Gamification uses game mechanics to engage customers and drive engagement with content. Gamification can be a powerful tool for going your business forward in the proper context. Finding the right balance of fun and purposeful objectives will keep users returning as they build their skill set or level up after every session. Gamification techniques are a way to add fun and engagement to your content. It is an effective way to engage users with what you have created. This article will help you understand how gamification techniques work, as well as give some examples of how they can be implemented in different industries. Humans like playing games. You’re a gamer. I like playing games. Games are entertaining because they are both exciting and cognitively challenging. Our need to play games is ingrained into our minds. Do you need evidence that we like video games? The iTunes App Store featured over 396,000 game applications in 2015, almost doubling from July 2013. Games are being downloaded. You almost certainly have a game or two installed on your smartphone. You could have even played it today. (I’m sure I did.) Furthermore, video games are owned by more than three-quarters of American homes. According to VentureBeat, 80 percent of American households possess a gaming gadget. It’s not only youngsters that are addicted to video games. Gamers, on average, are 37 years old. How long has it been since you last played a video game? Gamification is a tactic you’ll want to apply if you promote engagement and brand recognition and make your material more pleasant. Don’t be alarmed by the phrase gamification; it’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m going to make things simple for you. Here’s what I’d want to accomplish with this post:
- Explain what gamification is and why it’s essential.
- Give some instances of how it may be used.
I’d also want to clarify that gamification does not necessarily imply playing games. Instead, Gamification is a concept that encompasses all aspects of content engagement. So if you were hoping for a tutorial on making Flappy Bird or adding Words With Friends to your blog, you’re in for a surprise.
(However, if you stay with me to the finish, I’ll show you some simple games to motivate you.) You’ll discover some exciting things in this article. Gamification is a game-changer, and I will show you how to use it to better your game. (I couldn’t help myself.) It’s time to play.
What is the definition of gamification?
Here are several gamification definitions.
Most individuals believe that gamification refers to game dynamics or game components.
The term as follows by Badgeville: “the idea of using game mechanics and design strategies to engage and encourage people to accomplish their objectives.” Gamification taps into the user’s underlying interests and demands, which center on the concept of status and accomplishment.” Even though gamification is just another trendy term, the notion isn’t new. In truth, it dates back to 2003, when computer programmer and inventor Nick Pelling created the time.
However, it wasn’t until 2010 that it indeed took off. Gartner’s projection that more and more organizations will begin gamifying procedures to better appeal to customers and enhance customer retention helped it gain popularity. Could you take a look at where we are currently? Gamification has taken over the world. The beauty of gamification is that it’s pretty simple to apply. You may also choose from various ways to ensure that they are compatible with your content. You may try out some of these specialized gamification strategies.
1. Leaderboards
The drive to compete is an intrinsic need shared by most individuals. Many of us secretly want to exceed the competition and be the best. In the gaming industry, leaderboards have long been a means of attaining prestige.
Even if it’s now Clash of Clans instead of Pac-Man, not much has changed.
Having a scoreboard around my material is one technique I’ve discovered to help increase engagement. Allow me to explain. Assume you have a message board where members of your online community may converse and share ideas. You might create a scoreboard that ranks members according to the number of comments, responses, thanks, and other factors. For example, if a person was in fifth place and not far behind the top in terms of numbers, they could be more motivated to keep commenting and engaged. On CoreJoomla.com, this strategy is in use:
Github offers a scoring system that works in the same way:
Leaderboards aren’t always required to monitor one-on-one competition. For showcasing your content, you may utilize a basic leaderboard technique. For example, on Quick Sprout, I created a primary content scoreboard to display readers whose blog pieces are the most popular, encouraging them to go through and read the blog.
Leaderboards come in a variety of styles and sizes. It all depends on your imagination.
2. Quizzes
Let’s be honest about it. At times, we may all be a little selfish. We like uncovering facts about ourselves to understand better who we are and what we value, and we often share this information with others. Quizzes pander to this narcissistic trait and maybe quite efficient in capturing your audience’s attention. The most significant aspect is that many individuals will want to engage their friends, resulting in more traffic. According to studies, quizzes made up eight of the top ten most shared articles. “On average, a quiz is shared 1,900 times,” according to Buzzsumo. That’s a lot of information to provide. Check if you can add a quiz into your material to stimulate audience engagement. They’re simple to make, and you may utilize a platform like ProProfs Quiz Maker.
“What is the Color of Your Aura?” is one of the most popular quizzes of all time, with over 4 million shares:
Even if you don’t believe in auras or the Papyrus font, aren’t you curious about the hue of your aura? BuzzFeed is responsible for some of the most popular quizzes. There’s no surprise there.
However, you may be surprised at how intriguing such quizzes are to individuals. You may be overworked, worried, and have a lot on your plate today. An examination of serving sizes, on the other hand, is oddly engaging. You want to have a good time. Why? Because your intelligence is being tested subtly. You want to show off your knowledge of serving sizes, whether to yourself or others. So you decide to take the quiz. BuzzFeed is the winner. They’ve convinced you to spend four minutes on their website doing stuff. The Telegraph is also a master at creating engaging quizzes:
If you haven’t done so before, I recommend creating a questionnaire on a site like ProProfs. It just takes a few minutes, but the payoff is enormous.
