Gamification is an effective way to promote a brand or product with the help of engaging meta games. The idea is to make these games accessible to people who are not familiar with the traditional gaming demographic. Once the audience is hooked on the concept of gaming, companies can be assured of long term business for their product.
However, before getting too excited about this concept, one must understand what gamification is NOT.
It’s about using the game mechanics of the game to make tasks like learning more engaging.
You must think of gamification and use it only if it fits. Remember, that gamification is not for everyone!
Gamification should be based on the intrinsic motivators rather than external motivators. This means its' not just about where you stand in the rankings, but about the enjoyment of learning the content.
Should we add more sugar to your tea? Well, only you will know the answer to that. Similarly, if you think the training needs of your business needs the magic of gamification to enhance learning, then you should consider it. But, you may want to consider a needs analysis first and then start out with basic gamification to assess outcomes before proceeding further. Here are some positive benefits of gamification that might help you to decide.
Employees or learners enjoy the gamification element like the reward points, leader boards, and badges. It keeps them engaged and drives participation. However, the main aim should be to design the gaming elements based on intrinsic motivators rather than extrinsic ones. We will discuss this further later on.
People are motivated by the need to accomplish goals. The gamification environment helps them to target specific goals and achieve them.
When used in learning, gamification can work wonders. It helps the learner to retain information better as they are more involved in the learning process and repetition can be built into the learning environment.
A gamified environment enhances collaboration, communication, and knowledge-sharing amongst the participants
Motivators are of two kinds: extrinsic and intrinsic. Gamification uses both elements to build success, although may not be in equal proportions. When an individual is said to be driven by extrinsic motivators, it means the employee would work for material benefits like money, rewards, points, and so on. When an individual is said to be driven by intrinsic motivators, it means that the employee’s behavior is driven by internal feelings like joy, happiness, excitement and so on.
Gamification blends both the elements. Consumers are driven by competition. And where there is competition, there has to be rewards. Extrinsic factors like badges, points, and rankings drive the participants to perform better. The more rewards they achieve, the more engaged they become. Pursuing specific objectives is a long term process.
Once the consumer achieves the objectives or rewards, a new reward needs to be incorporated in order to maintain interest level. Gamification can also contribute to intrinsic motivators. A gaming environment stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain, which provides a happy feeling to the consumer. Success in the games brings them joy and encourages them to continue. Internal or intrinsic motivators can produce a sense of well-being for the individual that is more meaningful and lasting than extrinsic factors. However, motivating factors are individualized so the best approach is to incorporate both into the gaming environment when being utilized in the workplace.
When creating any gaming strategy, it is very important to recognize the real reasons for success of the gaming environment. The success lies in prolonging participation from consumers. Those people who play meta-games for a prolonged period of time, are considered to be the key to the success of a gamification strategy.
For more information on how you can use gamification to improve your business training contact us today!
