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Contents
1 IntroductiontoGamification
2 WhatistheGamificationSpectrum?
4 TheNinePatterns
10 Scale&Sustainability
13 LearningfromtheGamingWorld
16 Conclusion
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Gamificationisapplyingthescienceandpsychologyof gaminginanon-gamecontexttomotivateandrewardyourcustomerstoperformcertaindesiredbehaviors.Forexample,ifyouwantthemtocontributemorecontentonyouronlinecommunity,youmayofferbadgesforthosewhocontributeacertainnumberofposts;ortheymayworktoleveluptothenextrewardthatprovidesrecognitionamongotherplayers fortheirexpertise,skill,etc.Therearemanytypesofgamificationtechniques.
Gamificationisoneofthemostprovenwaystoengagecommunitymembersandkeepthemcomingbackformore.However,thereareimportantscientificprinciplesbehindthestrategyofgamificationthatimpactwhetherornotgamificationprovestobesuccessfulforyourcommunityandbrand.
Inthispaper,wetakeadeeperdiveintowhatourChiefScientist,Dr.MichaelWu,haspatentedasthe“GamificationSpectrum”―acontinuumofgamificationtechniquesthatcanhelpyouchoosetherightgamificationplanforyourcustomers,dependingonthebehaviorsyouwanttodrive.
WehavecuratedthefollowingcontentfromDr.Wu’sblog,TheScienceofSocial, to synthesize all the insights from the entireGamificationSpectrumseriesintoonepaper.
Introduction to Gamification
To learn more about Gamification,followDr.Wu on TheScienceofSocial or downloadadditionalLithiumGamificationwhitepapersbyvisitingourResourcespage.
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What is the Gamification Spectrum?
TheGamificationSpectrumisaframeworkIdevelopedandhavepatentedfororganizingexistinggamificationtools.Commongamificationtoolsarepoints,badges,leaderboards,etc.,buttherearemanymore(e.g.,ranks,goals,missions,levelunlock,teamreputation,etc.).Nodoubttherearehundredsandthousandsofgamificationtoolsoutinthemarket.Moreover,therearemanyvariantsofgamificationtools.Forexample,therearedifferentkindsofleaderboardswithdifferentscopes.Someonlycompareyouagainstyourfriends,whereasotherscompareyouagainststrangerswhoaresimilartoyouinsomeways.
Byorganizinggamificationtoolsintoaspectrum,youcanchoosetherighttoolstomeetyourgoals.Buthowdowesystematicallyorganizeandunderstandthesetools?Wemustlookforacommonground,ortheuniversalpropertiesofgamificationtools.
Feedback and the Feedback TimescaleThefirstthingwefindincommonisfeedback.Allgamificationtoolsprovidesomekindoffeedbacktotheplayers.Itmaybeverysubtle(e.g.,incrementingsomemetricsinthebackground)orveryobvious(e.g.,rewardingtheuserwithabadge).Theprecisemechanismofhowaparticulartoolgivesfeedbacktotheusersisdifferentforeverytool.Itcouldbetactile(e.g.,avibrationonyourmobiledevice),auditory(e.g.,atransientsoundormusic),visual(e.g.,apop-upnotification,etc.),orother sensory modality. Regardless of the mechanism, the
feedbackistheretotelltheusersomethingabouthispastactionsorbehaviors(i.e.,hisprogress,hisperformance).
Thisleadsustolookatthefeedbacktimescalewhichisroughlyhowfastthetoolfeedsprogressinformationtotheuser.Thisiscriticallyimportantbecauseeverytoolhasacharacteristicfeedbacktimescaleandallowsustoorganizetoolsonaspectrumfromareallyshorttoverylongfeedbacktimescale.(NotethatthefeedbacktimescaleisNOTthesameasthefeedbacktimeofthegamificationtool.)Afeedbacktimescaleisplayerdependent,anddependsontheiraccess,skillsandresources.Playersparticipateatdifferentratesandsoreceivefeedbackatdifferentrates.Asuperfanmaygetontheleaderboardintwoweekswhereasanordinarycontributormaytakeayeartodoso,andalurkerwhonevercontributesmaynevergetontheleaderboard(whichhasinfinitefeedbacktime).Inthisexample,thefeedbacktimescale(nottime)forthisleaderboard is roughly a month.
