Beyond Gamification: IxD12 Version

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The Use of Game Design Elements
in Non-Game Contexts.
A DEFINITION
“
”
GAMIFICATION
- Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, Nacke
http://goo.gl/25R4e

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A DEFINITION
“
”
All that crap people are
pushing because we have
a generation of people
who grew up on games.
- JMSpool IxD12 2:15
GAMIFICATION

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POINTS
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
BADGES LEADERBOARDS REWARDS

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WHAT IS A GAME?

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WHAT IS A GAME?
A voluntary, rules-bound experience of
competitive strife towards discrete
goals or outcomes.

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BUT WHERE’S THE FUN?
http://www.mrtoledano.com

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FARMVILLE

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THE PROBLEM WITH FUN
IT’S TOO DILUTED OF A CONCEPT
It doesn’t distinguish the unique psychological experience
of gameplay that leads to SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT.
See:
Raph Koster – A Theory of Fun in Games
Nicole Lazzaro – Four Keys to Fun
Marc Leblanc – Eight Kinds of Fun

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TOO MUCH FOCUS ON SHALLOW, EXTRINSIC
REWARDS – POINTS & BADGES –
DOES NOT LEAD TO PLAYER SATISFACTION
OR SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT.
MOTIVATION, ENGAGEMENT & PLEASURABLE INTERACTIONS

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ORGANISMIC-INTEGRATION THEORY

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SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY
SDT argues that human beings seek out
(and continue to engage in) activities if they
promise (and succeed) to satisfy 3 intrinsic
motivational needs:

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SDT argues that human beings seek out (and continue to engage in) activities if
these promise (and succeed) to satisfy 3 intrinsic motivational needs:

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COMPETENCE: (MEANINGFUL GROWTH)

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COMPETENCE
THE PATH TO MASTERY:
+ The “Path To Mastery” is an experience over time
+ Nested, short-term achievable goals that lead to success of the overarching long-term goal.
+ Wherever a player is on their quest there should be a next goal just around the corner.
+ Design appropriate challenges and rewards for all players along Player Experience Lifecycle.
N00B –> Intermediate –> Master

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COMPETENCE: OBJECTIVE, GOALS, ACTIONS!

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COMPETENCE: ARF!

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COMPETENCE
EXPERIENCE OF CHALLENGE
+ Keep core actions simple to engage players early
+ Accelerate the level of challenge as they gain mastery to keep them engaged
+ Optimal challenge stretches player ability but doesn’t overwhelm
+ Allow players to fail gracefully if it can provide an opportunity to learn and grow
MAKE PROGRESS VISIBLE
+ Provide real-time granular, sustained and cumulative feedback on overall performance
+ Ensure that progress data is actionable and meaningful to player competence, during immediate
play and long-term engagement
+ Plan milestone-markers of achievement and recognition along the way
+ Measure to measure the things that matter & reward for true accomplishment

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EXPRESSION OF MASTERY
+ After hard-earned victories, allow players to enjoy and express their dominance
+ Sustained engagement is more a function of continued success than feeling continually stretched
+ Ease-off dif culty for a short term – Let them Coast.
+ Provide social outlets for bragging & peacocking
+ Big “Juicy Feedback” for a job well done
COMPETENCE

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COMPETENCE: JUICY FEEDBACK

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AUTONOMY: (MEANINGFUL CHOICE)

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THE GAME BELONGS TO THE USER
+ Choice, control and personal preference lead players to deep engagement and loyalty
+ Provide the right feedback to guide players in making the best use of their autonomy
+ Experience pathways can be designed “on rails” to limit or give the illusion of freedom
+ Volitional Engagement: “I nd value in the Actions I am taking.”
+ “Want to.” vs. “Have to.”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION!
+ Create “What If?” moments: “What if I did X instead of Y?”
+ Provide a variety of ways to engage
+ Provide a sense of increasing opportunities of action that motivate sustained interest:
(Unlocks, privileges, new modes of play, wider social network, more challenges)
+ Design multiple pathways leading to the desired end-state
AUTONOMY

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AUTONOMY: MULTIPLE PATHWAYS

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RELATEDNESS: (MUTUAL DEPENDENCE)

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THE SPARK OF CONNECTION
+ We are intrinsically motivated to seek meaningful connections with others
+ Data shows that allowing players to connect with others and build relationships energizes, and
sustains ongoing engagement
+ Focus on social mechanics that allow players to both give and receive support of their goals
+ Design for “Moments of Relevance,” allowing players to positively impact each other or the system
BEYOND OTHER PLAYERS
+ Provide value to your audience beyond the mechanics that run your system.
+ Tap into content that people are passionate about (Health, Wealth, Career, Arts, Pro-Social)
+ Provide recognition for actions that matter to your players not just to the business
+ Check out the CSCW movement (Computer Supported Cooperative Work)
+ Allow users to inject their own long & short term goals into the system
RELATEDNESS

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RELATEDNESS: MINT.COM CASE STUDY

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RELATEDNESS: BEYOND HUMAN

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RELATEDNESS: VOICE AND TONE.COM

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A FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS

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STEP 1: WHY GAMIFY?
CRITICAL STAKEHOLDER QUESTIONS:
1. What is the main reason for Gamifying your product / service?
2. How does the game bene t the user?
3. Will they enjoy it?
What are the goals of the business?
What actions do you want your players to take to support those goals?
What are the risks if it back res?
BUSINESS QUESTIONS:
What are the goals of the people using the product?
What kind of experience are you looking to deliver to your customers?
PLAYER QUESTIONS:

