May 31, 2026
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February 2013

Psych The S#cial Sector: A New 8-Week Second Screen Experience

Ivan Kuo29 mins

Have you ever watched a mystery show and found yourself yelling at the television set “come on guys, the clue is right there!”? Have you ever solved the mystery within the first 10 minutes, only to find out at the end that you were right the entire time? How many times have you thought you should be the ones solving the case?

Well, now you can be.

Following the success of the Emmy-nominated game Hashtag Killer, PSYCH The S#cial Sector is a multiplatform game that allows fans of the series Psych to upload video content, play games, examine evidence, and post to a theory wall for the entire 8-week duration of the mystery.

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Carrot App Review: A Gamified Snarky To-Do List? Ain’t No Businessperson Got Time For That!

Gary Henkle47 mins

When a colleague had heard about a new to-do list app called Carrot, it somehow made its way immediately to my desk. After several months into my job at Gamification Co I was juggling so many different responsibilities that I found it hard to organize my time, so I began reading books and collecting apps dedicated to all things GSD (Getting Shit Done). Eventually I will have to find time to organize all my organizational tools.

The reason I decided to add Carrot to my catalog is because it’s a To-Do list infused with gamification elements. You get points for each task you complete and a red status bar letting you know how far along you are, and how far you have to go before you can level up and collect a reward – so far a humorous fortunte cookieqsue statement you’re asked to share socially.

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Renga Title at IndieCade East

How Renga Got 100 Strangers to Play Together with Lasers in a Theater

Ivan Kuo110 mins

IndieCade is a festival celebrating the works of independent game designers from all over the world and this past weekend was Indiecade’s inaugural appearance on the east coast at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. Attending this game festival from a gamification angle, I was looking for new and exciting ways to engage with an audience.

One of the main events was the game Renga by UK-based WallFour, who specialize in live, large-scale collaborative crowdgames. In other words, when I read that Renga was going to be a feature-length game for 100 people with laser pointers, I was sold.

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Top Talks for Marketing Gamification at GSummit 2013 SF

Ivan Kuo54 mins

The gamification of marketing is an undoubtedly powerful tool at our disposal and it’s definitely needed now more than ever, according to a recent study. But how can the average organization employ some of these tactics and most importantly, how will anyone know that marketing gamification even works? Luckily, you won’t have to reinvent the test-drive or make people dance in front of a vending machine to find out.

GSummit SF 2013 will have many great sessions dedicated to marketing gamification and here are my top talks you won’t want to miss.

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How Urgent Optimism Can Drive Player Action in Gamification

Ivan Kuo47 mins

We’ve all experienced that final push, whether it’s getting a project done, putting the finishing touches on a term paper, or running the last leg of the race. No matter what the particulars are of the situation, there is a sense of urgency just before the challenge is over. The final aspects of a journey are coming to a close and there’s usually an implied reward. Sometimes the reward is the end of the challenge, itself, as is the case with a term paper. Other times, there is a finish line to cross and a celebration of closure. It’s what we tell ourselves when we’re about to finish a book and we have “just a few more pages.” In terms of game mechanics, urgent optimism is a powerful force to get people to take action quickly and it could be very successful for your gamification program

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Prominent Gamifiers: Elise Olding

Ivan Kuo03 mins

By 2014, more than 70 percent of Global 2000 organizations will have at least one “gamification” quote by Gartner. You probably just read that quote wrong; reread it! While a significant number of people in the gamification community are quick to reference a variety of Gartner’s gamification quotes, they do not quite mean anything to us right now in 2013. However, one analyst at Gartner has made significant strides in the research field on gamification and has relevant information to share now. Enter: Elise Olding.

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The Science of Motivation with Andrea Kuszewski

Ivan Kuo02 mins

The Gamification Revolution is the only live gamification webcast featuring Gabe Zichermann and fellow gamification experts every Thursday at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST/1800 GMT. Join us and have all of your gamification questions answered by these experts.

This week’s guest is the prominent Andrea Kuszewski! Currently working as the Senior Strategic Planner for the Linus Group, Andrea’s neuroscience background provides great insight for gamification designers. In this week’s episode you can be sure to learn about:

  • Psychology behind motivational design
  • How to market to scientists
  • Keeping your user in your game when it’s difficult
  • Developing educational game platforms

We had many viewers come on and ask questions and we thank you for your engagement and participation! Check out the full video below:

 


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Be sure to catch this week’s episode featuring Elise Olding, Research Director at Gartner Inc. for her insightful work and studies on gamification.

You can now catch the Gamification Revolution every Thursday at 1PM EST/10 AM PST/1800 GMT. Be advised that you can now also subscribe to our audio and video podcasts to have this content downloaded automatically.

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The Glorious Gamification of Gravy, Cheese Curds, and Fries: Montreal Poutine Week

Ivan Kuo25 mins

Canada’s gamification efforts are being heard, especially with Audi Canada’s recent reimagination of the test-drive and VIP public transport but something much more important and dear to all my heart has become a gamified experience, and that’s Montreal’s decision to gamify Poutine Week for all the food adventurists participating in it last week.

Poutine Week or Semaine de la Poutine Week is a celebration of the delectable poutine: a dish consisting crispy french fries topped with gravy, and cheese curds.

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Prominent Gamifiers: Keith Ng and GameMaki

Ivan Kuo12 mins

Most of the buzz surrounding gamification seems to be located within the United States but it would foolish to not recognize its international presence as well. We’re aware of Spain BBVA’s gamified banking platform, a hugely successful alumni crowdfunding platform in Stockhom, and there’s even an upcoming gamification platform straight out of Estonia! But where’s the gamification presence in Asia? It’s growing tremendously and Keith Ng’s work with Gametize is proving gamification’s worth in Asia.

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LinkedIn’s Leaderboard of Missed Engagement Opportunities

Gabe Zichermann66 mins

Last week, Linkedin sent out emails congratulating users for being in the top X% of “most viewed” profiles, ostensibly to celebrate their 200 millionth profile. The emails generated a fair amount of social media buzz, with even reticent users posting about their “accomplishments”, often with a #humblebrag attached.

What struck me about the campaign was how it managed to take both the best and the worst of gamified leaderboard and achievement design in one fell swoop.

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