Thefeedbacktimescaleforanygamificationtoolisalsobehaviordependent.Theeasierthebehavioryouaredriving,theshorterthefeedbacktimescale,andtheharderthe
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
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behavior,thelongerthetimescalewillbe.So,ifweorganizeallexistingtoolsusingtheirfeedbacktimescale,wegetaspectrumoftoolsrangingfromthosewithshortfeedbacktimescalestothosewithverylongfeedbacktimescales.Nomatterwhattoolsyouusetoencouragethebehavioryouwant,thespectrumwillbeplayerandbehaviordependent.Theentirespectrummaycompressorlengthenindifferentcontexts,buttherelativepositionsofthetoolsonthespectrumremainstableundersimilarcontext.
Byorganizinggamificationtoolswiththeirfeedbacktimescaleonacontinuum,wehaveaspectrumofgamificationtools—thegamificationspectrum.Throughthisspectrum,wecanstarttoseesomeinterestingpatternsandtrendsintheoperationalpropertiesofgamificationtools.Thegamificationspectrumisaveryusefulorganizingframework.However,itspowerandutilitygoesfarbeyondmereorganization.Itallowsustoclearlyseetherelationshipbetweendifferentgamificationtools.Moreover,thespectrumallowsustoidentifypatternsandtrendsthatgiveusadeeperunderstandingofsomeworkingpropertiesofeachgamificationtoolwithrespecttotheothers.
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The Nine Patterns
Let’slookdeeperintothisspectrumoftoolstodiscovernineinterestingpatternsandtrendshiddenwithintheseseeminglyunrelatedtools.Ifweexaminetherepresentativetoolsabovethegamificationspectrum,wecanstarttoseesomepatternsaswemovefromtheleft(toolswithshortfeedbacktimescale)totheright(toolswithlongfeedbacktimescale)ofthespectrum.
Pattern 1: Gamified BehaviorOntheleftsideofthespectrum,thebehaviorwearetryingtogamifyistypicallyonesimpleactionfromasingleplayer.Forexample,pointsareawardedimmediatelytoplayersforsimpleactions,suchasatweet,ashare,akudo,adownload,etc.Aswemovetotheright,thebehaviortypicallybecomesmoreinvolved.Ratherthanonesingleaction,theplayermustrepeatthesameactionanumberoftimesbeforehegetsabadge.Thus,thefeedbacktimescaleofbadgeswillbelongerthanthatofpoints—preciselyhowmuchlongerisgoingtodependonthebehaviorandtheplayer.
Ifwemovefurthertotheright,thegamifiedbehaviorwillrequireevenmoreeffortfromtheplayer.Notonlydoeshe
havetorepeatoneaction,hehastooutperformhispeersinordertogetontheleaderboard.Naturally,thefeedbacktimescaleforleaderboardswillbeevenlonger.
Aswegettothemiddleofthespectrum,thebehaviorwewanttodriveisusuallysomethingthatrequiresmorethanonetypeofaction.Thebehaviormayconsistoftwoactions(e.g.,watcha video andshareitwithafriend),threeactions(e.g.,downloadatrialsoftware,useit,andwriteareviewforit),orevenmore.Althoughtheuserneedstoaccomplishmorethanoneaction,theactionsarestillfromasingleplayer.
Finally,ontherightsideofthespectrum,thebehaviorwewanttoencourageisevenmorecomplexandinvolvesactionsfrommultipleplayers.Thesearetypicallyreciprocalactionsfromotherplayersorcollaborativeactionswithotherplayers.
Pattern 2: Underlying MetricsGamificationreliesheavilyonthetrackingofplayeractions/behaviors through metrics and behavior data. As the behavior becomesmorecomplexwhenwemovefromlefttorightalongthespectrum,themetricsanddatathatreflectthesebehaviorsalsobecomemoresophisticated.
Towardstheleft,themetricsthatunderlietheshortfeedbacktimescaletoolsareusuallysimplecountersthataccumulateovertimeastheplayercarriesoutthedesiredaction.Movingtotheright,wereachtoolslikeleaderboardsthatusetime-boundedfrequencymetrics.Sincemedalsandtrophiesstart
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
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torewardplayersformultipleactions,thesetoolsmustusemultiplemetricsandconjunction.
