Social Games For Health Behavior Modification. Gamification is a topic I have mentioned not too long ago (see this post).
Recently I attended a Boston CHI presentation by Chris Cartter called "The Socialization and Gamification of Health Behavior Change Apps. " Gamification One thing that Cartter said that sounds right, and may resonate with some of my readers, is that games are fuzzy, not perfect sequential processes. And that is what health behavior changes are more like. So gamification in this area might actually result in better methods than old fashioned x-step procedures. Cartter works for a Boston company called MeYouHealth, which is cranking out these well-being apps for the iPhone. Mobile The whole tie in with mobile phones is a big trend for everything of course, but it's possible that health behavior change is particularly ideal for mobile phone apps.
Socialization As indicated by the title, the other major aspect of Cartter's presentation is the social network links. The health aspect here is written right in the app: Valve: Piracy Is More About Convenience Than Price. From the perspective of Valve, software piracy is caused more by convenience than it is by the cost of games.
That's according to co-founder Gabe Newell, who recently spoke at the North to Innovation conference in Seattle, giving a very frank and open outline of the modern economics of video games. According to Newell, Russia -- which is often ignored as a market due to its high level of piracy -- is one of Steam's highest grossing countries. "Russia now outside of Germany is our largest continental European market," said Newell, adding that "the people who are telling you that Russians pirate everything are the people who wait six months to localize their product into Russian.
" "The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. It’s by giving those people a service that’s better than what they’re receiving from the pirates," he said. Valve's Surprising Free-To-Play Numbers According to Newell, the move increased the game's online userbase by a factor of five. Just add points? What UX can (and cannot) learn from games. Meta-Game Design: Reward Systems that Drive Engagement. One of the hottest topics in the Web-meets-Gaming world is metagame design -- the practice of applying game-like reward and feedback systems to non-game applications for the purpose of driving loyalty and engagement.
In the physical world, we're surrounded by metagames: Karate belts, scout badges, employee incentive plans, and frequent flyer miles are all reward systems, layered onto an existing activity to drive loyalty and communicate social status. On the Web, metagames peform a similar function. Social networks like MyYearBook and Hi5 let players earn redeemable points by logging in and engaging in various social activities. The Usable Learning Blog. SCVNGR's Secret Game Mechanics Playdeck. Some companies keep a playbook of product tips, tricks and trade secrets.
Zynga has an internal playbook, for instance, that is a collection of “concepts, techniques, know-how and best practices for developing successful and distinctive social games”. Zynga’s playbook has entered the realm of legend and was even the subject of a lawsuit. SCVNGR, which makes a mobile game with real-world challenges, has a playdeck. It is a deck of cards listing nearly 50 different game mechanics that can be mixed and matched to create the foundation for different types of games.
I’ve republished the accompanying document below, which should be interesting to anybody trying to inject a gaming dimension into their products. Rght now, that should be a lot of people. SCVNGR’s playdeck tries to break down the game mechanics into their constituent parts. SCVNGR Game Dynamics Playdeck 1. Definition: A virtual or physical representation of having accomplished something. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Engagement through Gamification. HOW TO: Use Game Mechanics to Power Your Business. Shane Snow is a regular contributor to Mashable and tweets at @shanesnow.
This post was co-authored by Phin Barnes, a principal at First Round Capital, SneakerheadVC and creator of the Xbox game, Yourself! Fitness. He has also served as a consultant to MTV games. Before Foursquare managed to storm social media, GPS friend finders and city guides did in fact exist. But, Foursquare quickly became a star, engaging hundreds of thousands of users in just a few months and turning them into evangelists for its product. Common game elements like points, badges, leaderboards, and levels are proven (and increasingly popular) ways to engage customers and encourage profit-driving consumer behavior. Trip Hawkins, founder of game companies Electronic Arts and Digital Chocolate, says that compelling games need to be “simple, hot, and deep.”
Legions of online businesses are following this trend right now as they attempt to integrate game mechanics into their products. 1. Here's a cheesy example: Game-Based Marketing. Gamification and Game Mechanics Guide. _whyweplaygames.pdf - Powered by Google Docs. Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology.