Gamification 101: Design the Player Journey

Gamification is…

A Loyalty Program on Steroids

using game techniches to turbo-charge products & services

Using Levels, Rewards & Unlocks to drive behavior

Turning real-world activities into games

… currently experiencing a Hype cycle 

Let’s Cut Through the Hype

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun

Game Techniques ≠ Core Experience

Intrinsic value > extrinsic rewards Threats Quests Mastery Autonomy Satisfaction Power Sex LeaderboardsMeaning Love Rewards Belonging Fun Badges Learning Punishments Levels Loss of Power Points

Extrinsic Motivators completing tasks

Intrinsic Motivators  long-term engagement

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & funPlayer the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer, customer)

Good Games balance Skill &Challenge to keep players engaged

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & funPlayer the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer)Journey a player’s experience/progression over time (AKA lifecycle)

Journey = Lifecycle + Progression

Journey = Lifecycle + Progression Master Expert NoviceGood games give the player something to master

Think Like a Game Designer Dynamics Mechanics Player Journey AestheticsUse game techniques to guide and motivate the players journey

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & funPlayer the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer)Journey a player’s experience/progression over time (AKA lifecycle)Dynamics the time-based patterns & systems in your game

Game Dynamics = patterns over time Dynamics Pacing Appointments Progressive Unlocks Reward Schedules Dynamic Systems

Patterns are programmed into game systemsReward Schedules  Habits, Surprise, Addiction

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & funPlayer the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer)Journey a player’s experience/progression over time (AKA lifecycle)Dynamics the time-based patterns & systems in your gameMechanics the systems & features that make progress visible

Game Mechanics make progress visible Mechanics Points Levels Leaderboards Player Badges Journey Missions Virtual Goods

Mechanics “light the way” in a player’s journey

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & funPlayer the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer)Journey a player’s experience/progression over time (AKA lifecycle)Dynamics the time-based patterns & systems in your gameMechanics the systems & features that make progress visibleAesthetics the overall experience that yields emotional engagement

Game Aesthetics evoke emotion Aesthetics Curiosity Satisfaction Surprise Trust Delight Fun Envy Pride Connection

Emotion drives action & engagement A good game takes the player on an emotional journey over time

Gamification GlossaryGamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & funPlayer the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer)Journey a player’s experience/progression over time (AKA lifecycle)Dynamics the time-based patterns & systems in your gameMechanics the systems & features that make progress visibleAesthetics the overall experience that yields emotional engagementSocial Actions how players engage with each other in your game

Social Actions  Building Blocks of Social Engagement Player Journey WHO am I playing with? HOW are we engaging? WHAT are we engaging around?

Know Your Players Design for the right PlayStyle

Who’s playing? What’s their style? Why are they playing? What problem are they solving?

What Game Are They Already Playing? What are they optimizing?

What are your business/revenue goals? Who’s funding this project? Why? What’s the payoff?

Find the overlapPlayer Smart BusinessNeeds Gamification Goals

Elevator PitchGoal: create a short, compelling elevator pitchPurpose: clarify and articulate your project vision#Players: 1-8Duration: 20-30 minRules: Fill in the boxes below, with these caveats: 1) this pitch is directed at people who can greenlight & join your project 2) your secret sauce CANNOT reference game mechanics My company (company name)is developing (a defined offering) to help (target player)(solve a problem)using (secret sauce / unique differentiator)

Design Over TimeAs they progress, Players have different needs

Novice needs onboarding(welcome + goals + progress + achieveable rewards)

Expert needs fresh content/activities/people (also status/customization/powertools)

Masters need exclusive access, activities, unlocks

Your Community has a Lifecycle, tooBuild social systems that identify & leverage high-value players

Case Study: GetGlue“the easiest way to find your next favorite thing”

Onboarding: Rate content to build taste profile

Explore content & other people

Lightweight quests suggest what to do next

Like/comment/review content to earn points

Earn Stickers for exploring, rating, socializing

Discover ―neighbors‖ who share your tastes

Become a Guru by interacting with content

(Some folks have lots of time on their hands…)

Leaderboards showcase active, engaged players

Player JourneyGoal: describe key stages of your player’s lifecycle / journeyPurpose: design a game that will attract and support Newbies, Regulars AND EnthusiastsStep 1: create a Persona (AKA Player Story) for a canonical early-adopter PlayerDescription can include gender, age, socio-economic status, gaming experience, aspirations, fears, dailytechnology or shopping habits – whatever is most relevant for your productStep 2: fill in the boxes with “day in the life” scenarios for each key stage Master Expert Novice

Design for Social Friends Families Groups Crowds

Who are players engaging with?What’s their preferred social style?

