Core Concepts of Gamification

Outstanding presentation from Amy Jo Kim, an adjunct professor of Game Design at USC’s Digital Media school, recently named top US-based game design school. She’s also the author of Community Building on the Web (2000), a design handbook for digital communities that’s used worldwide at game studios & universities.[Email Amy]. This presentation was delivered at Casual Connect Seattle, July 2011.

A few of the highlights of the presentation and how they compare to sales and marketing:

“What are your social engagement words?” As I reviewed the list, I started to think how I (we maybe) use the words in the acting stage versus the interacting stage. Look at the content that you create to include letters, marketing materials, emails, even your phone calls and your presentations. Decide where the words you use fit in the matrix. Are you spending your time in expressing and competing blocks or in exploration and collaboration?
When you review your customers’ lifecycle are you keeping them engaged at the level that is currently required?
Within the lifecycle is your engagement loop building positive emotions?
Does your sales and marketing efforts (mechanics) create the emotions that drive action and engagement?
Does the customer see his progression of the knowledge he has gained or the knowledge transfer that has occurred?
Are you lighting the way for your customer to learn and master your product or service?
Are you allowing them to dig deeper challenging your knowledge and product or service?

My mind map from the presentation:

Feel comfortable that Gamification will not turn the world upside down. It only provides us a structure to develop customers’ experiences around. Many of us may already be doing it. Most of us probably have a long way to go. So are you a Newbie, Regular or an Enthusiast at Gamification?