“Gamification” is a technology buzzword.

The problem with some buzzwords, however, is that people read a little about them but don’t completely understand the why. They may correctly identify that their business needs some new and exciting thing, but if they execute it poorly the result is a lost opportunity.

Here’s a for-instance: A boss reads an article and tells his team, “I think our business could really benefit by adding some gamification. It sounds like fun and it will really boost our business!” The buzzwords have changed over the years, but the problem remains the same.

The other problem with buzzwords is that there can be real value there when the fit is right. But it’s exceedingly difficult for a boss to objectively nail the one right way the buzzword – gamification in this case – can make a significant impact after reading a single article. So, often, it’s requested like a condiment at a restaurant: “I think a little XML functionality in my website sounds good.” Or: “Where else can we stick a QR code on our website?”

Sorry if that sounds too cynical, but the problem is real. Keep reading for the real story about gamification.

What does it mean ‘to gamify’ something?

The concept of gamification is to align or add components to a process, tool or experience that either makes it into a game or adds game elements. This makes using the tool or going through the experience more engaging and fun for the user.

The game elements can be individualized like earning points, achievement badges or rank advancement. They can also join several participants together for an added level of competition. One popular example is the Fitbit. This small electronic wristband connects to an online account through a mobile device. Groups of people compare the number of steps and other physical activities, which creates a daily competition and accountability relationship that improves motivation.

Let’s work out some real cases

When you think of games, any kind of game you enjoy playing (sports, board games, video games, etc.), what comes to mind? There are many different kinds of games. Consider the traits of a few games that you’re likely familiar with:

Chess – This centuries-old game is still very popular and respected around the world. Two players face off in head-to-head competition. They send their warriors forward, each trying to look, anticipate and prepare for moves their opponent might make while striving to capture the opponent’s king.

Let’s ponder how our business needs might benefit by modeling some aspects from chess. Directly applied to some function, it isn’t a very strong business case because the two players might be working to achieve the same company goal, not to eliminate one another. However, if we used a chess pattern where we virtually put our strongest business competitor in the opponent’s seat and worked strategically to anticipate their next move, then maybe we’d have something useful. I’d wager a strategy process like this happens all the time in pre-election campaign planning session; debate preparation is typically filled with, “If he/she brings up this, then you answer with that.”

Baseball – This game is filled with tracking stats, following playing routines and watching for errors. The patterns of baseball-card data could be modeled to help a company train their employees in memorizing regular chunks of information. Each card could feature a product, a leader in the org chart or even a competitor’s strengths and weaknesses.

Fantasy Football – Closely connected with the actual sport of professional football is the non-athletic game of picking players and virtually competing with others by comparing their selections to simulate games. The individual, real-world statistics determine the winners.

Many businesses could use similarly detached performance statistics to encourage players. Consider competitively comparing stock performance results among a group of friends, for instance. Or using a variety of vital statistics in building a competition that features a fitness program with more details than just straight weight-loss.

Super Mario Brothers – Moving through a scene, avoiding obstacles, hitting the valuable coins and progressing to a stronger level are elements in many classic video games. A house-cleaning app could encourage a person to avoid distractions that may cause them to get stuck. They may receive prompts to keep moving; they might get warnings that certain areas have been neglected.

The Scrum is a popular software-development framework strategy. As a team builds a program, certain incomplete features or bugs are identified, weighted by difficulty and color-coded. The team works together by being aware what identified items need attention. Each member takes an item from the board and completes the tasks. As the items are completed, others are pulled from the board. This cleaning up the problems has some similarities to clearing a game board. Think of Pac-Man, working through the board and eating up the dots. Work begins to feel like a game.

A spoonful of sugar…

Mary Poppins said it well. Make a job a game by finding the fun. Examine the challenges you want to accomplish and see if you can weave into it some aspect that makes it game-like. If you are selling a social app, you may get exponential, viral enthusiasm by incorporating addictive and shared fun among the functions. Any games are fair to consider: Chinese checkers, blackjack, shuffleboard, boxing, you name it! Just use your imagination and try pairing different selections. A fun match may just make yours the next popular app, or make you a hit in the company when everyone gets enthusiastically behind your project.

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