The document discusses designing player journeys in gamification. It defines key concepts like player, journey, dynamics, mechanics and aesthetics. Dynamics refer to time-based patterns and systems, mechanics make progress visible, and aesthetics evoke emotion. The document also discusses designing for different player types and stages, including novices, experts and masters. It provides examples of social actions players can take and notes different player motivations like competition, cooperation and self-expression.

1. GamificationWorkshop
Designing The Player Journey
Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D. © 2011 All Rights Reserved

2. Gamification is…

3. A Loyalty Program on Steroids

4. using game techniches to turbo-charge
products & services

5. Using Levels, Rewards & Unlocks to drive behavior

6. Turning real-world activities into games

7. … currently experiencing a Hype cycle 

8. Let’s Cut Through the Hype

9. Gamification Glossary
Gamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun

10. Game Techniques ≠ Core Experience

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

12. Extrinsic Motivators completing tasks

13. Intrinsic Motivators  long-term engagement

14. Gamification Glossary
Gamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun
Player the person playing your game (AKA user, consumer, customer)

15. Good Games balance Skill &Challenge to
keep players engaged

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

17. Journey = Lifecycle + Progression

18. Journey = Lifecycle + Progression
Master
Expert
Novice
Good games give the player something to master

19. Think Like a Game Designer
Dynamics Mechanics
Player
Journey
Aesthetics
Use game techniques to guide and motivate the players journey

20. Gamification Glossary
Gamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun
Player 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

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

22. Patterns are programmed into game systems
Reward Schedules  Habits, Surprise, Addiction

23. Gamification Glossary
Gamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun
Player 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
Mechanics the systems & features that make progress visible

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

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

26. Gamification Glossary
Gamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun
Player 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
Mechanics the systems & features that make progress visible
Aesthetics the overall experience that yields emotional engagement

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

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

29. Gamification Glossary
Gamification using game techniques to make activities more engaging & fun
Player 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
Mechanics the systems & features that make progress visible
Aesthetics the overall experience that yields emotional engagement
Social Actions how players engage with each other in your game

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

31. Know Your Players
Design for the right PlayStyle

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

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

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

35. Find the overlap
Player Smart Business
Needs Gamification Goals

36. Elevator Pitch
Goal: create a short, compelling elevator pitch
Purpose: clarify and articulate your project vision
#Players: 1-8
Duration: 20-30 min
Rules: 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)

37. Design Over Time
As they progress, Players have different needs

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

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

40. Masters need exclusive access, activities, unlocks

41. Your Community has a Lifecycle, too
Build social systems that identify & leverage high-value players

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

43. Onboarding: Rate content to build taste profile

44. Explore content & other people

45. Lightweight quests suggest what to do next

46. Like/comment/review content to earn points

47. Earn Stickers for exploring, rating, socializing

48. Discover ―neighbors‖ who share your tastes

49. Become a Guru by interacting with content

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

51. Leaderboards showcase active, engaged players

52. Player Journey
Goal: describe key stages of your player’s lifecycle / journey
Purpose: design a game that will attract and support Newbies, Regulars AND Enthusiasts
Step 1: create a Persona (AKA Player Story) for a canonical early-adopter Player
Description can include gender, age, socio-economic status, gaming experience, aspirations, fears, daily
technology or shopping habits – whatever is most relevant for your product
Step 2: fill in the boxes with “day in the life” scenarios for each key stage
Master
Expert
Novice

53. Design for Social
Friends Families
Groups
Crowds

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

55. Competition
Bragging, Taunting, Challenging

56. Cooperation
Sharing, Helping, Gifting, Greeting

57. Self-Expression
customizing, selecting, designing, creating

58. Bartles Player Types (1996)
Killers Achievers
Socializers
Explorers

59. Social Actions (2010)
Win
Challenge Create
Achievers
Showoff
Compare

60. Social Actions (2010)
Win
Challenge Create
Achievers
Showoff
Compare
Express
Like
Help
Share
Socializers
Comment
Give Greet

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

62. Social Actions (2010)
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

63. 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
Rate
Comment Vote
Give Greet Curate Review

64. Which social
Now add these SOCIAL ACTIONS to your player journey
Master
Enthusiast
Expert
Regular
Novice
Newbie

65. Design for Progress
Progress Mechanics ―light the way‖ along a player’s journey

66. Keeping Score
Points & Progression in the Player’s Journey
Anytime you make numbers visible, you’ve enabled a game

67. Points track & define progress
Experience 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 services
Currency (bucks, $$)
bi-directional metric - purchased with real money to acquire (often exclusive) goods & services
Skill Points (Score, Rank)
earned via interacting with the game or system – reflects mastery of the activity or game
Social 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

