Information Technology & Social Media News

Great Slide share on enterprise gamification from @martarauch.

Badges We Don't Need No Stinkin Badges
Had someone get pretty upset with me last night. She perceived that I was making light of gamification and tossing around the term like a neo maxi zoom dweebie.

I am an INTERNET MARKETER. This means I know and use terms like gamification with the proper amount of circumspection. I also had the "Father of Gamification" take me to the hoop the other day on Cure Cancer Starter pretty hard.

To the Gamification police I say CHILL.

Gamification has its own built in Darwinian thing. It is NOT easy and will not treat those who are looking for a quick fix well. Like any Internet marketing gamification takes testing, tweaking and listening more than you talk. These points are made in the article if a tad on the preachy side (for my taste).

I've experienced this feeling before. It is as if the lucky few inside the club now want to shut the doors because they see their reputations and livelihoods at risk by the legions of neo maxi zoom dweebies flooding the market.

All markets change and the first settlers desire to fend off the latest wave, filled though it may be with zoom dweebies, is arrogance and hubris. Better to LEARN and LISTEN (at least in my 13 years of IM and 30 years of marketing experience).

Let me judge THIS article less harshly. This post is more balanced than the comment from yesterday or my beat down from the "Father of Gamification". I'm still here working on CureCancerStarter.org so those things didn't KILL me but made me stronger and more determined.

Don't think gamification is the EASY thing to do inside of otherwise complicated Internet marketing. It is NOT and there are all kinds of "gamification" so study up, test and don't be pushed away from the door because those inside are saying the gamification green room is full.

Death Of Gamification Greatly Exaggerated

These "death of gamification" articles are becoming popular. The irony of that in the scope of the content game we play can't be overlooked, but let's put that discussion on hold. Instead lets discuss the fact that gamification is NOT monolithic. 

Gamification, the use of game theory in marketing or other non-game enterprise functions, takes many forms such as:

* Active - earning points for social rewards.

* Passive - forming an ecosystem with algorithms reinforces play.

* Real Tie - we will play in real time when predictive analytics and big data become more common.

I got criticism speaking of "badges" at a Meetup recently. The person made it sound like I was equating all gamification with badges. Not so, I am keenly aware of the many different variations of gamification. 

A website's taxonomy (its navigation) is a form of gamification. Website designers are developing paths and rewards or "passive" gamification. When I reward your behavior with an instant redeem coupon we've moved into real time gamification and when I keep track of your "points" we've moved to active gamification. 

Great gamification happens without you ever knowing it. What is a red light but a convention, a game, we all agree to and play by daily. Our rewards are not having car crashes and being a good citizen. Make no mistake, red lights and green lights are games and we "win" by arriving home in time for dinner safely. 

NO gamification is not now nor will it ever be "played out".