Infact,toolsontherighthalfofthespectrumcanuseconjunctionsofmetricsfromanytoolswithshorterfeedbacktimescales.Forexample,youcangetacommunitytrailblazertrophywhenyouareonthecommunitycontributionleaderboardforfiveweeksinarow.Inthiscase,thetrophyisusingaconjunctionofmetricsfromtheleaderboard(atoolwithshorterfeedbacktimescale).Finally,toolsonthefarrightofthespectrumleveragereciprocitymetricsandteammetricsthatareevenmorecomplex,becausereciprocityandcollaborativebehaviorcanonlybemeasuredwithbehaviordatafrommanyplayers.
Pattern 3: Susceptibility to Cheating (Gaming the System)ToolsonthefarleftoftheGamificationspectrumarehighlysusceptibletogaming(i.e.,cheating),becausethebehaviorwearetryingtodriveissosimple—asingleactionfromtheplayer.Thismeanstheplayerhasfullcontroloverthegamifiedaction.Sohecaneasilyrepeatthatactiontohisheart’scontentandgetallthepointsandbadgeshewants,thusgamingthegamificationsystem.Onthecontrary,toolsonthefarrightare
much more immune to gaming (though I believe no system is trulyun-gameable),becausethosetoolsencouragesbehaviorsthatdependonmanyactionsofmanyplayers.Thismakesitmuchmorechallengingtogamethesystemasitwouldrequireacoordinatedefforttodoso.
Pattern 4: Ideal Visibility and Scope of FeedbackAlthoughgamifiedapps(e.g.,FourSquare)oftenshowoffbadgescollectedbytheirplayers,thetoolswithshortfeedbacktimescales(i.e.,pointsandbadges)arenotidealforpublicdisplay.Why?Sincetoolsonthefarleftofthespectrumusemetricsthatarecumulative,theytendtobebiasedinfavorofthosewhohavebeenplayingforalongertime.Sotoolslikepointsandbadgesarenotreallyafaircomparisonamongtheplayers.Makingthesetoolspubliclyvisiblemayevendemotivatethenewplayers.Instead,toolswithshortfeedbacktimescaleareactuallymoresuitableasfeedbacktotheplayerhimself.Soitshouldonlybevisibleprivatelytotheplayerhimself.
However,aswemovetotherightofthespectrum,themetricsbecomelessbiasedandlesssusceptibletogaming.Forexampletheuseoftime-boundmetricsinleaderboards
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
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eliminatesthebiasthatfavorsearlyplayers.Consequently,feedbackandrewardsfromtoolsinthispartofthespectrumareamorefairandaccuratereflectionoftheplayer’strueperformance.Assuch,theyaremoreappropriateforpublicdisplaywithinthecommunityofplayers.Onthefarrightofthespectrum,theachievementsawardedfromthosetoolsareevensuitablefordisplaybeyondthecommunityofplayers,becausetheywouldaccuratelyrepresenttheplayer’sskillandreputation.
Insight:Pointsandbadgesarebiasedinfavoroflong-timeplayers,sotheyarenotreallyafaircomparisonofpeople’sskills(orabilities).Pointsandbadgesareprimarilyafeedbacktotheplayersthemselves(notblatantlyvisibletothepublic).Showingoffpeople’spointsandbadgespublicallymayactuallydemotivatemajorityofthepopulation.
Pattern 5: Value of RewardsIfweexaminetherewards(i.e.,feedback)ofgamificationtools,wecanalsoseeapatternaswemoveacrossthespectrum.Becausetoolsontheleftofthespectrumonlyprovidefeedbacktotheplayersontheirownperformancedata,therewardsfromthesetoolsarepurelyextrinsic.Moreover,becausethegamifiedbehaviorissosimple—oneactionfromtheplayer,thereislittleuncertaintyormysteryintherewardbecausetheyareeithercompletelytransparentorcanbeeasilyfiguredout.
Aswemovetotheright,therewardsbecomelesspredictable,becausethefeedbackistriggeredonlywhenallthegamifiedactionsareaboveacertainthreshold.Norewardisgivenevenifonlyone—anyone—ofthegamifiedactionsdidnotmeetthecriterionwhileallothersarewellabovetheirrespectivethresholds.Thismakesthepreciserewardcriteriahardertopredict,andaddsmoremysteryanduncertaintytothe“game.”Suchmysterynotonlycreatesentertainmentvalue,italsoservesasananticipatorymotivatorfortheplayers.
