Our Journey from Serious To Not So Serious Play. ^ The document discusses how the company has evolved from creating serious games to apply their expertise in psychology and gamification to social games. It outlines their process of using psychological theories and human motivations to design engaging games. Examples provided include games to motivate students, improve careers advice for youth, and influence behavior change. The company emphasizes designing games around intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation through mastery, status, and fulfilling core human needs.

1. Our Journey from Serious To Not So Serious Play.^How our expertise in Psychometric Gaminghas propelled us to create engaging Social Games and being able to apply Gamification that creates results.

2. IntroductionWe aren’t just a gamescompany any more. Games. Services. Workshops.Events.(Gamfying it all!)

3. What We Learned From Serious GamesGame design + Instructional design.Psychometric measurements.Subject matter experts + Game Designers.^^AcademicsStory tellers.

4. Our expertise for Serious Game ProductionIncrease physical activity.

5. Improve patient compliance.

6. Improve hospital operations.PlayGen HealthEngage groups of people in conversation.

7. Mechanisms for influence and behaviour change.

8. Playful discover and social interaction.Personal, Social Learning & Ethics

9. Improving business management and performance.

10. Compliance proficiency and training.

11. IT Security and data protection.Corporate & FinanceGovernment and Policy Engagement

12. Police and Community Cohesion.

13. Defence and Intelligence.Government& Security

14. Our Clients & PartnershipsOur clients, not necessarily known for using games.

15. What We Have GamifiedWe have been Gamfying subjects, topics, services, sites, brands forover 10 years!

16. What We Did: Serious? We have been building serious games for over 10 years.We enable “ENGAGEMENT” not “FUN”.Fun is an added product which emerges once the users is playing the game instead of working, training or in the classroom. <>It’s a change from the usual activity they are used to.

17. But hey don’t shoot the designers, we still keep fun in mind!

18. What We Do: Not So Serious?We began to move into the social space.we haven't looked back since.By bringing all our psychological experience in serious game design we are able to create “FUN” engaging experiences in social games.^Yes we said fun :)

19. Our move into social gaming We find it easier to engage users in social environmentsCasual, not much time needs to be invested to gain an enjoyable experience.

20. Community Driven, users motivate each other. Social psychology playing a big part.

21. Fun, Social games are an enjoyable experience – Addiction, fulfilling needs.=Social Games^Quick to pick up and play. Easy to learn, hard to master.

22. Social environment designDesigning games around fulfilling human needs: Acceptance, Curiosity, Honour, Idealism, Independence, Power, Social Contact and Status.Being able to create player communities which can be manipulated through using motivators and drivers: Expressing personal identity, Status and self esteem, Giving and getting help, Affiliation and belonging, Sense of community, Reassurance of value and worth.Influencing behaviour, 6 Rules for influence. Which are...

23. 6 Rules of Social Influence for games.1. Must target a specific group.Define your target audience.2. Assist the user to interact with content in multiple ways.Allow the user to interact with the game and the community in many ways. 3. Bring content infront of the audienceUse Reticular Activating System (neuroscience). Familiar contentand buzzwords. 4. Guide the user to make the best decisions for them.Pick up and play, involve easy to learn hard to master.5. Allow users to take advice from the community.Focus mainly on building a true community, dedicated users with power and fans.6. Let your users leave with positive experiences.Give them power, allow them to earn credibility and fulfil their core human needs.

24. This is Psychology=A deeper understanding in how we can use psychological theories with gaming mechanisms in order to motivate human behaviour. Gamification^10% Game Design90% Psychology

25. Just add Salt.The just add saltmethodology. “It’s nice but adding salt makes it better.”We see many companies, sites andbrands using this method inGamification. We don’tname andshame!Just add game mechanics^By adding game mechanics just doesn't cut itPeople aren’t going to play agame on brushing their teeth –If they brush their teeth alreadyeveryday.

26. Use the force(s)!To name a few:Challenge, Variable Reward, Curiosity. Identity, Surprise,Status, Feedback, Power, Free, Collecting, Ownership,^Use game mechanics as enablers or vehicles for these motivations.

28. It’s not all doom and gloomGamification can be used for the greater good. ^Our recent examples: Motivate students to have a voiceProject Einstein Making careers advice enjoyable.MeTycoon PSHE, lessons. Counter Terrorism.Choices & Voices

30. We don’tJust add game mechanicsPointsBadgesLeaderboardsLevelsChallenges^usingIs our product methodologyIncrease Engagement

31. Build Loyalty

32. Improve ConversionWe docarefully craft experiencesIdentityStatusMasteryAchievementOwnershipLoyalty^BrandProductServiceSiteForYourusingpsychology

33. Increasing Engagement Aim to encourage student voice.Associative Play – Game play is built around studentsinteracting with each other directly. Using psychologyto encourage student voice.Status – Being able to post an idea that everyone likes so thatit appears on the leaderboards on the big televisions aroundthe school.Ownership - Students can post an idea, and have full ownershipover that idea, others can vote the idea worthy or not.Power - Giving students the power to change their schoolenvironment. Headmaster collects the ideas from the game everymonth to help improve the school.>To name a few

34. Recent activity feed toinvoke a presence ofothers.Leaderboard to show thebest ideas, giving the bestidea authors fame/status.Power, Status, Social Contact, AchievementThe idea is displayedinfront of the communityfor all to see. A user getsrecognised for posting agood idea.Vote systemUser’s havethe power to deem an ideaworthy.Ownership, Power, loyalty

35. Building LoyaltyTurning extrinsic motivationDoing something you don’t like,although you know there is an reward atthe end.Creating value: ^Rule 6: Driving the player to positive experiencesInto intrinsic motivationDoing something you enjoy.When the task itself is it’s ownreward.

36. Improving conversionMeTycoonThe BenefitsTurning careers advice intosomething more enjoyable.Allows students to discover careers

37. Enables students to learn about the implications of various lifestyle decisions.

38. Provides an exciting online experience for students to understand the importance of transferable skills.

39. Helps them visualise and understand today’s job market is not always a linear progression.The ChallengeYoung people often lack theresources, help or opportunitiesto think abouttheir career.The OutcomesFinalist at ITSEC Award 201020,000 Players +(increasing daily)92% students discovered newjobs playing MeTycoon.

40. Using psychologyto engage kids in careers adviceParallel & AssociativePlay- Being able to observe otherswhile playing, view other worlds, but on your ownas interms of game-play. Gifting and hi-fiving is really the onlysocial interaction.Status – Being able to climb up the career ladder,gainingabigger social status.Mastery – Able to balance between progressing in ajob and not getting into debt.Power – Giving the player the power to feel in controlOf their life, every decision is there own doing. Ownership – Players can own items. Loyalty- The game gives students a value to play.that’s why wesee a big return rate in players. Variable Challenges – each Year with a world event.

41. So how did we get the psychology to work?Reward, MasteryOwnershipRewards and Job successionfor watching videosRange of items to buy toimprove skills,decorateand giftVariable challengePowerCustomisation of charactersand players world..Random events to make eachgame-play more interesting...

42. Just to recap the key messages10 years experience in serious games.

43. Moved to social gaming with our psychological expertise.

44. Gamification is mostly psychology.

45. We engage with psychology but use gaming mechanisms to allow this to be enabled.

46. Creating value is the art of turning extrinsic to intrinsic motivation.Thank you & don’t forget toThe code for this event isgawoA game to play while your at the Digital Shoreditchfestival. How to play found in the event guide or at:www.digitalshoreditch.com/game