This week in the Gamification Roundup, we got a happy union of technology and gamification. BadgeVille has released a mobile SDK for their gamification platform. City Peaks uses RFID sensors to track workers’ stair ascents up buildings and AutoTutor is doing some impressive user analyzation to create customized teaching content for students. Top it all up with some new gamification uses at GDC. Great week for the technological advancements – read the full roundup after the jump.
Badgeville Brings Gamification to Mobile – Gigaom, March 6th
Last week Badgeville unveiled their plans for a mobile gamification SDK for iOS and Android. The SDK will enable mobile developers to implement standard features such as badges and leaderboards but will also take advantage of mobile GPS systems to implement customized check-in systems. Deloitte has already started using the SDK’s geo-locating capabilities in an app to check in on their assignments. According the BadgeVille, the introduction of this gamification SDK will serve as a means of extending online communities into the mobile world with gamification features. Will mobile developers be able to implement gamification successfully or will every mobile app simply feature badges now?
City Peaks Game Tracks your Office Stair Hikes – Co.Design, March 8th
In an effort to increase physical activity, Design studio Digit created a competitive stair-walking game. Called City Peaks, the game compares office ascents to some of the highest heights in the city using RFID stations placed in the building. Walkers are able to track their cumulative distances and compete with others through the leaderboard system. Digit has reported walking a collective total of 7763 meters, an impressive 90% of Mt. Everest’s height. Really excellent use of gamification.
Empathetic Software Tailors Lessons to Emotions – MedicalNewsToday, March 5th
University of Notre Dame professor Sydney D’Mello and her colleagues have developed an educational tool called “AutoTutor” and “AffectiveAuto Tutor”.The AutoTutor software is able to detect the person using it, analyzing language, facial expressions, and even posture to generate customized teachings.The software essentially has technical conversations with the user to teach a variety of complex topics. The AutoTutor program is currently being tested for efficacy in a study but the AutoTutor team has claimed that the software has been improving grades approximately one letter grade. When considering the possibility of combining customized user experiences to game mechanics, there is some huge potential for other applications. It will be interesting to see how effective AutoTutor is when it is released.
GDC Talks Gamification – InformationWeek, March 6th
Developers in the Game IT Summit at GDC were discussing some new applications demonstrating the power of crowd-sourcing and gamification. Highlights included one assistant professor at McGill having developed a crowdsourced research game called Phylo, which features gene-puzzles for research on genetic diseases. Another was Project Augur, which has players solve simple puzzles to fine tune AI capabilities in software. Project Augur was a big success, generating 3600 user surveys for a mere cost of $470. These two were just a few examples of gamification discussed this week. Stay tuned later this week for another piece of gamification at GDC.
Image (C) – msaturlr