Toolsonthefarrightofthespectrumrewardtheirplayersbasedontheactionsofotherplayers—reciprocityorcollaborativeactions.Thissocialelementmakesrewardsfromtoolsonthefarrightofthespectrummoremeaningfulandvaluabletotheplayers.Hence,rewardsfromthesetoolsaremoreintrinsicallymotivating.
Insight:Therewardsofferedbypointsandbadgesarepurelyextrinsic.Itsimplytellstheplayerswhatthey’vedonetransparently.Tryingtoaddmysteriesinthesesimplegamificationtoolsmayactuallyconfusesnewplayersearlyon.Mysteryshouldbeusedlaterwithtoolsonthemiddleandrightsideofthespectrum,wheretherewardsaremoreintrinsic.
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
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Pattern 6: SustainabilityNaturally,toolsontheleftoftheGamificationSpectrumarenotsustainable,becausetherewardstheyprovidearepurelyextrinsicandhavelittlelong-termvaluetotheplayers.Eventuallytheplayerswillrealizethisfactandgetboredquickly.Onthecontrary,toolsontherightofthespectrumaresustainable,becausetherewardstheyofferareintrinsic,moremeaningful,andhavegreatervaluetotheplayers.
Insight:Points,badgesandleaderboardsaregreatstartertoolsforimplementinggamification.Theyworkwellintheshort-term,anddriveresultsquickly,butit’snotsustainablelongterm.Ifyouwanttogamifyabehaviorforlong-term(years)youneedtousegamificationtoolsontherightofthespectrum.
Pattern 7: ImplementationAtlast,fromanimplementationanddeploymentperspective,toolsontheleftsideofthespectrumtendtobemucheasiertobuild,implement,anddeploy.Thatispreciselywhysomanytoolsonthemarketarebasicallyvariantsofpoints,badges,and
leaderboards.Ontheotherendofthespectrum,thetoolsarehardertoimplementbecausenotonlydotheyneedtotrackmorecomplexbehaviors,theyalsoneedtocapturedifferenttypesofbehaviorsandperformsophisticatedanalyticstounderstand these behaviors. As a result, many tools on the rightendofthespectrumsarecustombuilt.Theyalsorequireasubstantialamountoftimeandefforttotuneandconfigure,sotheyaregenerallynotturn-keysolutionsout-of-the-box.
Insight:Points,badgesandleaderboardsareeasytobuild.Companieshavingengineeringresourcescaneasilybuildtheirownsystemfortrackingpoints,awardingbadges,andshowingoffpeopleontheleaderboard.Thesesimpletoolsarealsoreadilyavailablefromvendors.However,moresophisticatedgamificationtoolsontherightofthespectrummustbedesignedspecificallyforyourusecaseandaudienceinordertobeeffective.Assuchtheyarerarelyavailableout-of-the-box.
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
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Pattern 8: Extinction Period
Itisimportanttounderstandtheextinctionperiod(i.e.,howlongittakesforagamificationtooltobecomeineffectiveatdrivingthedesiredbehavior)foranygamificationtool.Althoughithasbeenlongobservedthatnogamificationtoolworksforever,thereislittleinformationonhowlongeachtoolworks.AlthoughtheGamificationSpectrumwon’tgiveyouthepreciseextinctionperiodbecausethatiscontextdependent,itdoesgiveyouanorderofthetoolsintermsoftheirextinctionperiod.Soweknowwhichtoolwillworklongerorshortercomparedtoothertools.
Wecanunderstandthepatternofextinctionperiodfromtwodifferentangles:sustainabilityandplayers’psychologyofflow.
We’vealreadylearnedthattoolstowardtheleftofthespectrumarenotsustainable,whereastoolstowardtherightofthespectrumsaremoresustainable.It’seasytoseethatthesustainabilityofagamificationtoolisdirectlyrelatedtoitsextinctionperiod.Toolsthatarenotsustainable(ontheleftsideofthespectrum)haveashortextinctionperiodbecausetheylosetheirefficacytodrivethedesiredbehaviorquickly.Thatiswhytheyarenotsustainableinthefirstplace.Toolsthat are sustainable in the long-term (on the right side of the spectrum)haveamuchlongerextinctionperiod.