CompetitionBragging, Taunting, Challenging

CooperationSharing, Helping, Gifting, Greeting

Self-Expressioncustomizing, selecting, designing, creating

Bartles Player Types (1996) Killers Achievers Socializers Explorers

Social Actions (2010) Win Challenge Create Achievers Showoff Compare

Social Actions (2010) Win Challenge Create Achievers Showoff Compare Express LikeHelp Share SocializersComment Give Greet

Social Actions (2010) Win Challenge Create Achievers Showoff Compare Express Like View Help Explore Share Socializers Explorers RateComment Vote Give Greet Curate Review

Social Actions (2010) Hack Win Harass Challenge Create Cheat Killers Achievers Heckle Taunt Showoff Compare Tease Express Like View Help Explore Share Socializers Explorers RateComment Vote Give Greet Curate Review

Which Social Actions do YOU enable? Hack Win Harass Challenge Create Cheat Killers Achievers Heckle Taunt Showoff Compare Tease Express Like View Help Explore Share Socializers Explorers RateComment Vote Give Greet Curate Review

Which socialNow add these SOCIAL ACTIONS to your player journey Master Enthusiast Expert Regular Novice Newbie

Design for ProgressProgress Mechanics ―light the way‖ along a player’s journey

Keeping ScorePoints & Progression in the Player’s Journey Anytime you make numbers visible, you’ve enabled a game

Points track & define progressExperience Points (XP) earned directly via players’ actions - used to track & reward certain activities uni-directional metric – only goes UP (reflects persistence + skill)Redeemable Points (credits, coins) earned directly via player actions – used to track & reward certain activities bi-directional metric - can ―cash in‖ points to purchase goods or servicesCurrency (bucks, $$) bi-directional metric - purchased with real money to acquire (often exclusive) goods & servicesSkill Points (Score, Rank) earned via interacting with the game or system – reflects mastery of the activity or gameSocial Points (Social XP, Reputation, Ratings) earned via the actions of OTHER players – can be a proxy for quality/reputation/influence lets you track & reward socially valuable contributions & actions

Experience Points (XP)Experience Points (WOW)

Redeemable PointsRedeemable Points (Stardoll)

SkillRedeemable Points Points (Brain Buddies)

Social Points (Amazon reviews)Social Points (Amazon reviews)

Social Points (Flickr “interestingness”)Social Points (Flickr interestingness)

Social Points (Flickr “interestingness”)Social Points (Stack Overflow Reputation)

Game Pacing  Flow Expected Actions per Level 14 12 10 levels 8 6 4 2 0 0 20 40 60 expected actions Leveling Rate 0.4 0.35 levels per action 0.3 0.25 0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 0 0 20 40 60 levelThe better you get, the harder you need to work to earn rewards

Levels give you Pacing, Status, Unlocks

Global Leaderboards showcase your most skilled and devoted players Hint: let players earn the right to view this list

Social Leaderboards enable Social Actions

How to PlayRules, Hints, Missions, Tutorial

Missions Guide & Motivate the Player

Tutorial provides Newbie OnboardingGuide players through actions that will advance their progress

Badges = goals + progress + collecting

Collections = goals + completion + surprise

Case Study: CityVille

Onboarding starts with greeting & goal

Goal-driven tutorial introduceskey actions, systems & rewards

Gameplay designed aroundCollaborative/Expressive PlayStyle

New goals unlocked as player progresses

Rewards & reminders encourage you to checkin daily

Levels punctuate the action and unlock buying opportunities

Collections add semi-random element

Franchises add social/economic interaction

Progress MechanicsGoal: choose and rank-order your top-5 Progress MechanicsPurpose: identify the core system and features to guide and support your player journey#Players: 1-8Duration: 20-30 minStep 1: Choose Top 5 Progress Mechanics Step 2: Rank-order & Customize Levels Global Leaderboards Social Leaderboards Badges Collections Progress Bar Missions Hints Tutorial Personal Stats Population Stats Virtual Goods Reputation Ratings

Annotate the JourneyStep 2: Add PROGRESS MECHANICS Master Enthusiast Expert Regular Novice Newbie

Design for CustomizationVirtual Goods let players customize their experience & payments

Virtual Goods = Digital Items w/Contextual Meaning

Virtual Goods evoke real emotions

Virtual Economies drive ongoing use..

