Gamification:
The Ultimate Guide (2022)

If it were to be defined in a single sentence, gamification is the process of adding game elements to non game activities. It involves the application of game features in education, training and marketing activities in order to gain loyalty and enhance user engagement.  Most times, the game features used in gamification are points, badges and rating systems.  
In the 60s, Mary Poppins, an icon of popular culture, described in a song called “un morceau de sucre” ("a lump of sugar")which makes a perfect definition of gamification:

"In ev'ry job that must be done

There is an element of fun

You find the fun and SNAP!

The job's a game"

(Dans tout travail à accomplir

Se trouve un élément de plaisir

Trouvez le plaisir et POUF !

Le travail devient un jeu)

The point of these words is that any activity can become fun, enjoyable and engaging if you turn it into a game.

Gamification as a concept blew up in the public eye in the 2010s, with its application on social networks like Foursquare (a trusted, independent location data platform for understanding how people move through the real world).
But the precepts of gamification were first developed in 2003 by Yu-Kai Chou. he formulated a model for assessing the dynamics of gamification. : The Octalysis According to him, gamification is based on 8 universal forces, which can be combined with one another in more or less complex gamification systems: 

An Epic Meaning & Calling: the desire to feel that our actions have a purpose

This is the force behind the player's conviction that they are either involved in something bigger than them, or they have been selected to do something.
This is what drives the committed people on forums like Wikipedia.
Another instance is when a player finds a gift or an item at the very start of their journey, that they think other players don't have, they begin to believe that a great opportunity has been given to them by this engine from the very start of the game.

Development & Accomplishment: The determination to face and overcome challenges

The achievement drive allows you to progress, develop skills and conquer challenges. Without challenges, badges and trophies lose their meaning. This engine is the easiest to design and is the foundation for most of the points, badges and leadership reward structures.

The power of creativity & feedback: The desire to choose one's own direction and to explore a wide range of solutions to a problem

Empowering creativity is when users have to explore and try out different solutions before they understand things. This implies that people can try out different approaches, see the results of their creativity, receive feedback and make adjustments.

Some environments like legos or painting are game mechanisms that can stand on their own.
Creative options are endless, with this drive you don't necessarily need to add contents to keep the activity interesting. 

Ownership & Possession: The desire to own things

With this approach, users are engaged because they feel they own something. If the user becomes an owner, they will seek to enhance what they own and would want to own even more. 
This corresponds to the desire to accumulate wealth, therefore it correlates with virtual worlds that allow the accumulation of virtual goods or currency. The concept of ownership in the game is also found in the personalization of the player's profile:

the more it can be personalized, the more he feels like it belongs to him.
Finally, this concept of ownership is also behind the desire to collect some items, like stamps. 

 Social Influence & It's Correlation - The desire to interact, help,learn and compete with others.

This concept has its roots in the components of social relationships that have motivating power on people: the desire for recognition, acceptance,mentorship, competition or envy. If a friend is exceptional at something, we are naturally inclined to want to achieve the same level. If they have something extraordinary, we may also want that.

The tendency to look up to people and social standard is found in the natural desire to identify with things that are similar to us. This also correlate to what attracts us to things that remind us of our childhood memories, and it is widely used in marketing. 

Scarcity & Impatience - The desire to want things that we cannot have

This concept is based on the desire to have what you can't have.
This can be observed in games that require you to wait a certain amount of time before winning: if you can't get it right away, you think of other ways of getting it until you do. 
Facebook owes its popularity to this drive: It was first reserved only for Harvard students, then it progressively expanded to include a selected number of high-profile schools.
By the time it opened to the general public, it was a great success, because its exclusive approach had drawn the attention of a large audience.

Uncertainty & Curiosity) - Wanting to know what will come up next

The concept is behind the urge to want to know what will happen next. If we are left in the dark as to not knowing what's going to happen next, there is a high probability that the brain will start to think about it.
This is the premise on which soap operas are largely based, it has made Netflix successful and is also found in movies and reading..

To cut a long story short, we are talking about suspense. This drive is behind contests, lotteries organized by brands to capture the attention of their audience or behind initiatives like story learning.

On the downside, this too is the driving force behind gambling addiction. 

