1. Serious games
and how they can do
great things in the real world
John Ferrara
Creative director, Megazoid games
Author, Playful Design
@PlayfulDesign
3. Gamification
Embedding elements borrowed from game design
(usually PBL) within things that aren‟t games.
Serious games
Creating true games that achieve some effect
beyond the boundaries of the experience.
… or at least that‟s the theory.
Let‟s get a few things straight
4. “I don‟t do „gamification,‟ and I‟m not
prepared to stand up and say I think it
works... If the game is not about a goal
you‟re intrinsically motivated by, it
won‟t work.”
–Jane McGonigal
“Gamification is bullshit.”
–Ian Bogost
A growing backlash
5. What‟s wrong with gamification?
Mostly it‟s the “ification”.
It’s reductionary.
Gamification robs games of their fundamental appeal.
It’s backwards.
It‟s about how players can serve the designer‟s ends.
It’s unrealistic.
Not everyone will be charmed.
7. Games for...
Health
Games for Health Conference
June 18-20, Boston
Education
Games, Learning, and Society
June 10-13, Madison WI
Change
Games for Change Festival
April 22-24, New York City
53. Player is responsible for maintaining
the health of a virtual pet
Must shop for the critter's food, cook
for it, and feed it
Each day the player must fill the
critter's green bars without filling the
red bars
54. Pilot StudyRun by Univ. of Mass. Medical
SchoolNorthbridge Elementary, MA
100 5th graders, 4 class periods
Significant increases in positive attitudes
toward nutrition and fitness
Significant increases in students' self-efficacy
Moderate increases in nutrition knowledge
(They tested well initially)
56. Games for…
Gatorade “Bolt”
game‟s goal:
“...to position Gatorade
as the hero helping drive
better performance and
higher scores with water
as the enemy that
hinders performance.”
Media agency OMD‟s
case study video
evil?
