May 26, 2026
Headlines

event

will wright gsummit

Will Wright on Gamifying the World: From SimCity to the Future

Ivan Kuo22 mins

One of the most phenomenal experiences of GSummit SF 2013 happened with Will Wright’s keynote talk. As the creator of SimCity and countless other games and simulations, Wright’s talk goes deeply into games’ and their effect on us as humans in society and what that means for gamification in the grand scheme of things.

He touches on the lessons can we take from games — and decades of experience designing for fun — to create engagement for large audiences with complex models and issues? How can we make simple everyday interactions more compelling and use them as teachable moments to energize society? Can everything really be fun — and what are the secrets for balancing detail and simplicity? Check out Will Wright’s full talk as he re-imagines how the world becomes a more fun and engaging place, sharing his vision for the future and powerful design insight.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get our latest gamification videos and talks. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
tim kring

Redefining Story for Transmedia in the Gamification Era

Ivan Kuo32 mins

It used to be enough just to give consumers 22 minutes of quality content, once a week, year after year, to be successful. Today, media consumption has dramatically changed. Where TV used to be the distraction, now viewers use second and third screens – a distraction from the distraction. This change, both demographic and technological, forces us to reimagine the nature of storytelling and narrative in an unprecedented way.

Viewers today want to lean forward (and you need them to), become part of the action, engage with characters and each other in new and exciting ways, and shape the outcome. But how do we do this without ceding total control to the audience and reducing the main reason they “pay” to be with us in the first place?

Join Tim Kring, Transmedia expert and creator of the blockbuster TV programs Heroes and Touch, as he shares his insights about how to tell stories in this new lean-forward era that consumers are willing to pay for with time and money.

Watch Tim’s full GSummit SF 2013 video below and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
jesse schell at gsummit

Jesse Schell: Games Will Lead the Future of Engagement with Pleasure

Ivan Kuo22 mins

In the 21st century, it turns out that the principles for designing videogames have become the principles for designing everything. In this talk, Jesse explains why “gamification” is only the tip of a much larger iceberg that is influencing all of society, and he will go into some detail about best practices for using pleasure to improve the motivational design of a wide variety of experiences.

Key Takeaways:

  • Gamification” is about the creation of pleasurable experiences for the purposes of improved motivational design.
  • Pleasure is powerful, complicated, and contextual.
  • Five important keys to improving motivational design are appeal, engagement, effortlessness, uncheatability, and disembarrassmentation.

Watch GSummit SF 2013 Keynote speaker Jesse Schell in his full talk below. Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
wow in school - lucas gillispe

WoWinSchool: How to use WoW and MMORPGs to Engage Students

Ivan Kuo31 mins

What happens in the classroom when learning becomes a heroic journey?  Rather than desks and chalkboards, what if students had quests and guilds?  Going beyond simply swapping grades with badges and achievements, Lucas Gillispie, founder of the WoWinSchool Project, will share the journey he and other adventurous educators have begun using World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs to engage students in a playful approach to practicing reading and writing skills.  Along the way student-heroes are becoming better communicators, leaders, and connecting with a global audience.

Watch Lucas’ full GSummit SF 2013 talk below! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
gamification consulting panel

Consulting on Gamification: Strategy, Tactics and Trends

Ivan Kuo12 mins

For all you gamification advocates pushing to implement more fun into your organization, this video is for you.

This past GSummit, we gathered Thomas Hsu, Social Collaboration and Gamification Manager at Accenture, Sascha Goto, Senior Program Associate at McKinsey,  Naureen Meraj, Senior Global Director of Gamification & Strategy at NTT Data, and Bart Briers, Director of Services and Solutions at CTG to all discuss their experiences consulting and implementing gamification at their organization.

These three individuals have been heralds for the gamification cause at each of their respective organizations and have good advice for those looking to take on that role for their own company as well. Watch the full video below to see what they had to say.

Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
kevin werbach on teaching gamification at coursera - gsummit sf 2013

Kevin Werbach on Teaching Gamification at Coursera

Ivan Kuo42 mins

Surely you must’ve heard of Kevin Werbach’s Coursera Course on gamification? (The next Coursera semester starts Jan 27th 2014)

Gamification is a hot growth industry, with billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of new jobs set to be created in the next decade. To accomplish this, organizations of all kinds will need to train and educate leaders of tomorrow on this critical discipline. But how do you teach a topic where core concepts are in a state of flux, examples and patterns are evolving rapidly and learners expect the entire experience to be fun and rewarding? Join Professor Werbach, teacher of the massively successful #Gamification12 MOOC as he discusses the hard-won lessons of teaching Gamification — and how this understanding can make any training, education or development process more successful for your organization. In this GSummit 2013 video expect to learn

  • Opportunities and dangers in the gamification of learning.
  • Techniques for effective gamification in educational settings.
  • How game thinking produced the highest engagement rates of any course on the Coursera massive online platform. (It’s not what you think!)