68. Experience Points (XP)
Experience Points (WOW)

69. Redeemable Points
Redeemable Points (Stardoll)

70. SkillRedeemable Points
Points (Brain Buddies)

71. Social Points (Amazon reviews)
Social Points (Amazon reviews)

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

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

74. 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
level
The better you get, the harder you need to work to earn rewards

75. Levels give you Pacing, Status, Unlocks

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

77. Social Leaderboards enable Social Actions

78. How to Play
Rules, Hints, Missions, Tutorial

79. Missions Guide & Motivate the Player

80. Tutorial provides Newbie Onboarding
Guide players through actions that will advance their progress

81. Badges = goals + progress + collecting

82. Collections = goals + completion + surprise

83. Case Study: CityVille

84. Onboarding starts with greeting & goal

85. Goal-driven tutorial introduces
key actions, systems & rewards

86. Gameplay designed around
Collaborative/Expressive PlayStyle

87. New goals unlocked as player progresses

88. Rewards & reminders encourage
you to checkin daily

89. Levels punctuate the action and
unlock buying opportunities

90. Collections add semi-random element

91. Collections add semi-random element

92. Franchises add social/economic interaction

93. Progress Mechanics
Goal: choose and rank-order your top-5 Progress Mechanics
Purpose: identify the core system and features to guide and support your player journey
#Players: 1-8
Duration: 20-30 min
Step 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

94. Annotate the Journey
Step 2: Add PROGRESS MECHANICS
Master
Enthusiast
Expert
Regular
Novice
Newbie

95. Design for Customization
Virtual Goods let players customize their experience & payments

96. Virtual Goods = Digital Items w/Contextual Meaning

97. Virtual Goods evoke real emotions

98. Virtual Economies drive ongoing use..

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

100. What will your players Customize?

101. Customize Your Page/Dashboard

102. Customize Your Avatar

103. Customize Your Location

104. Case Study: Pogo

105. Play games, earn tokens, win prizes

106. Purchase gems to buy games & virtual goods

107. Customize your avatar’s outfit, background, etc.

108. Enter a weekly contest for best avatar

109. Premium items add status, visual interest

110. Locked items upsell players to premium service

111. Subscription service offers badges & more

112. Badge album shows off your collection

113. Rich profile includes stats, badges, guestbook

114. In-game chat facilitates meeting new people

115. Prize winners made visible (to motivate entries)

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

117. Design for Engagement
Player Journey + Social Actions = Social Engagement Loops

118. Social Actions drive Social Engagement
Player
Journey
WHO am I playing with? HOW are we playing together? WHAT are we playing with?

119. 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

120. Case Study: Foursquare

121. Core activity: the checkin

122. Checkin to venues to earn Points & Stats

123. Badges mark progress and suggest goals

124. Badges have personality, attitude, humour

125. Mayorship rewards loyalty, recency –
drives competition

126. Sharing checkins and badges
promotes social engagement

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

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

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

130. Social Engagement Loop
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

131. Newbie: Learn about CheckIns
Earn Pts, Compare w/friends Curiousity / Competition
Checkin Checkin Again to
explore & discover

132. Expert: Collect Badges
Earn Badge Pride / Surprise / Delight
Checkin Share with friends/followers

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

134. Engagement Loop 1
Goal: fill in the boxesup your core engagement loop
Purpose: identify key systems & actions that drive repeat play
#Players: 1-8
Duration: 20-30 min
Step 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

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

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

137. Gamification Idol: Questions
1) VISION
What’s our vision for this project? What’s the key benefit? Where’s the fun?

138. Gamification Idol: Questions
1) 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?

139. Gamification Idol: Questions
1) 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?‖

140. Gamification Idol: Questions
1) 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?

141. Gamification Idol: Questions
1) 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?

142. Thank You!
amyjokim@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter @amyjokim

143. Further
Resources

144. 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.

145. 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: we're 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

146. Jesse Schell

147. Brian Reynolds Keynote - GDCOnine 2010
TSI, 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

148. Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs
Richard Bartle, 1996
http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm
MDA Framework + 8 Kinds of Fun
Marc LeBlanc, Robin Hunicke, Robert Zubeck
http://algorithmancy.8kindsoffun.com/
Punished by Rewards
Alfie Kohn
Web Reputation Systems
Randy Farmer