The Guide to Our New Gamification Certification Levels of Mastery

Can you be the very best?

The first gamification design course was offered in 2011 at the inaugural GSummit in SF. Since then, nearly 1000 people have taken live and online courses that are eligible for certification through the Engagement Alliance. Additionally, tens of thousands have attended on-and-offline gamification courses that don’t offer any commonly accepted accreditation.

After many years of experimenting with design frameworks and through extensive discussion and consultation with industry, I’m pleased to announce a new rubric for design certification. This new program is based on best practices, designed to maximize the value of your education and help you deliver optimal results for your employer and your career. Here are the new levels of certification, and what they mean:

LEVEL 1: BASIC

LEVEL 1: At this level one should be able to understand the basics of gamification – what it is and isn’t, key examples, the 3 Fs model and core case studies. Level 1 graduates should also know where to find more information, the underpinnings of science, and  the ability to distinguish a gamified system from other models.

Requirements: Completion of course, agreement with ethics policy
Registration Link: Udemy Level One (discount automatically applied)

LEVEL 2: EXPERT

LEVEL 2: Certificate holders at this level should understand gamification design principles, and be able to apply them creatively to solve engagement challenges. These include a solid core based on the player types, game mechanics and meta-mechanics. They should be able to distinguish between point system types, understand when badges, levels and leaderboards are used, and know the best-practices for the same.

Requirements: Level 1 Certification, Creative Assessment for a Non-Profit
Registration Link: Udemy Level Two (discount automatically applied)

LEVEL 3: MASTER

LEVEL 3: Master gamification designers should be able to design and articulate a standard Gamification Architecture – taking an engagement challenge and designing a thoughtful, reasoned and best-practice based solution. This means synthesizing all the elements of Levels 1 and 2 into a cohesive whole, seeing how engagement will be designed, integrated with existing systems, and tested. Masters should also be able to enumerate the starting virtual economy, badging tiers, levels and leaderboards to a level of detail that could be executed by a development team.

Requirements: Level 2 Certification, Gamification Architecture (peer reviewed)
Registration Link: Live Workshops (2013)

n.b. The Master level of certification was previously called “Advanced”, and earned as part of live workshops. Existing cert holders will receive this updated badge to display. 

LEVEL 4: VISIONARY

LEVEL 4: Individuals who earn this certification have mastered the core principles of gamification and designed solutions (as the lead designer) that have been implemented, tested and deployed. Through a process of continuous learning, trial and error and self-improvement, Gamification Visionaries are committed to maintaining the highest level of ethics and design knowledge, updating their skills regularly, and maintaining a minimum output level of projects. Level 4 certificate holders may also teach eligible certification courses to others.

Requirements: Level 3 Certification, Peer reviewed live gamification project
Registration Link: Available in 2014

The gamification certifications will help improve your skills, marketability and career – and the first three levels are available now (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3) – sign up and be part of this important movement.

All certifications are valid for 2 years, and can be renewed for a nominal fee if individuals maintain good standing with the organization. Certification badges may be displayed on your website, Linkedin, business cards, or anywhere else that it would be useful/appropriate.

Membership in the Engagement Alliance is open only to certificate holders, and is included in the certification fees. Members are eligible for a range of discounts and benefits, including reduced-price passes for GSummit events, training and professional development opportunities, inclusion in the certificate-holders database, and more. As the Engagement Alliance grows with the support of the community, we’ll work hard to increase the benefits available to individual members. We’ll also be continuously updating the certification requirements to ensure they are current, and making content available that satisfies a wide range of industries, geographies and specialties (more on this shortly).

I encourage you to begin this process today – sign up for Level 1 or Level 2 online, and a special Level 3 training live this fall/winter. There’s no better time to improve your skills than today.