 Loss & Avoidance - The desire to avoid pain or negative outcomes.

On a smaller scale, this concept is behind the desire to avoid the loss of things done in the past, like a house or a community.

On a larger scale fore instance, it is about trying to retain the value of a path staying on course until you reach your goal. 
This is the same approach used in marketing pop up Sales: if you don't act right away, the opportunity will be gone forever. 

Typical profiles and motivations

Richard Bartle, a professor, author and researcher in the field of gaming, is the founder of Bartle's taxonomy.
This is the groupings of video game players that are based on an article he wrote in 1996 ,which still describes the various categories of players based on preferred actions in the game.

• Achievers

Their goal: to achieve a position and reach a goal

Their commitment: the drive to succeed

• Socializers

Their aim: Network with friends and contacts.

Their commitment: search news feeds, friend lists and interactions

• Explorers
  
  Their aim: To explore and unravel the world of games.
  
  What drives them: setting high expectations for themselves.

Their commitments: grades, rankings and charts.

4 types of “fun”

The President of XEODesigns, Nicole Lazzaro has identified some reasons why people play.
based on her findings on gamers and non gamers, she has grouped emotions into 4 "fun" categories:

• Hard Fun : The feeling of pride after overcoming a tough challenge 
• Easy Fun : That feeling of curiosity in exploring the role plays and the possibilities of creativity.
• Serious Fun : being able to act in an environment where games are played.
• People Fun : To be amused when being put in competitive or cooperative situations

Gamification gained recognition in the 2010s following the launch of badges and rewards on social media.
From then on,It has been successful in many aspects varying from marketing to training.

This idea started from somewhere. It dates as far back as 120 years ago. The aim was to build commitment and improve the purchasing behaviour pf people in a positive way. 

1896: The S&H green stamps

The first reward program was created by Sperry & Hutchinson (S&H)

Customers were rewarded with little green stamps at checkout points of supermarkets, shops and petrol stations, they could be exchanged for products listed in the rewards catalogue. 

1908: The Birth of Boy Scouts movement in the USA

One of the traditions of Boy Scouts' was the awarding of badges to recognise their achievements. To earn a new badge, one had be competent in a particular activity. 

 1973: Exploring the power of play to motivate employees .

The fore runner of gamification, Charles Coonradt, wrote the book "The Game of Work" in 1973.
The purpose of the book was to address the decline in productivity problem in the United States.
He mentioned that productivity was falling while sales of sports and leisure equipment rose.
In his opinion games and entertainment could motivate employees in the work place.

1978 : The Birth of social video games 

Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle launched multiplayer games like World Of Warcraft or Fortnite, the game MUD1.
this launched the era of online social games.

1980: The essay "What makes it fun to learn" was published.

Thomas Malon who is now a professor of management at the MIT Sloan School of Management wrote : "What Makes Learning Fun: A Study of Highly Motivating Computer Games". 

1981 :American Airlines lance AAdvantage

AAdvantage is believed to be the first loyalty program in the world. It promotes loyalty by offering rewards to regular customers.
This concept has now been adopted by majority of retailers, including the sandwich shops. 

1982 : Scholars acknowledge the value of gaming.

Computer games are capable of engaging users.
Articles have started to explore the potential use of games for productivity.
In 1981, Thomas Malone wrote "Toward a Theory of Intrinsically Motivating Instruction" and "Heuristics for Designing Enjoyable User Interfaces".
These articles talks about how computer games can be applied to other fields.

1983 and 1987: The First hotel and car rental loyalty programmes.

In 1983, Holiday Inn launched the first hotel loyalty programme. Five years on, The National Car Rental started it's first car rental rewards programme.

1990: 30% of US households own a NES 

Gaming became affordable in homes, with game consoles becoming accessible from this period onwards.
A new generation of gamers emerged.

1996: Classification of the types of video game players

Richard Bartle a scholar and writer on video games, published“Who plays MUA”(MUA means Multi Users Adventures, or multiplayer video games).
Among the video game players we will examine 4 types, based on the way they approach the game, which will form the concept of many gamification systems.

1999: the notion of fun is taken seriously

Stephen W. Draper wrote an article that implies that the enjoyment of users should be considered in software designs.