Watch the full video below! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
andrew grauer course hero

Course Hero’s Knowledge Marketplaces and the Gamification of Education

Ivan Kuo12 mins

We’re reading more and more about online education portals incorporating sophisticated game mechanics into its applications. There’s no doubt that education is a space ripe for gamification and in classrooms—both virtual and walled—educators are shifting their approach to offer a more personalized, yet interactive and adaptive curriculum. Course Hero, an online education start-up, has been engaging college students in its online learning community by using game mechanics from Bunchball for more than a year to great success. Harnessing the motivational power of games and applying it to real-world problems, Course Hero’s gamification elements motivate students to learn in a more interactive manner and urge them to care more about what they’re learning.

In this GSummit SF 2013 talk, Course Hero CEO Andrew Grauer will share details on how participation on the site has increased by 25% since implementing gamified elements, as well as how the site has seen a 51% growth in badges awarded since February 2012. Watch the full video below.

Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
charles coonradt

6 Principles for Making Work More Enjoyable From the Grandfather of Gamification

Ivan Kuo41 mins

Whether you think gamification was coined in 2011, 2007, or even in 2002, there has been one man by the name of Charles “Chuck” Coonradt who has been talking about making work more enjoyable with play since the writing of the his book, The Game of Work, in 1984. Chuck has since applied his findings into making work more gamified for organizations ever since .

This past GSummit, Chuck was able to make it to our main stage to discuss some of the principles he learned  that can be adapted for making work more enjoyable.Check out his full talk in the video below.

Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
bigdoor gavin hewitt

Why Real Rewards Matter: BigDoor’s Approach to Loyalty

Ivan Kuo12 mins

Despite the overwhelming focus on badges in the gamification community, badge-only solutions have minimal impact on long term customerengagement. Big brands have discovered that the secret to driving customer loyalty is allowing customers to redeem points for tangible and intangible rewards.  Discover both why redeemable rewards work to build loyalty and engagement, as well as how to successfully integrate a rewards system into a gamified loyalty program. Using examples from the NFL, Yamaha Corporation and Adobe, find out what customers are looking for, and how rewards fit into the gamification puzzle in this talk by BigDoor’s VP of Sales, Gavin Hewitt.

Expect to learn:

  • Why are rewards important in a consumer facing gamified loyalty solution?
  • How are big brands embracing rewards and sweepstakes in their own loyalty programs?
  • What are some best practices for implementing a rewards program for your brand?`

Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
half the sky

Half the Sky: Lessons from Games for Change on Social Good Games

Ivan Kuo02 mins

How much impact can a social good game possibly have? According to Games for Change president, Asi Burak, the results may surprise you.

Half the Sky is a movement based on the award winning and bestselling book that is poised to take the world of social movements by storm. Working with the authors and international celebrities, the Games for Change organization, led by Asi Burak and Michelle Byrd, has built a coalition aimed at using gamification to empower women and girls. From his years of experience in the field, Asi will share how to build broad support for large-scale gamified projects, and what every organization needs to know as it embarks on this transformative path.

Watch Asi’s full GSummit SF 2013 talk below and learn what it takes to make a game with social impact.

Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
jesse redniss - suits recruits

Case Study: How Suits Recruits Increased Its User Base by Tenfold

Ivan Kuo01 mins

Would you believe in the participatory power of TV if we told you NBC/Universal raised their Suits Recruits game’s user base from 40,000 to 400,000 in just 3 years?

NBC/Universal was an early gamification pioneer, using the techniques to drive unprecedented engagement with fans across a wide range of properties and brands. Now, after several years of implementing these techniques, the company’s USA Network continues to set the standard for major media brands. In this GSummit SF 2013 talk, NBC/Universal SVP Jesse Redniss shares the insights, challenges and keys to success for their blockbuster fan engagement programs.

Want more GSummit videos? Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
mark yolton global communities

Nurturing and Growing Global Communities at SAP

Ivan Kuo11 mins

SAP is one of the world’s largest companies, and their user community is enormous, spanning a diverse range of industries in nearly every country. Perhaps surprisingly, SAP’s community has been at the forefront of embracing gamification, using it to drive extraordinary customer loyalty and engagement. Join this fast-paced session by SAP global head of Digital, Social, and Community Marketing Mark Yolton as he discusses the unique opportunities and challenges in creating and sustaining customer engagement around the world in this talk from GSummit SF 2013

Want more GSummit videos? Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More
bitcoin

Can Bitcoin be the Universal Currency for Engagement?

Kevin Shane01 mins

What if instead of having 1 card for all your different loyalty systems (a la Belly) you could just have 1 universal currency for all your digital transactions?

Bitcoins are taking the world by storm – an alternate currency that changes the dimensions of privacy, interaction and value management for consumers everywhere. But how can bitcoins be leveraged for loyalty, engagement and gamification? Join Patrick Murck , General Counsel of the Bitcoin Foundation for this eye-opening and insightful GSummit SF 2013 talk on one of the most important innovations in finance.

Want more GSummit videos? Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest videos from GSummit SF 2013 as they’re released. You can also download a copy of this presentation by downloading it here.

Read More

5 Lessons for Marketers from Adweek’s Science of Gamification Panel

Heong Weng Mak16 mins

Last week, New York City hosted Advertising Week, an annual event where leaders and experts of the marketing industry gather to share their thoughts and ideas. Amidst the 200 events, the gamification industry shared the spotlight as Digital Flash hosted a panel discussion themed “Science of Gamification”. Below are the five key points drawn from the discussion panel.

Read More