Thesecondperspectivelooksattheplayers’psychologyofflow.Thestateofflowisanoptimalstateofintrinsicmotivationthatcanbereachedonlywhenthechallengesfacingtheplayersmatchtheirskills.Sincetoolsontheleftofthespectrumareusedtodriveaverysimplebehavior,theyareessentially“easygames.”Assuch,theplayerswilllearnand masterthosegamesquickly.Weknowfromthepsychologyofflowthatoncetheplayermasteredthegame,theirskills
willsurpassthechallengesfromtheseeasygames.Asaresult,theywillalsoquicklymoveintothestateofboredom,whichisn’tmotivatingandunabletodrivethedesiredbehavior.Consequently,theextinctionperiodoftheseeasygameswillbe very short.
Aswemovetotherightofthespectrum,thetoolsareusedtodrivemorecomplexbehaviors,sotheycanbeviewedasvery“challenginggames.”Whenagameischallenging,twothingscanhappen.First,mostpeoplewouldn’tbeuptothechallenge;they’llfeelfrustratedbecausethechallengeistoogreatfortheirskills.Sothey’llstopplayingalltogether,butthosethatquitthegamearen’ttheplayers.Thesecondscenarioisthattherewillbeafewplayerswhowillrisetothechallenge.Theywillchoosetocontinuetoplayandwantto
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
9
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beatthegame.However,becausethegameischallenging,itwilltakethemalongtimetomasterthegame.Fortheseplayerswhowanttowin,thegamewillcontinuetodrivethebehavior.Sotheextinctionperiodofthesechallenginggameswillbemuchlonger.
Pattern 9: Engaged PopulationAswehaveseeninPattern#8,toolsontherightsideofthespectrumarelike“challenginggames,”andtherewillonlybeasmallpopulationofplayerswhowillengage.Onlyasmallfractionofthepopulationwillbesufficientlymotivatedorhavetheabilitytoplaysuchachallenginggame.
Conversely,thetoolsontheleftsideofthespectrumare“easygames.”Sotherewillbeamuchlargerpopulationwhowillengageinthiseasygameplay.WeknowfromFogg’sbehaviormodel that simplicitydrivesbehavior. When the behavior is simpleenough,evenplayerswhoaren’tmotivatedwillengagetocarryoutthatbehavior,becauseitdoesn’trequiremuchability(i.e.,resourcesfromtheplayers).
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
10
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Scale & Sustainability
Extinctionandengagedpopulationposeaninterestingconundrumforbusinesses.Toolsontheleftsideofthespectrum—theeasygames—canengageahugepopulation,buttheireffectsextinctquicklyduetotheshortextinctionperiod.Soeventhoughtheycandrivebehaviorsandengagemanyplayers,theseplayersdon’tstayengagedverylong.Alternatively,toolsontheotherendofthespectrum—thechallenginggames—canengagetheplayersforamuchlongertime,butonlyafewpeoplewillengageandplaythosegames.
Asyoucansee,thereisno“perfect”gamification.Thereisn’tonemagicgamificationtoolthatcanengageahugepopulationforalongperiodoftime.Sowhichgamificationtoolshouldyouuse?Aswithalmostanytool,youneedtochoosetherighttoolsfortheproblem.Ifyouhavetochooseagamification
tooltodrivebehavior,youwillhavetodecidewhetherit’smoreimportanttodrivethebehaviorforalotofpeople,orisitmoreimportanttochangethebehaviorforalongtime?Choosingthewrongtoolfortheproblemisnotonlyawasteofresources, it could even have counterproductiveeffects.
Unfortunately, science tells us that scalability and sustainability haveaninverserelationshipwitheachother;thelargerthescale, the less sustainable, and vice versa. That is, the larger theengagedpopulation,thefasteritwillbecomeineffective;andthelongerthetoolsareeffective,thesmallertheengagedpopulation.Asaresult,practitionersofgamificationmustchoosetherighttooldependingonwhattheyaretryingtoachieve.Thereisn’tasinglegamificationtoolthatcanachieveboth scale and sustainability.
immediate day week month quarter 6 months year 2 years 5 years
points badges leader boards trophies ranks portable rep team rep
single accumulative metric frequency + conjunctives reciprocity + team metric
short long
single user action single user, multiple actions multiple users + actions
easy to game difficult to game
private: only to the user public: with in community public: beyond community
extrinsic intrinsic
not sustainable long-term sustainable
easy to implement difficult to implement
short: fast extinction long: slow extinction
large engaged population small engaged population
feedback timescale
gamified behavior
underlying metrics
susceptibility to gaming
visibility & scope
value of rewards
sustainability
implementation
extinction period
engage population
easy games quickeffect,engaging to many
quicktomaster,quicktogetbored
scalable, but not sustainable
challenging games
sloweffect,engagingtofew
slowtomaster, slowtogetbored
sustainable, but not scalable
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However,someofthemostchallengingbusinessproblemsinvolve both scale and sustainability (i.e., changing behaviors forahugepopulationoveralongerperiodoftime).Howcanweachievethat?Thisisnotaneasyproblemtosolve,butthegoodnewsis,thereisapossiblesolution.