2002: The birth of the "gamification as a concept.

Nick Pelling, an English computer programmer and investigative writer, first used the term to describe the concept.

2005 - Creation of the first modern gamification platform 

Rajat Paharia launched Bunchball, a platform that was created to boost to engagement on websites by adding game mechanics.

2007 - Gamification of household tasks

Kevan Davis a web and game developer, is currently developing Chore Wars.

The aim of this site is to make house keeping fun by gamifying sharing of chores.

2009 - Quest to Learn, the first school using a game-based learning approach

The Quest to Learn School is a collaborative effort between the Institute of Play and the New York City Department of Education.
Also supported by the MacArthur Foundation and New Visions for Public Schools.
The first school year included a sixth grade class. Each year brought a new grade but it ended in 2015 when the school evolved into a full-time high school. 

2009: The Launch of Foursquare

Foursquare is a success. The application allows users to discover new places and rewards them for their discoveries. They also get rewarded for regular check-ins. The application works on a system of badges and rewards can be used by companies in every field. 

2010 : DevHub

DevHub has been able to increase user engagement by 70% by adding a points system to its website.

2010 : The Gamification Summit.

Gamification Co is hosting the first ever Gamification Summit in San Francisco, California.

2012 : Kevin Werbach's gamification course on Coursera

In 2012, 45,000 people enrolled in Professor Kevin Werbach's online gamification course on Coursera. 

2012 : Gartner predictions 

According to Gartner, in 2012 he predicted that 70% of global organisations will have at least one gamified application by 2014.
In 2013, gamification had a wider reach.
In 2014, 9 out of 10 companies reported that their gamification efforts were successful.

2016 : The Value of gamification

The gamification market is estimated to be worth $4.9 billion.

2021 : The global gamification market is estimated at $11.94 billion.

The growth is impressive and will continue to expand.

It's fun !

When talking about gamification, The first benefit is evident. : it is fun for users when it is done well. A task that feels like a game brings pleasure to the one who completes it, so there is a likely possibility that they will come back for more. The concept of play is universal. Gamification can be addictive it provides pleasure to the player. it can contribute to  overcoming the challenges of  digital learning. 

Increases motivation, commitment and productivity

With its reward system, gamification has the power to engage any type of user, be it consumers, corporate employees or students. Engagement is the bedrock of productivity. learners are more likely to spend time on learning games that use reward systems..Badges and points offer tangible rewards.
A study on video games in 2006, highlights key factors that motivate people to engage games: 

• The desire to achieve : Players want to succeed and prove that they can handle challenges.
• Social factors: players are motivated by the networking and team work.
• Immersion: players are inspired to explore the potentials of the game and create personal experiences.

In productivity, there is nothing hidden.
In a business or a professional setting, the more motivated we are, the more productive we become. 
Gamification has the ability to improve skills and productivity by creating a relaxing environment.

The Power of Positive Reinforcement 

Gamification used properly, can impact the feelings, attitudes and behaviors. It is often used to achieve positive reinforcement as a preventive measure, but can also be used to raise awareness for safety rules and regulations. 

Learning retention and cognitive development

Gaming makes learners actively involved in their learning.
By getting them engaged, it promotes participation and better retention of the training content unlike just reading or following a lecture (as in Informal learning).

In addition,gamification contributes to effective development. A study in 2013 by Blumberg & Fisch explains that games that involves critical thinking and problem solving improves assimilation and retention skills. Training courses that use gamification helps to gain attentiveness quickly. 

Gamification makes learning transparent

Learners can monitor their progress, the skills they have acquired, as well as their level using the game or game-inspired environments.
In a learning environments, gamification allows users to follow up on their rate of assimilation and progress.
This can encourage learners to repeat quizzes or activities in order to have better scores.

Gamification reduces the fear of failure and drop-out in learning

Failure is part of learning, but in a training context it can cause embarrassment for learners.
In a game however, failure is usually a call to try again and do better.
If you easily gave up when you were younger,gamification makes it easier now to keep trying and do better.
A 2013 study by Huang, Hsin-Yuan and Soman explain how gamification encourages learners to fail and retry doing so without embarrassment.