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STEP 2: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Who are your players?
Why are they playing?
What are their motivations, expectations and desired outcomes?
How does the game address each of these?
What is their Primary Play Style?
Who do they want to play with and against?
What Social Actions do they nd enjoyable – and why?
What metrics do they care about?
RESEARCH INSPIRES DESIGN

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STEP 3: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

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STEP 3: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Long Term Goal must be compelling & fairly dif cult to achieve.
Can be Mastery of New Skill, A New Habit, An Achievement, A Title or any other
pinnacle of personal growth.
THE HERO’S QUEST…
What must players accomplish in order to reach the ultimate objective?
How can you break the journey up into discrete and satisfying challenges that push
your players and help them improve?
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Figure out a way to make long-term and short-term goals as exciting and aspirational
as possible. Go for the Glory.
DESIRE TO INSPIRE

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STEP 4: SKILLS & ACTIONS
What skills does your target audience already have?
What skill level are they at?
Consider what other abilities are necessary to succeed in the game.
Physical Skills: walking, running, typing, nunchacku skills, bow hunting skills
Mental Skills: pattern recognition, spatial logic, organization, computer hacking skills
Social Skills: presentation, conversation, persuasion, meeting new people
How can you best balance your game for your players’ abilities?
GIRLS ONLY WANT BOYFRIENDS WHO HAVE GREAT SKILLS
Choose skills that have long learning curves and can be developed over time.
Break longer mastery arcs into smaller nested skill-chains
Are the skills you are considering measurable? How might you make them measurable?
(monitoring/technology dependent?)
TRACK AND MEASURE

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STEP 5: ESTABLISH RESISTANCE
EXPLORE NEW PERSPECTIVES THROUGH LENSES OF INTEREST
COMPETITION TYPES: Player v Player, Player v System, Self-Directed
TIME PRESSURE: Relaxed explorative play or brash tactics get things done play.
SCARCITY: Scarcity can add a level of challenge and strategic gameplay.
PUZZLES: Problems that promise the existence of a solution.
NOVELTY: Change presents a new set of challenges and patterns to Master
LEVELS: Telegraph progress, ability and access & Provide Roadmap of Progress
SOCIAL PRESSURE/PROOF: The herd must be right
TEAMWORK: Can also be resistance when we need to work with others
CURRENCY: Anything that can be exchanged for something of value will be sought
RENEWALS & POWER-UPS: ‘Unstick’ player & redirect from dead-ends.

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STEP 6: DETERMINE OUTCOMES
The Epic Win may take weeks, months, years to achieve but along the way, players need to see
and feel incremental successes and failures
Outcomes can be contingent or scheduled. Players can trigger an outcome based on speci c
action they take or based on a time frame within the game
Outcomes can be positive - moving up a level OR negative - starting a challenge over
FEEDBACK, REWARDS & RECOGNITION ALONG THE WAY
How does the player “Win” the game?
How long does the game take to resolve?
EPIC WINS!
Allow for (some) failure by design. Uncertainty of win condition keeps player’s interested
Missed goals and setbacks within the game should be highlighted as learnable moments
GRACEFUL FAILURES

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STEP 7: PLAY-TEST & POLISH!

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STEP 7: PLAY-TEST & POLISH!
What's working / What isn't?
What have you not considered?
Is the dif culty balanced enough for different skill levels?
Is the game personal enough for your players?
Do they feel that it's tailored to their own unique personality and desires?
Are you tapping into Player Experience needs of Competence, Autonomy, & Mastery?
What is going to keep it interesting in 10 weeks time? In 8 months time?
When player reach the Epic Win! it's time to go back to the drawing board.
PLATFORMS ARE NEVER DONE

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EVOLUTION
Games are motivation engines.
Opportunities are ripe to evolve “gami cation”
past operant conditioning tactics and towards a
more motivationally balanced “gameful design.”
Consumers are demanding a level of pleasure
in the tools and services they are using.
Since video games are designed with the
primary purpose of entertainment, shouldn’t
they be able to make other non-game products
more enjoyable as well?
IN CONCLUSION

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PLEASURABLE PRODUCTS FOR THE WIN!

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Dustin DiTommaso
Experience Design Director
[email protected] | @DU5TB1N
Portsmouth | Boston | Louisville
We deliver research-inspired design
aimed at improving the experiences
people have with technology,
organizations, and each other.

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REFERENCES: A PATH TO MASTERY
Nic Kelman, “Yes, but is it a game?” from Games : Required essay from a not so
required book.
Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun for Game Design : Fun arises from Learning & Mastery
James Paul Gee, What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning & Literacy :
Pairs nicely with Koster’s book
Mihály Csikszentmihályi, Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience :
Many implications for creating engagement architectures
Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens, A Study of the Play Element in Culture :
“All play means something.”
Ryan, Deci, The Handbook of Self-Determination Research :
Games satisfy intrinsic psychological needs
GAME THINKER

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Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design – A Book of Lenses : Tactical and practical
Tracy Fullerton, Game Design Workshop : Techniques for Of ine Prototyping and Testing
Hunicke, Leblanc, Zubek, MDA a Formal Process of Game Design : Origin of the
Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics framework
Bateman, Boon, 21st Century Game Design : Pragmatic approach to Game Design
GAME MAKER
James Paul Gee, On Video Games & Situated Learning [VIDEO] : http://bit.ly/jpgee
The Pac-Man Dossier – A detailed study of every mechanic: http://bit.ly/vzI2QC
A mathematical analysis of Candy Land: http://bit.ly/zeos34
BONUS PLAY
REFERENCES: A PATH TO MASTERY

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Beyond Gamification: IxD12 Version

Beyond Gamification: IxD12 Version

Dustin DiTommaso

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