Game mechanics can be great compliments to boost the effectiveness of a gamified system. However, it can be also detrimental when the mechanics are diverting user’s attention away from the core engagement loop. The recent suspension of Memrise’s leaderboard system has provided an opportunity to understand the need for constant retaliation against exploitative users.
Launched in private beta three years ago, Memrise utilizes images and the science of memorizing to help users learn new languages and facts. The site combines a wiki library of mnemonics and what Memrise founder, Ed Cooke calls a “Farmville-style learning game, where you plant words, grow them, water them, and see in your ‘memory garden’ the scope and splendor of all the things you have learned.” The garden metaphor and game-like interface was developed when Memrise was under the guidance of Zynga, the creators of Farmville. In addition, Cooke allowed the inclusion of leaderboards and point scoring to keep people interested “minute by minute”.
Unfortunately, just as Memrise was on the verge of launching its first non-beta version, problems with its leaderboard system began to surface. The team has temporarily disabled the leaderboards as extensive cheating was discovered. It was noted in the original suspension message that “bots”, “dummy courses” and a “small army of children” were employed by users to rack up points. Cooke also pointed out that a “whole genre of YouTube videos” were dedicated entirely in teaching users how to game the system.
Memrise’s case highlights a key point that gamification system designers and developers should be wary of. It is inherent that there will always be users who would consciously attempt to exploit a system when they perceive an existent value worth pursuing. In Memrise’s case, users value their status on the leaderboard standings rather than the learning values obtainable from the lesson plans. In turn, instead of users focusing on the “game of learning” as originally intended by Memrise, users shifted their interest towards winning the “ranking game” by using whatever means necessary.
As Cooke and Memrise continue to sought new solutions to resolve their recent challenges, it leaves an important lesson for gamification professionals. One should never take for granted that any designed system is entirely flawless. There exists no perfect gamification system where it could be deployed without ever needing any adjustments. The accommodation for constant reiteration by gamification professionals when designing their systems would serve both developers and users well.
via Wired
