With gas prices finally coming down, it’s a great summer for a family road trip. Offering nearly 400 destinations across every state in the union, US National Parks not only provide an economical vacation option, they can also provide a fun and rewarding set of challenges for visitors. Collecting badges existed long before Foursquare came…
For the past five years, dorms across the University of Chicago have taken part in “The Battle of the Bulbs” to compete on who could get the largest decline in energy usage. From a baseline and year-by-year measurements, the school challenged itself to see who could save the most energy and “do it in the dark” for…
This week, Facebook announced that after a nine month pilot program, they will be using Rypple for internal review and communication. Facebook is already seen as one of the more satisfying place to work in the tech industry, and Rypple promises that their new service, Loops, will improve upon Facebook’s proven culture. We previously covered some of…
Gotham Media hosted a panel on gamification at New York Law School. This event was definitely more of a gamification 101 event, but still good for new comers into the space. The panel was moderated by Fast Company contributing writer, Adam Penenberg—a non-enthusiast of the words “gamification,” “gamify,” and “avatar.” On the panel, we had…
Let’s face it: saving money can be difficult, especially if you’re just receiving the first regular paychecks of your life or have gotten your first credit card. The ease of swiping or typing combined with a relatively high credit limit and fuzzy mental math can add up to some hefty financial trouble, or even persistent…
Editor’s note: Buster Benson is founder of Health Month, and previous creator of 43Things, 750Words, and Locavore. He has been working on gamification since before the term was coined, and recently sat down with contributor, Eric Bruenner, to share some ideas on using software to help us achieve mastery and accomplish our goals. Selections are below, and…
This is the full interview between Gamification Co’s Eric Bruenner and Buster Benson, continued from the selections. Eric: I used to be a writer and have been looking for a way to get back into writing. I stumbled upon your site, 750words.com, separately from gamification, but it’s use of gamification principles has gotten me writing…
This week’s recap has a collection of gamification stories form around the web. If you watch one video on gamification, let it be from the Chief Scientist at Salesforce.com, JP Rangaswami. He has an excellent perspective on gamification of the enterprise. Other articles include a clarification of gamification terms, a further look into the pitfalls…
As an attendee of Internet Week New York (IWNY), my eyes, ears and engagement tentacles were all focused on gamification. A few campaigns featured gamified elements, and United Health sponsored an event with some strong elements of gamification. Day 1 at the IWNY HQ proved to include gamification in a subtle way, which means there…
Our own Gabe Zichermann was featured on O’Reilly Radar yesterday with his post, “Gamification has issues, but they aren’t the ones everyone focuses on.” Main discussion points include that the name gamification, multisyllabic as it is, is probably around to stay. On the topic of games in relation to gamification, he uses a quote from…
After their highly popular gamified Les Paul landing page last Thursday, Google has created even more play time. With science! The longest lunar eclipse in a decade began earlier today (still in progress) and though it was wasn’t visible to those of us in North America, now everyone can enjoy the sights. Visitors can witness…
Kevin Slavin, co-founder of Area/Code (now Zynga New York) and Sebastian Deterding, UX designer, academic and gamification expert, both agree that Saatchi & Satchi S’ new study, “Engagement Unleashed: Gamification for Business, Brands, and Loyalty“, is plain and simply sloppy. “In a world filled with sloppy thinking, this ‘Gamification’ deck… is the sloppiest I’ve seen in…
Today, Gabe Zichermann’s Gamification Master Class Video and The Early Release version of Gamification by Design is available at 50% off on O’Reilly’s “Deal of the Day”. The video shows you how to take advantage of gamification—the secret ingredient that’s fueled the success of Foursquare, Nike, Groupon, and many other websites. In the Master Class,…
Ford is undergoing a transformation. Coming out of the financial crisis and the collapse of the US market as the only major American car company to not receive a bail out, Ford has taken it upon itself to reinvent an industry that in the past has been represented by gas guzzling SUVs and American muscle cars. At…
The Massachusetts Innovations and Technology Exchange (MITX) will be holding their annual Innovation Awards on June 16th. Categories include Best “Doing Good” Innovation, Best Commerce Game Changer, Best User Experience, and others. SCVNGR was an awardee in 2009, and with the increasing interest around gamification, MITX introduced the “Best Use of Gamification” category. Finalists have been announced…