The Effective TimescaleBeforewediscussthesolutiontothesebigbusinessproblems,weneedtounderstandonemoreconcept.Thatis,theeffectivetimescaleofabehaviorchange—howlongthegamifiedbehaviorwilllastorisintendedtolastrealistically.
Whenabusinesswantstodrivebehaviors,theyprobablywantthe behavior to last forever. But in reality, nothing lasts forever, andnosinglegamificationcandriveanybehaviorforever.Ifyouwanttodriveabehaviorinyourcustomerbasefortherestoftheirlifetime,thenyouneedtofigureouttheaveragelifeexpectancyforyourcustomerbase.Dependingontheaverageageofyourcustomerbase,thismaybefiveyears,10years,or50years.Eventhoughthat’salongtime,it’snotforever.Inpractice,theeffectivetimescaleofanybehaviorisrarelymorethan10years.
Dependingontheprecisebehavioryouwanttodrive,theeffectivetimescalesvarysignificantlyfromafewdaystomanyyears.Forexample,ifyouwanttodrivesocialmediaparticipation(e.g.,tweeting,sharingphotos,etc.)ataconference,thentheeffectivetimescaleisintheorderofafewdays,becausemostconferencesonlylastafewdays.Ideally,youprobablywantthemtocontinuetheirsocialmediaparticipationaftertheconference,butthatisadifferentbehaviorwithalongereffectivetimescale.Ontheotherhand,
ifyouaretryingtodriveengagementduringamarketingcampaign,thentheeffectivetimescaleisroughlyafewmonths,becausethatishowlongmostmarketingcampaignslast.Ifyouwanttheaudiencetocontinuetheirengagementafterthemarketingcampaign,again,thatisadifferentbehavior(onewithamuchlongereffectivetimescale).
So,youneedtoknowwhatyoureffectivetimescaleisforthebehaviorsyouwanttodrive.
The Solution—Build a Level-Up StrategySincethereisn’tasinglegamificationtoolthatcanachievebothscaleandsustainability,wecanstoplookingforthatsilver bullet.However,tacklinganybigprobleminliferarelyinvolvesonlyonetool.Althoughnosinglegamificationtoolcanachievebothscaleandsustainability,acombinationoftoolscan!
Thestrategyistobuildaladderforpeopletoclimbup.Startwithtoolsonthefarleftofthegamificationspectrum(e.g.,points)—theeasiestgames—toengagethewidestpossibleaudience.As,peoplemastertheseeasygames,levelthemupandintroducethemtothenexttoolonthespectrum(e.g.,badges).Sincethistoolisjustslightlyharder,mostoftheaudiencewillstillbeengagedandcontinuetoplay.However,badgesarehardertocollectthanpoints.Itwilltakethemlonger to collect enough badges before they master this game andgetbored.Andwhenthathappens,youlevelthemupagainandintroducethenexttoolsonthespectrum(e.g.,aleaderboard),andsoon.
Theprecisecriteriaforgettingacertainbadgeorgettingontheleaderboardwillstillneedtobedesignedsothenextlevelup
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Three Steps to a Level Up Strategy
Ifyoubuildyourlevel-upstrategyaccordingtothisrecipe,thenasyourplayerslevel-uptothefinalrungoftheladder,theywillhavestayedengaged foraperiodthatisapproximatelyas longastheeffectivetimescaleofyourdesired behavior.
willappeareasytoachieve.Thisiscriticallyimportant,becauseotherwise,asubstantialportionoftheengagedaudiencewilldropoffandstopplayingthegamebecausethenextleveliseithertoochallenging(frustrating)ortooeasy(boring).Howwedesignthepreciselevelupcriteriarequiresadeeperunderstandingofhowbaby-stepsworkinbehaviordesign.