Gamification promotes social connections

Ratings and reward system encourages users to interact with each other, be it to create teams, to work together on challenges and have healthy competitions. 

BUT...

Poorly executed gamification has negative consequences

To apply gamification in training or marketing, a good knowledge of the content you are working on is required. 
Gamification is broad and If not well done can have negative effects. It can also have the opposite effect of what was intended. Bad gamification leads to unhealthy competition ,frustration or generate hostility etc... among users and can generally become unsuitable to the target audience.
To avoid such problems,It is advisable to work with experts in the field or use solutions that are specifically designed for gamification in training or marketing.

Gamification can cause attention deficit

In an educational setting, for instance, learners who are used to receiving immediate feedback on their actions may become impatient when it takes longer. To avoid this, it is advisable to use gamification phases at intervals, while alternating detailed theoretical aspects of the training (for example via an LMS) with gamified microlearning, as it can be found in a blended learning context

A commitment that can erode once the novelty wears off

In the long run, games can become tiring, if it doesn't evolve.
This is evident in the words of the famous Farmville, which said goodbye on December 31, 2020. 
It is challenging to keep users interested in gamification over time, because if it provides a certain level of commitement, it must be constantly renewed to sustain it.
In order for it to be sustainable and keep consumers or learners engaged, gamification must provide useful benefits and evolve constantly.

Right from inception, the gamification market has grown tremendously with the help of global digitalisation.
Gamification operates successfully not just because of its points system, badges, rankings, challenges and levels but because it encourages creative learning.

Today, Gamblers are not teenagers or single men, as the clichés have long portrayed.
Gamblers are not gender based, anyone can be a gambler. 

Gamification in the workplace

Gamification contributes to the  digital Transformation of the workplace, while offering endless possibilities of boosting productivity. Because Gamification is data-driven, it has the virtue of boosting employee motivation and engagement. 

The idea of having fun at work is now being embraced and encouraged. Moreover, with the digital era and the younger generation entering the labour market, socialisation,  collaboration and fun are at the core of the new value systems. 

Back in 2013, At the inception of gamification, T-mobile the American operator had noted some impressive figures that are related to the introduction of gamification in its internal and collaborative platform. Employee contributions reportedly jumped by 583%, increasing customer satisfaction scores by 31%.

An excellent return of investment.Some Popularly known companies that have adopted Gamification strategies are Coca Cola, and Google search.
They have successfully implemeted this initiative especially in the area of employee training. 

Application of Gamification in Marketing

Digital marketing has taken marketing to new heights, opening up new avenues to drive user engagement and sales. In highly competitive markets, Advertisers aim to win customer loyalty. In this context, Gamification has proven to be a great tool for building long-term relationships with customers, as seen in the successful global brand, Starbucks. In some cases, gamification in marketing can help an advertisers achieve their dreams.

Gamification in Learning 

Gamification is now the new tool for education and training. With the digitalized training and a 100% implementation, one of the greatest challenges for trainers is to gain and sustain the attention of learners. For this to be achieved, They need to create programmes that are engaging, interactive and easily accessible. With distance learning and an increasing autonomous learner population, the challenge of engagement has become even greater. Gamification offers answers to these challenges, making it possible to design programmes suitable for all generations in a game language that can be easily understood. Gamified learning modules such as from mobile learning to intensive multi-level games, gamification is taking over learning and vice versa. 

Determine the business objectives and issues that the programme addresses

As earlier stated, integrating gamification into a professional or learning context entails visibility and understanding the objectives to be met. 
Gamification adds little value in a training context and can be detrimental. To successfully integrate gamification in a professional training context, the first step is to define the reasons for doing so.Defining clear objectives should be based on certain criteria. They must be specific, measurable and realistic. 
By Specific it means that the target audience should be identified, what would be taught and the tool to be used to teach it.
Measurable means that the impact and outcomes must be determined in line with the goals.
Finally, realistic means the set objectives must be achievable for the learners and in line with the current situation in the company. An objective that cannot be met can be demotivating. Examples of objectives include:

• Improve customer satisfaction rate on an after-sales service by xx%.
• Increase the proportion of salespeople who are proficient in English language by xx%.
• Improve team performance through effective management...Etc.