… and require ongoing production & service To date, players have purchased over 187 million pairs of shoes and 1.7 billion apples in-game

What will your players Customize?

Customize Your Page/Dashboard

Customize Your Avatar

Customize Your Location

Case Study: Pogo

Play games, earn tokens, win prizes

Purchase gems to buy games & virtual goods

Customize your avatar’s outfit, background, etc.

Enter a weekly contest for best avatar

Premium items add status, visual interest

Locked items upsell players to premium service

Subscription service offers badges & more

Badge album shows off your collection

Rich profile includes stats, badges, guestbook

In-game chat facilitates meeting new people

Prize winners made visible (to motivate entries)

What to Customize?Goal: define the core Social Object that your players will customizePurpose: focus your Customization/Virtual Goods strategyDuration: 5-10 minStep 1: Choose 1-3 Social Object(s) to Customize (fewer is better) Profile Dashboard Home Page Blog Avatar Location (specify) OtherStep 2: Briefly describe how Customization will work at key stages of the Journey Master Expert Novice

Design for EngagementPlayer Journey + Social Actions = Social Engagement Loops

Social Actions drive Social Engagement Player JourneyWHO am I playing with? HOW are we playing together? WHAT are we playing with?

Social Actions drive Social Engagement Hack Win Harass Challenge Create Cheat Killers Achievers Heckle Taunt Showoff Compare Tease Express Like View Help Explore Share Socializers Explorers Rate Comment Vote Give Greet Curate Review

Case Study: Foursquare

Core activity: the checkin

Checkin to venues to earn Points & Stats

Badges mark progress and suggest goals

Badges have personality, attitude, humour

Mayorship rewards loyalty, recency – drives competition

Sharing checkins and badgespromotes social engagement

Why does Foursquare work?1. Core activity has intrinsic motivation checking into venues delivers lightweight fun, has both personal & social value

Why does Foursquare work?1. Core activity has intrinsic motivation checking into venues delivers lightweight fun, has both personal & social value2. Progress mechanics light the way badges guide players towards action & completion + have element of surprise mayorships mirror real-world dynamics, stimulate loyalty &competition

Why does Foursquare work?1. Core activity has intrinsic motivation checking into venues delivers lightweight fun, has both personal & social value2. Progress mechanics light the way badges guide players towards action & completion + have element of surprise mayorships mirror real-world dynamics, stimulate loyalty & competition3. Social Actions aligned with Social Needs explore, showoff, share, compare, compete

Social Engagement LoopVisible Progress / Reward Motivating Emotion Pts / Stats / Awards / Messages Fun / Delight / Trust / Pride / Curious Player Re-engagement (social) Call to Action Task / Mission / Game / Quiz Customize / Share / Help / Compete

Newbie: Learn about CheckInsEarn Pts, Compare w/friends Curiousity / Competition Checkin Checkin Again to explore & discover

Expert: Collect BadgesEarn Badge Pride / Surprise / Delight Checkin Share with friends/followers

Master: Earn/Defend Mayorship Earn/Defend Mayorship Pride / Competition Checkin Get Special Privileges (discounts, access, prizes)

Engagement Loop 1Goal: fill in the boxesup your core engagement loopPurpose: identify key systems & actions that drive repeat play#Players: 1-8Duration: 20-30 minStep 1: Fill in the boxes with actions specific to your game Visible Progress / Reward Motivating Emotion Pts / Stats / Awards / Messages Fun / Delight / Trust / Pride / Curious Player Re-engagement (social) Call to Action Task / Mission / Game / Quiz Customize / Share / Help / Compete Newbie Onboarding

Engagement Loop 2Step 2: create a Social Engagement Loop for each Stage of the Player’s Journey Master Enthusiast Expert Regular Novice Newbie

Gamification IdolGoal: Define and communicate your project’s value prop and player journeyPurpose: Design a game that will attract/support newbies AND Enthusiasts#Players: 1-8Duration: 20-30 minStep 1: Prepare your Game Pitch + +Step 2: Pitch Your Game to the Judges & Audience – get feedback

Gamification Idol: Questions1) VISION What’s our vision for this project? What’s the key benefit? Where’s the fun?

Gamification Idol: Questions1) VISION What’s our vision for this project? What’s the key benefit? Where’s the fun?2) PLAYSTYLE Who’s playing? Who are they playing WITH? What’s their primary playstyle? What social actions do they find engaging – and why?