Now,thelastquestionweneedtoaddressishowfardowecontinuetolevelup?Inotherwords,howfarupdowe
needtobuildthislevel-upladder?Thisiswheretheconceptofeffectivetimescalecomesin.Youmustfigureoutwhat’stheeffectivetimescaleforthebehavioryouwanttodrive.Onceyouknowtheeffectivetimescale,theanswerissimple.Yousimplyendwithagamificationtoolthathasafeedbacktimescaleapproximatelyequaltotheeffectivetimescaleofthebehavioryouwanttodrive.
Identify the effective timescale of your desired behavior
❶Find a gamification tool with a feedback timescale ≈ your effective timescale
❷Build a level-up ladder by filling in the gaps with tools that have successively longer feedback timescale along the gamification spectrum.
• Alwaysstartwithimmediatefeedback(e.g.,points)toachievescale
• Fillallgaps(sotheladderiseasytoclimb)inordertomaintainthescaleasyourplayersleveluptothefinalrungoftheladder(i.e.,thetoolwithfeedback
❸
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Learning from the Gaming World
Ifyouwereaskedtonamethemostsuccessfulvideogame,whatcomestoyourmind?WoulditbeAngry Birds, Candy Crush, or Clash of Clans?Whatdothesegameshaveincommon?Whydoyouthinktheyaresuccessful?
These games have certainly achieved scale since so many peopleplaythem.AngryBirdsalonehasovertwobilliondownloads.However,manygameshaveachievedscale,buttheyaren’tsuccessfulbecausepeopledidn’tplaythemverylong(e.g.,thinkofaclassicgamelikeTic-Tac-Toe or Sudoku).Prettymucheveryonehasplayedthesegamesatsomepointduringtheirlifetime.Someofthem,likeSudokuforexample,canbequiteaddictive.Sotheyhavedefinitelyachievedscale.However,theyarenotverysustainablebecausepeopleeithermasterthemquickly(becausetheyaretooeasy)orgetfrustratedwiththem(becausetheyaretoohard).Theresultisthesameeitherway,peoplestopplayingthem.
WhatmadegameslikeAngryBirds,CandyCrush,andClashofClans successful is the fact that they have achieved both scale andsustainability.Thequestioniswhyandhow?Thesecretlieswithintheleveldesignofthesegames.
Likegamifications,successfulgamesachievescaleandsustainabilitybyhavingmanylevelsthatgetprogressivelymoredifficult.Thesecouldbeexplicitlevelsyouunlockasyouplay(e.g.,AngryBirdsandCandyCrush),ortheymaybeimplicitinthegameplay(e.g.,ClashofClans).Yet,theyallstartwithaveryeasylevel(almosttooeasy)toengagethewidestpossibleaudience.Oneofthereasonspeoplecontinuetoplaythesegamesforalongtimeisbecausethesegameshavesomanylevels.Thelongeryouwanttoengagetheplayers,themore levels you need to have. But just having many levels isnotenough.Theprecisecriteriaforlevelingupmustbedesignedcarefullytokeeptheplayersengaged—inastateofflow.Althoughthelevelsaregettingmoredifficult,preciselyhowmuchmoredifficulteachlevelgetsisgoingtodeterminewhethertheplayerscontinuetoplayorquit.Ifthelevelsgetprogressivelymoredifficulttooquickly,someplayerswillnotbeabletokeepupandtheywillfeelfrustrated.Yet,ifthelevelsgetprogressivelyharder,buttooslowly,someplayerswillbebored.
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Use Baby-Step Level Up to Maximize FlowFlowisafinelinebetweencertaintyanduncertainty.Peopleliketobeincontrol,butiftheyhavetoomuchcontroltheyfeelbored.Peopleliketohavesomechallenge,butifsomethingistoo challenging they feel frustrated. As Prof.Csikszentmihalyi stated,peopleenterthestateofflowonlywhenthechallengetheyfacematchestheirskills.Successfulgamesareaddictive(orengagingforaverylongtime)becausetheirlevelsaredesignedtomaximizeflow.
Onewaytomaximizeflowistozigzagalongthisflowzoneasillustratedinthefiguretotheright.Asyouplaythegameandgetbetter,youincreaseyourskillsandmovetotheright.But just before you move too far to the right (into the state ofboredom),youleveluptothenextlevelthatisjusthardenough to feel challenging (but not too hard that you move
intothestateoffrustration).Thisistheprinciplebehindtheleveldesignthatmakesagameaddictive,andthereforeachievessustainabilityinadditiontoscale.
