We’ve recently shared a comprehensive overview on how games can help healthcare in 2013. We’ve found a few more ways how gamification is affecting the health landscape through simulation learning, inspiring new health insurance programs, disease management and more.
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 past week’s guest was veteran game designer and current Creative Director of Jawfish Games, Tadhg Kelly! In this week’s episode Gabe and Tadhg discuss what motivational design means from a game designer’s point of view and how that applies to gamification. They also advise startup Commitchange, on how they could improve their design to promote more civic action.
Be sure to catch this week’s episode featuring BankersLab CEO, Michelle Katics, on the gamification of finance!
You can now catch the Gamification Revolution every Thursday at 1PM EST/10 AM PST/1800 GMT.
If you weren’t sure where the future of fitness technology was heading towards, let the 10 winners of TechStars’ new Nike+ fitness startup accelerator give you a clue: it’s going to be all about gamification and the quantified self.
Nike and TechStars first announced the launch of their digital fitness startup accelerator program in December 2012 to find startups that will help people lead more active lives. As of yesterday, they have officially picked the 10 lucky startups that will participate in their inaugural 3 month class. Each startup will receive $20,000 in funding, a workspace, and mentorship from big names like Foursquare Co-founder Naveen Selvadurai, TechStars founder David Cohen, and Nike’s VP of digital sport, Stegan Olander. TechStars will receive a 6% stake in equity of each of the companies in exchange for their support.
Prior to the 2012 elections, MTV was working on new ways to better engage US citizens to be involved in the American democratic process. With support from the Knight Foundation, MTV conceived Fantasy Election 2012, an online game which gave users a new way to hold electoral candidates accountable while being rewarded for getting involved in the electoral process.
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.
Jon Radoff, CEO of DisruptorBeam, explains what problems gamification can appropriately solve and how games are unique in that regard:
What makes receiving a badge for completing a task so exciting? Why does seeing a progress bar almost full make us itch until we finish it? Gamification—the combination of game-design principles and elements—implements cognitive psychology and decision-making theory as its scientific foundation. If gamification were stuffed shells, science is the shell, and everything else is stuffing.
Some people use gamification to help their business. Some use it to improve medical science. Doctor and Consultant Paula Owen believes gamification can save the environment.
In effort to boost interest in environmental issues, the Science Museum of London has launched a game to enhance engagement and education as a part of Climate Week.
The project is being targeted towards people who have not yet participated in environmental issues because “it had all been a bit guilt-filled and full of doom and gloom.” Dr. Owens explains: “It is the idea of bringing in fun and games into a serious topic in order to try to enhance engagement.” As seen with gamification and education, there have been noticeable results with engagement and interest when the topic is presented as a game.
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”:
Learn the latest in gamification by going to GSummit SF 2013. Register now!
Earlier this week, Twitter was run amuck by Foursquare Co-Founder and CEO, Dennis Crowley, and his statements about Foursquare’s overemphasis on gamification elements.
Crowley was discussing the future direction of Foursquare in an on-stage interview with Anil Dash (Co-Founder of Activate) at SXSW and stated that he was phasing out gamification from Foursquare in an effort to move away from the perception that Foursquare is only about points and badges.
Numerous people on Twitter were quick to take these statements as evidence that gamification itself was a mistake, when in fact Crowley explicitly mentioned that it was the overemphasis on points and badges that has led to Foursquare’s perception problem.
In fact, I would say that Crowley’s decision to ultimately phase out Foursquare’s gamification mechanics is one of the most mature decisions a gamification designer can make.
GamificationCo has asked some its editors for their top sessions picks for GSummit SF 2013. Here is Sudarshan Gopaladesikan’s most anticipated session for GSummit:
I love risk-taking. As a junior in college, I have the notion that the workforce won’t allow me to take any risks because safe, but sure investments/ideas are less unpredictable to a company’s profits. Looking through the sessions at GSummit (all of them are great!), Ross Smith–Director of Test at Microsoft–will be speaking on how trust among colleagues can foster individual innovation, productivity, and risk-taking.
Gamification and healthcare may be the next best thing since the invention of bread and butter. I recently read an article on 3 different ways that video games can improve health and immediately became curious as to other research going on in this area. Since GSummit 2013 is fast approaching, I would like to take the time to provide a brief comprehensive overview of how games and healthcare are converging in harmony in 2013.
I have to say this is pretty much the most uninspiring example of gamification I’ve seen and from Al Gore no less realitydrop.org
— Jane McGonigal (@avantgame) February 28, 2013
It’s easy to see why Jane McGonigal and other commentators might loathe Al Gore’s new game social sharing game “Reality Drop.” It feels like it was written by your dorky middle-aged Dad who only knows how to speak corny, and judging by the pop culture gurus she associates with, Jane is probably disappointed that during this game Al Gore doesn’t pop out of stage curtains in front of a TV studio audience to scream “look under your seat -Reality has dropped! You win a Prius! You win a Prius! Everybody wins a Prius”
After playing Reality Drop, I find it might be helpful for us to collectively lighten up.
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.
Listen to the #2 US Monopoly Champ and Math teacher, Tim Vandenberg on his successful experience using Monopoly as a legitimate educational tool. This is one of my favorite sessions of GSummit 2012:
See the latest in gamification by going to GSummit. Register now!
Parents might have a tough time arguing against videogames if their kids begin to learn about all of the potential benefits from playing them.
Just a few days ago, we reported on a study which showed that dyslexic children could improve their reading skills and attention span by playing fast-paced videogames. Now another study has emerged, which has shown playing first-person shooter videogames like Call of Duty can improve multitasking abilities.
GamificationCo has asked some its editors for their top sessions picks for GSummit SF 2013. Here are Alex Landa’s picks for this year:
Gamification can change anything from a phone app to an entire business model. Here are a few events at GSummit that not only show changing media and businesses, but also show the innovative thought pattern behind these innovations.
