(9/26 Gamification Expert Interviews Unlocked)
Every week until GSummit SF 2013, we’ll be unlocking some special content from last year to give you a preview on what to expect this April 16 – 18. James Gardner talks about what users value in gamification systems and how to appropriately present gamification as an engagement tactic rather than “playing games”:
Image by MridulRaj
An understanding of, or at least attention to, how games and rules “morph” or “take on a life of their own” is a great area for research. The imposition of rules seems to be a kind of constraint that naturally opens loopholes in a system, some requiring a closing event or other intervention. Is this the kind of thing that happened in this virtual currency system mentioned in this video? Not bad necessarily, just a bit unexpected. My favorite example of this dynamic is the U.S. tax code. It sound like a simple idea at the time it becomes law, but evolves into the complex web of professionals and regulations we have today. (Happy Tax Season, my Yankee friends!)