If you examine this level design criterion more carefully, you willseethatit’sreallythebaby-stepdesignprinciple.Youarebasicallycreatingmanybabysteps(levels)toguidetheplayerto the endgame.However,Imustemphasizethatbabystepdoes notmeanthateverystep(level)iseasy.Ifitis,suchagamewillgetprettyboringafterafewlevels,becausetheplayerswillfeelliketheyareplayingthesamegameoverandover again. Although the next level does get harder, they can stillsolveitwithprettymuchthesamestrategy.
Thekeytomaximizingflowistousethebaby-stepdesignprinciple—designthelevelssuchthatthenextsteptheplayerstakeisalwaysababystep,butonlyrelativetotheabilitytheyalreadyacquired.
Diffi
culty
/ C
halle
nge
Anxiety
Boredom
High
High
Low
Flow
Skill / Ability
Diffi
culty
/ C
halle
nge
Anxiety
Boredom
High
High
Low
Already aquired ability
{ {The next step
Flow
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The“relativitytotheplayer’sability”iscrucial,becausethenextstepscouldbeverychallenging.Anditshouldbeinordertoavoidboredom.Asyoucanseeinthefiguretotheright,thegapsbetweensomeofthehigherlevelscanbeverywideandrequiremuchskills/abilities.However,relativetotheskillstheplayersalreadyacquired,theseapparentlyverydifficultlevelswilllooklikeababystep—veryeasy.Soundconfusing?Howcansomethingbeverychallengingandveryeasyatthesametime?
Withoutdoubtthisisacomplexdesignproblem,andIthinkagoodexamplecouldshedsomelightonthis.
Let’sexamineaverychallenginglevelofAngryBirds—level100.Ifyou’veneverplayedAngryBirds,level100willseemimpossibletosolve.Anditshould.However,afteryou’veplaylevel1tolevel99,level100willsuddenlylookveryeasy,becauseyouhaveacquiredthenecessaryskillstoplaythegame(duringtheprevious99levels).Despitethefactthatlevel100isindeedaverychallenginglevel,relativetotheskillsyou’veacquiredfromplayinglevel1tolevel99,level100willlooklikeababystep.Thismasteryofskills(orlearning)iswhathastohappenfromoneleveltothenextsothatthecumulativeskillsyou’veacquiredwillalwaysmakethenextlevellookeasy.
Nowwecanreturntothegamificationworldandapplythisbaby-stepdesigntobuildourlevel-upladder.It’simportanttorememberthatababy-stepisnotaboutmakingeverystepababystep.Rather,itisaboutmakingeverystepaschallengingaspossible,butstillseemlikeababysteprelativetheskillsyou’veacquiredfromtakingtheprevioussteps.Ifyoubuildyourlevel-upladderthisway,startingwithatoolthathasimmediatefeedback,yourgamificationwillbeabletodrivebehaviors at scale and be sustainable.
Althoughgamificationisnotagameperse,thebehaviordesignaspectsofbothareactuallyquitesimilar.Thereismuchthatthegamificationcommunitycanlearnfromthegame design industry.Thegamedesignindustryissimplyanolderandmorematuredindustrythangamification.Assuch,they’vehavealreadyfiguredoutmanybehaviordesignprinciplesthatgamificationpractitionersarejuststartingtograsp.
Forexample,gamedesignersknewthatinordertokeepalargepopulationengagedingameplayoveralongperiod,theymuststartwithaneasygameandemployababy-steplevelupstrategy.Inotherwords,gamesweseetoday(atleastthesuccessfulones)arereallymadeupofmanylittlegames(i.e.,levels)ofincreasingdifficultythatarestrungtogetherthroughlevelups.Thus,fromabehaviordesignperspective,games arereallynothingmorethanacarefullycraftedsequenceofbaby-steps(levels)designedtokeeptheplayersengagedandcontinuetoplay.
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Aswecansee,theGamificationSpectrumcanbeusedtohelpyouchoosetherighttoolstoachievethebehaviorsyouwantyourcustomerstotake,forthedesiredamountoftimeyouneed them to exhibit those behaviors.
TolearnmoreaboutGamification,followmeonTheScienceofSocialblog and @mich8elwu.
Conclusion
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