3. Badges
People like being rewarded for their work as well. My instructor used to give me a star sticker as a positive reinforcement when I did anything successfully in elementary school. I was rewarded every time I accumulated five stars. Likewise, giving virtual badges to audiences has become a popular method to thank them for their time and effort. These badges provide individuals a sense of legitimacy, and users may brag about them to their friends. For example, if you wanted to encourage readers to leave comments on your blog entries, you might award badges based on the number of words they wrote or the amount of time participating in a debate. In addition, many websites have started using badges to prove celebrity status. For example, if you’re famous on Quora, you’ll get a blue checkmark on your profile photo.
On specific platforms, you may achieve equal status just by being active, helpful, and respected. For example, the content-based website Search Engine Journal uses gamification to rank its contributors. As a result, a “VIP contributor” emblem is shown on the profiles of authors who regularly contribute with high-rated material.
4. Leveling
This is comparable to badges in that it takes advantage of people’s desire to acquire a specific level of prestige. Instead of employing digital symbols as incentives, you award multiple levels to your customers, readers, and others based on their degree of commitment. Maybe there are ten levels, with ten being the highest. This might encourage someone to join in and become more interested in your online community. Credit Karma employs several gamification strategies. On some of their interactive websites, they operate the leveling feature:
5. Challenges
What person doesn’t like a good challenge? We are pushed to develop, evolve, and become better versions of ourselves when we put ourselves to the test. For example, you may challenge customers to share photos on Instagram using your product in unusual ways. Alternatively, you might build a scenario and ask your readers a quest article to see what they would do in a challenging circumstance. Many individuals will feel driven to accept your challenge, and you’ll notice a massive boost in interaction. For example, Moz used a gamification challenge element to assist users in determining which tool they need for a given SEO problem. Users may obtain a fast representation of the device they should look into by checking the checkbox of the topic they are interested in.
A frequent gamification component is health challenges. Users may monitor their progress and change their settings in several health challenges.
6. A progress indicator
Perhaps one of the most straightforward gamification techniques is to display a progress indicator as a person completes a form or reviews a product/service. As they go from step to step, this demonstrates what % of the procedure they’ve done. For instance, if they’ve filled out two of five pages, a progress indicator would say “40% done.” People hate leaving things unfinished. Thus, the urge to complete a task may motivate them to see it through. You can use a progress indicator almost anywhere. There’s room for a progress indicator as long as the user is focused on completing a job. On my SEO analyzer tool, I even utilize one:
LinkedIn’s “Profile Strength” feature is one of my favorites:
This progress indicator motivates users to do whatever it takes to get to the all-star status. The result for LinkedIn is higher engagement levels and more interaction on the site. One of the most popular website aims is to entice visitors to sign up for a newsletter or download something. Of course, the goal is to get the user’s email address. LeadPages is an expert at conversion optimization, and it’s a progress indicator is genius:
When you see a progress indicator, it encourages you to complete the signup process.
7. Actual video games
Yep, you can add Actual video games too. Why not? Like I said at the beginning of this article, Humans like playing games. Even if the game doesn’t have much to do with your content or product, it will still keep people engaged with your site. More involvement is a beautiful thing, regardless of the cause. Here’s how to add games and where to put them:
- Instead of writing a regular blog article, create a short game. This does not have to be a difficult task. Just make a little game and watch how much traffic and interaction you get.
- Make your 404-page interactive by including a game. For example, it changes the phrase “oh, snap” to “oh, cool.”
Let me give you a few instances. First, blue Fountain Mitsupdated their 404 page with a game. Who doesn’t want to play a thrilling game of Pac-Man, after all?
Even the sound is 8-bit! Hey, how’s it going with your 500-word page? Don’t let it slip through the cracks in the games! This is my favorite 500 page from Worthwhile:
You may waste a good fifteen minutes making the man leap if you’re not cautious. Over the years, Google has experimented with a variety of games. Google Snake is a great way to pass the time if you’re bored.
Alternatively, Google Gravity:
And you may waste a lot more time than you intended figuring out Google Guitar:
Conclusion
Gamification is an excellent approach to improving your content while increasing audience engagement. It’s even been shown to increase conversions by up to 7 times! You should be able to draw in more of your audience and drive them to participate more regularly and on a deeper level by experimenting with different tactics. Gamification is the use of game-like elements in non-game contexts to engage users. These techniques are most commonly seen in corporate training but can also be applied in marketing, sales, and education. This article will quickly teach you to add gamification techniques to your content.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I gamify my content?
A: Gamify your content by having it be a game. For example, if you are teaching someone how to do something, have them complete multiple levels of progressively tricky tasks that they can track their progress across on the go or through an app. If you’re reading a book for fun with pictures instead of words, make up some little games in your head, like finding all landmarks and spots wearing sunglasses.
How do I add gamification to my website?
A: You can use gamification software to add a variety of interactive elements designed to give the user an added value or sense of achievement when completing tasks on your website. Some examples include awards, badges, levels, and leaderboards. We have provided some links below for you to find out more about these programs to decide if they are suitable for your needs!
What are some gamification techniques?
A: Gamification is the act of using game design elements in non-game contexts to drive user interaction and behavior change. It’s about turning something into a game with rules, goals, feedback loops, levels, or achievements that keep people motivated and engaged.
Related Tags
- gamify your website
- gamification strategy example
- gamification techniques in business
- gamification in business examples
- gamification marketing examples