Knowing the profile of the learners

Gamified trainings require knowledge of the players, also known as learners. Who are they and What motivates them? Creating a profile of learners in the company allows us to understand the reality of their background and work and this enables us to relate to them in order to understand what triggers their commitment to gamified training. In continuation,Age and professional background can help greatly in the understanding of gamification. For instance, younger people in support industries like marketing are likely to be more interested in gamification than people in engineering.
Likewise, a post-2000 generation are more likely to be aware of gamification, but this does not mean that other generations are not. As already stated, gaming is a universal language.  One of the factors to consider when profiling learners is their professional and educational background, which makes it easier to group them by their type of profession. 

Another important factor to consider is the psychological profile of the players, either competitive or team players.

Finally, The gender and nationality of players can be another factor in the grouping, although not all training programs pay attention to this detail. 

Defining the expected learning flow

This step involves defining the flow of the gamified learning experience, making a training plan.It is not a matter of adding trivias, but rather determining the game techniaues used with one another to create a consistent and engaging experience that meets the objectives that have been set. For example, gamification training can include storytelling that engages learners in a task or adventure. Setting the path also involves a choice in game mechanics:Will learners be made to compete or work with each other? Finally, it is a question of  Determine the rewards and degree of gamification of the training. This part is also about how learners will complete assignments as part of the learning. be it quizzes, challenges, puzzles or narrative storytelling. The choices made based on the learner profiles determines the success of the gamified training. In any case,it is not necessary to create a complete game world in order to have an effective gamification experience..It is not just about making regular training courses entertaining,they can be demotivating if  given in a classic way because of the repetitive aspects of the trainings.

Determining the reward system

The gamification of training inevitably involves a reward system, as it is the basis of the game and most importantly creates engagement. As earlier stated, the rewards systems most commonly used in gamification are : points, badges and ranking systems, which can be applied to the world of training without problems. Depending on the type of reward chosen, the game dynamics will be quite different for the learner. You have to choose wisely, depending on if you want to create a competition between teams, a personal challenge etc. A points system creates a motivating effect, a level system creates a concept of status, badges create a challenge, etc. Once the reward mechanism has been determined, the next course of action is to design a scale to determine the reward for actions taken by the learner. The challenge here is to design a scale that does not encourage learners to repeat simple and irrelevant activities just to earn points. It is important to keep in mind the objectives of the training to determine how to reward every action. Finally you also choose the content of the rewards at this stage.
Are the rewards limited to points? Do the points unlock tangible rewards like gifts or access to exclusive content? Are the rewards gratitudes or social recognition such as likes from other learners? 

Identify engagement loops

This concept originated from the world of gaming.
The aim of Engagement loops aim to capture the player's attention and keep them engaged for a long time. An interesting mechanism if successfully reproduced in a training context. With gamification,Engagement loops allow the learner's actions and progress level to be evaluated. Here the learners realize that their knowledge deepens as the course advances. Engagement loops are progression phases, that allows the learner to progress in terms of skills. The main challenge at this stage is to design relevant content, strong enough to encourage learning and commitment, without coming across as too easy or difficult. Also at this stage the learners can monitor their own progress in the game, either at the beginning or the end of the training course.

Designing easy-to-learn rules that meet the objectives

Some people enjoy board games that needs two hours to unravel the rules before playing (note that when it comes to what governs the Legal aspects of e-learning, it's a little long). When it comes to the gamification of training, the opposite should be done. lack of understanding can be discouraging.

The rules must be stated clearly,easy to understand and comprehensive. In this context, it is important to note the profiles of the learners in advance. Futhermore, The rules of the game should include the training goals.
They should indicate required behaviours and how they will be rewarded or the point system to be used.  The rules should clearly state what is expected of the learners. 

Create an engaging visual Environment

Creating engaging visual are the keys to achieving a successful gamification as it helps to attract the learners and keep them engaged. Integrating gamification into training involves designing playful visual applications with instinctive usability suitable for games.like other digital experiences, frictions do not impact the users. Trainings that effectively use gamification leverage on the best of today's game interfaces, especially when it is about mobile learning, as there is an increasing number of users who use their smart phones to play games.
Be it color or word choices,no detail should be ignored as this can have an effect on learner engagement.