Beyond Gamification: 7 Core Concepts to Create Compelling Products

Games are infiltrating every aspect of daily life. Early-on, “gamification” meant adding simple game mechanics like points, badges and leaderboards to websites and apps. But that’s not what makes games truly compelling. Good games take players on a journey, giving them something the learn and master. Smart companies are creating game-like digital systems that shape real-world behavior, using a blend of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. In this short talk, we’ll cover 7 Core Concepts for Smart Gamification, and learn to “think like game designers” so we can develop more engaging products and services.

The 7 Core Concepts:

1. Know who’s playing – design for their social style
2. Build a system that’s easy to learn and hard to master
3. Build fun/pleasure/satisfaction into your core activity loop
4. Use Progress Mechanics to “light the way” towards learning and mastery
5. Design for Onboarding, Habit-Building, and Elder Game
6. As players progress, unlock greater challenges, customization and privileges
7. Give players real power via stats, voting, earned roles, & crowd-sourcing