We’re about halfway done with our Best of 2012 series and today we’re going to look at top gamification posts by gamification experts in 2012. Read on for outstanding advice about design, the pitfalls of gamification, top trends in loyalty, and what gamification will really mean going forth in 2013. Gamification experts will always have a voice on GamificationCo and we invite anyone who has something to say to step up to the plate.
We had a great gsummitX in Tel Aviv on Christmas Day, with a standing room-only crowd and great speakers. We’ll soon share some of the videos from the event, but in the meantime you might enjoy reading my notes. I took these from listening to the varied speakers and then did an impromptu presentation where I responded to their assertions and highlighted their most interesting comments. My handwriting isn’t the best, but the topics are fascinating.
Happy new year everyone! We’re continuing our Best of 2012 Series with the top articles on Social Good from last year. From new startups and successful programs, to Gabe Zichermann’s challenges for game designers, 2012 had some very interesting moments for social good gamification:
On Christmas Eve The New York Times – the paper of record – acknowledged the influence of gamification with an article which features delightful game mechanics in its online version, while the print version of the article appeared on the cover, page A1. Technology writer Nick Wingfield offered readers a basic introduction to the gamification movement with some case studies and a little bit of cotroversy as well. Online readers earned badges for reading the article, searching through it, for reading the comments and more.
One of the biggest ideological debates in the games industry today is about the role, meaning, value and place of gamification. There has been almost every kind of discussion, from polite to threatening, political to academic and expert to amateur. And while the arguments and syntax vary, they seem to always end up in a place familiar to contemporary American culture: the religious ideological war. In fact, what we’re witnessing is more of a schism than an outright battle, and my sense is that both disciplines will ultimately be better for it.
In order to contextualize the discussion, I want to lay out the Top Four biggest mistakes, myths and misunderstandings that game designers have about gamification, and how they can improve their comprehension. At the same time, I want to help explain how gamification designers can benefit from accepting criticism through a meaningful filter that can be useful to advance the art and science of engagement.
For the last two years, I’ve been quietly talking about a gamification code of ethics. The discussion tends to come up most often at dinner parties and during GSummit, but it’s also been a hot topic during debates about gamification’s role in the future. I firmly believe that part of the reason we get so much snark online for Gamification is not because it’s a passing fad, but rather because it’s a powerful force for change that threatens the existing order. While we could dodge the question of gamification’s potential to cause harm to society, I don’t think we should.
That’s why I want to start a dialogue with the whole community about a code of ethics for our industry — and we need your involvement.
GSummit SF 2013’s early bird pricing is ending next week! Make sure you register now to take advantage of the $200 discount!
Each week on the Gamification Revolution web show, Gabe Zichermann answers all your burning gamification questions LIVE every Monday at 1pm ET/10am PT/1800 GMT at http://gamification.co/live. This week’s show features Michael Hugos, Managing Principal at SCM Globe and Author of the book, Enterprise Games and a very special guest appearance by Hugos’ wife and cat. Here’s a rundown on some…
I recently wrote an article for my Huffington Post column about how to use gamification to raise voter turnout, called “Rethinking Elections with Gamification.” Dismayed by the huge expense of the US federal election and the continued abysmally low turnout among voters, I thought there has to be something we can do to improve a…
Each week on the Gamification Revolution web show, Gabe Zichermann answers all your burning gamification questions LIVE every Monday at 1pm ET/10am PT/1800 GMT at http://gamification.co/live. This week’s show features Kevin Werbach, Professor at the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania and professor of the Coursera Gamification Course. Here’s a rundown on some of the topics they spoke about:…
Each week on the Gamification Revolution web show, Gabe Zichermann answers all your burning gamification questions LIVE every Monday at 1pm ET/10am PT/1800 GMT at http://gamification.co/live. On this week’s show, Gabe answered a myriad of user questions about gamification. Here’s a rundown on the topics covered this week: Gabe talks about his lessons learned with working in gamification in…
Each week on the Gamification Revolution web show, Gabe Zichermann answers all your burning gamification questions LIVE every Monday at 1pm ET/10am PT/1800 GMT at http://gamification.co/live. This week’s show features Kes Sampanthar, Director of Media Strategies at Cynergy, The Experience Agency. Here’s a rundown on the topics covered this week: Kes’ beginnings with creating games and Thinkcube How to sustain…
Today, Venturebeat reports on a new startup called Top That out of the Cayman Islands. The company, which just launched, bills itself as a platform for any kind of social competition. The design appears to be mostly quite straightforward – it’s a Hot or Not style ranking game. You are given two possible choices and are…
Each week on the Gamification Revolution web show, Gabe Zichermann answers all your burning gamification questions LIVE every Monday at 1pm ET/10am PT/1800 GMT at http://gamification.co/live. This week’s guest features Jeff Coghlan, CEO & Founder of the award-winning branded entertainment agency, Matmi. Here’s a rundown on the topics covered this week: Jeff’s origins on how he got into making…
Each week on the Gamification Revolution web show, Gabe Zichermann answers all your burning gamification questions LIVE every Monday at 1pm ET/10am PT/1800 GMT at http://gamification.co/live. If you missed Gabe’s live show this week, here’s a rundown on some of the topics covered: The Michelin Stars rating system from a gamification design perspective. How to analyze the negative characteristics of…
