Games were originally developed to excite us, trigger our emotions, cause us to reason smartly, and spur action in us. This “Fun” Power has radically altered the course of history. It’s intriguing that Gamification is not a brand-new concept. Although the term may have been developed recently, the idea has existed in many spheres of life for as long as civilization has existed. Mary Poppins summed up Gamification quite nicely with the quote “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and SNAP! the job’s a game.” Her point of view is plain and straight to the point — there’s a fun component to every task.
Gamification is the use of game-design features and gaming principles in situations that are not game-related. It is also possible to think of it as a collection of procedures and methods for resolving issues by utilizing or putting to use game mechanics or elements. This means that these game-design features are used in a non-game environment which could be an intranet for a corporation, a website, an online community, or a learning management system. The phrase was first used in 2002 by computer programmer and inventor Nick Pelling, who was born in Britain. It didn’t become well-known until 2010 when it was realized that the phrase was used frequently in a more specialized sense referring to integrating games’ social/reward elements into softwares. The whole idea of Gamification is to increase general participation — interact with users, staff, and partners in order to motivate them to cooperate, share and communicate.
Gamification concepts such as leaderboard, badges, quizzes, level, mission, and progress give systems and programs that could otherwise give users some amusing touches. When gamification is approached in a proper way in UX design, it motivates users to reach their objectives and also assists them in overcoming any unfavorable perceptions they might have of the system and the activities it wants them to do. Effective intrinsic motivation is provided by the dynamics that designers include in successful gamification. This indicates that consumers interact with the system voluntarily.
WHAT IS THE IMPLICATION OF GAMIFICATION?
Gamification elicits or triggers feelings that are associated with a satisfying user experience by the addition of game dynamics and game mechanics to online platforms, which results in the achievement of corporate goals and objectives. So it works! In a company setting, the use of a proper gamification concept can make workers go the extra mile to ensure the company’s growth. In learning and education, concepts such as leaderboards can increase students’ effort and commitment thereby increasing knowledge of the learner and an exciting learners’ experience at large.
GAMIFICATION AND MOTIVATION
Most times, humans require motivation to take action. The Self-Determination theory suggests that people have an internal desire for growth but they need an external environment to support it. With the idea of gamification, boring apps have successfully been turned into a haven where users are rewarded and motivated to do more.
Fitness Apps have transformed boring workout routines and exercises into an interesting experience of being mentored, motivated to complete a routine, and given kudos while the next routine is unlocked. In order to keep users motivated, it also matches them against other fitness fanatics.
Productivity App put us up against the clock to encourage us to complete our to-do lists. They do this by awarding us some points when we complete tasks scheduled for a given day or time and encouraging us to even schedule more.
Educational/Learning App utilizes features such as Experience points, Badges, Leaderboards, Achievement levels, Rewards, Virtual currency, and Personalization to make learning worthwhile. Users can compete in challenges on the site to earn experience points. Additionally, in most educational/learning apps, there is a Code or invariably learning Playground with a scoreboard where students can display their code or exercise and receive user feedback. Users can also upvote topics and earn points for answering questions.
Meditation App such as Shine motivates their users to meditate by creating the habit. The gamification features empower users and a reward system that makes it even more challenging to not return, helps create habits.
These are just a few examples of how gamification can increase motivation. Its’ effect on most applications, websites, and even in business administration cannot be over-emphasized.
In conclusion, Gamification is a powerful strategy for improving Users’ motivation and engagement while also effecting positive change in their behavior and attitude toward learning.
Jacia Ebubechi
Technical Writer, ML Engineer – Gameverse Africa
