social media is king, but quickly games will be the…
Games are the new TV
Increasingly, cable television has been threatened by alternative outlets like Hulu, NetFlix, and Apple TV for viewership and advertising. Hulu’s freemium and the ease of use of Netflix are far more engaging than channel surfing on Cabletown ever could be (not to mention cheaper). In his most recent post on Econsultancy, Gabe Zichermann argues that games represent…
Businessweek’s Guide to Gamification
Businessweek recently compiled a “CEO’s Guide to Gamification”. The collection profiles a few companies that have been using gamification to solve problems in business, and gives executives a brief introduction to the topic. The site has put together a few interesting stories, and some highlights are below. Nissan has produced a well know example of gamification in…
Gamifying Dentistry: Flossing FTW
True confessions: I love the dentist. Growing up, my uncle was my dentist. He still runs a hugely successful practice in Toronto and is well loved by his patients for his diligence and care. I looked forward to dental visits where I’d get a gum massage (AKA manual scaling), a chance to look at the…
ABC TV’s Good Game Animates Gamification
Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Good Game ran a short but informative episode on gamification featuring our own Gabe Zichermann, Bunchball’s Rajat Paharia, and Marigo Raftopoulos. Visit ABC.net.au to view the video.
Gartner: 50% of Innovation will be Gamified by 2015
By 2015, 50% of companies that manage innovation and research will use gamification to drive innovation, according to a press release by Gartner. As gamification is just beginning and few public examples exist today, this finding means that the next four years are going to see rapid changes in management of the enterprise.
Kicking It – A Film About How Play Improves Lives
“There an estimated one billion homeless people in the world”, states the opening of the film Kicking It, a 2008 documentary by Susan Koch and Jeff Werner. The film documents the 4th Annual Homeless World Cup, massive football (soccer) event that takes place in Cape Town, South Africa. Teams from all over the globe are…
School is Fun When You ‘Quest to Learn’
It’s not a secret, and it’s not new – kids hate school. Of course as adults it’s our job to tout the importance of education and how it can build your future, but we can all remember how much we hated school when we were kids. Students often find school, tedious and boring and the…
Find the Future at the New York Public Library
It’s long been said that the best way to develop the future is to learn from the past. Jane McGonigal’s new collaboration with the New York Public Library, Playmatics and Natron Baxter Applied Gaming does just that by challenging players to complete quests to become one of 500 finalists who will stay overnight in the…
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