Gamification Idol: Questions1) VISION What’s our vision for this project? What’s the key benefit? Where’s the fun?2) PLAYSTYLE Who’s playing? Who are they playing WITH? What’s their primary playstyle? What social actions do they find engaging – and why?1) MASTERY What’s the core activity and feedback system? What are players optimizing? What skills are they learning and mastering? What journey are they on? What’s driving them to keep playing? What does it mean to ―play well?‖

Gamification Idol: Questions1) VISION What’s our vision for this project? What’s the key benefit? Where’s the fun?2) PLAYSTYLE Who’s playing? Who are they playing WITH? What’s their primary playstyle? What social actions do they find engaging – and why?1) MASTERY What’s the core activity and feedback system? What are players optimizing? What skills are they learning and mastering? What journey are they on? What’s driving them to keep playing? What does it mean to ―play well‖?2) PROGRESS How will you ―light the way‖ towards mastery? How will players know how to get started, and what to do? How will they know if they’re playing well, or poorly?

Gamification Idol: Questions1) VISION What’s our vision for this project? What’s the key benefit? Where’s the fun?2) PLAYSTYLE Who’s playing? Who are they playing WITH? What’s their primary playstyle? What social actions do they find engaging – and why?1) MASTERY What’s the core activity and feedback system? What are players optimizing? What skills are they learning and mastering? What journey are they on? What’s driving them to keep playing? What does it mean to ―play well‖?2) PROGRESS How will you ―light the way‖ towards mastery? How will players know how to get started, and what to do? How will they know if they’re playing well, or poorly?3) ENGAGEMENT What activities and events will re-engage players throughout their lifecycle? How do these activities leverage core social actions?

Thank You! amyjokim@gmail.comFollow me on Twitter @amyjokim

FurtherResources

Daniel Pink TWITTER SUMMARY Carrots & sticks are so last century. For 21st century work, we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery & purpose. COCKTAIL PARTY SUMMARY When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system–which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators–doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way. This new approach has three essential elements: 1. Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives. 2. Mastery — the urge to get better and better at something that matters. 3. Purpose — the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

Tom Chatfield 7 Lessons Learned From Games 1) Progress: Bars, Levels, Points, Badges, Customization – we like to see our progress 2) Missions: Provide multiple long-and-short-term aims for players to tackle 3) Credit: track & reward effort, not just achievement 4) Feedback: tangibly link actions to consequences 5) Surprise: add the Element of Uncertainty to drive and sustain interest 6) People: were most engaged by people – esp collaborating in groups 7) Engagement: games are perfectly tuned to dole out rewards that engage the brain and keep us questing for more

Jesse Schell

Brian Reynolds Keynote - GDCOnine 2010TSI, TSO* http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1013798/Bears-and-Snakes-The-Wild In practice, good game design (like all design) = vision + iteration. Start with a good idea, then iterate, experiment, learn & evolve. * Throw Sh*t in, Take Sh*t Out

Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDsRichard Bartle, 1996http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htmMDA Framework + 8 Kinds of FunMarc LeBlanc, Robin Hunicke, Robert Zubeckhttp://algorithmancy.8kindsoffun.com/Punished by RewardsAlfie KohnWeb Reputation SystemsRandy Farmer

http://newstopiaville.nextnewsroom.com	479
http://gamification.kr	330
http://www.scoop.it	143
http://paper.li	101
http://madebymany.com	56
http://dooodleslove.com	35
http://gamification.tistory.com	21
http://colectivoplanner.tumblr.com	20
http://www.gamification.kr	14
http://compas.risc.cnrs.fr	12
http://edicolaeuropea.blogspot.com	11
http://www.paulpedrazzi.com	8
http://apuntesperiodismodigital.blogspot.com	7
http://static.slidesharecdn.com	6
http://keepstream.com	5
http://xenophrenia.blogspot.com	5
http://www.hanrss.com	4
http://www.curated.by	4
http://www.twylah.com	3
url_unknown	3
http://es.paperblog.com	3
http://translate.googleusercontent.com	3
http://tweetedtimes.com	2
http://a0.twimg.com	2
https://twitter.com	1
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com	1
http://trunk.ly	1
http://safe.tumblr.com	1
http://10.207.248.100:8000	1
http://www.mongodb.org	1
http://www.onlydoo.com	1
http://ranksit.com	1

Gamification 101: Design the Player Journey

by Amy Kim on Jan 26, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

32 Embeds 1,285

Statistics

Gamification 101: Design the Player Journey — Presentation Transcript