1. GAMIFICATION
YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!

2. PRESENTED BY
MICHAEL WILSON
............
@STOPWILSON | WWW.STOPWILSON.COM

3. OVERVIEW
Beyond badges and progress bars, award winning
game developer Michael Wilson lectures on the
basics of game design and structure while
applying those principles to modern digital design.
This class caters to both designers and developers
currently trying to incorporate gaming features into
their company’s products.
This class is theory and methodology, not practice,
but we may reference design and programming
principles, so rudimentary experience in design or
development will be useful.

4. WHO THE ______ ARE YOU?
I am a seasoned technologist and entrepreneur
with experience in every aspect of the digital
entertainment, software and advertising industries.
With over 15 years of software development
leadership in retail software and enterprise web
development, my teams have deployed code for
many fortune 500 companies including Procter &
Gamble, IBM and Electronic Arts.
Projects under my direct technical lead have won
many awards including a Webby, selection as an
Independent Games Festival Finalist and the
coveted Cannes Gold Cyber Lion.

5. GAMES?

6. WHAT IS
GAMIFICATION?
............

7. GAMIFICATION
THE USE OF GAME DESIGN
ELEMENTS IN NON-GAME
CONTEXTS.

8. FITNESS

9. EDUCATION

10. LIFE

11. MAGIC FORMULA?
SOMETHING POPULAR
BLISSFUL
NO ONE + GAME = PRODUCTIVITY
WANTS TO DO MECHANIC

12. GAME MECHANICS
• Achievements • Infinite Gameplay
• Behavioral Momentum • Levels
• Bonuses • Loss Aversion
• Cascading Information • Lottery
• Combos • Ownership
• Community • Points
Collaboration • Progression
• Countdown • Quests
• Discovery • Reward Schedules
• Epic Meaning • Status
via http://gamification.org/wiki/Game_Mechanics

13. GAMES ARE
ADDICTIVE
Photo used under Creative Commons from Jeff Kubina

14. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH
GAMIFICATION?
............

15. IT’S A SET OF FEATURES
Progress Bars
Achievements
Badges
Scoreboards
GAMIFICATION
Socialization
Competition
Challenges
etc.

16. THAT DON’T EQUATE TO FUN
Progress Bars
Achievements
Badges
Scoreboards
= FUN
Socialization
Competition
Challenges
etc.

17. SO HOW DO WE
MANUFACTURE
FUN?

18. DESIGN IT
TO BE FUN!

19. WARNING!
UTILITY > FUN

20. FUN IS
BY DESIGN
............

21. WHAT IS A GAME?
Lacks Has Explicit
Conflict
Interaction Interaction Rules
Experience Toy Puzzle Game
Inherent
Objectives Outcome
Rules

22. TOY
Photo used under Creative Commons from stevendepolo

23. A TOY IS
DESIGNED FOR
PLAY

24. PLAY = INTERACTION

25. INHERENT “RULES” OF A TOY
• Interaction
• Physical/Environmental Rules
• Expectations
• Feedback (Light, Sound, etc.)
• Discovery
• Manipulation
• etc.

26. BEND THE
RULES OF A
TOY?

27. VISUAL FEEDBACK

28. SURPRISE,
DELIGHT,
RANDOMNESS,
POSSIBILITES
(BUT NO GOAL)

29. PUZZLE
Photo used under Creative Commons from fdecomite

30. A PUZZLE IS
FUN AND HAS A
RIGHT ANSWER
-- SCOTT KIM, PUZZLE MASTER (THE NEXT TETRIS)

31. IMPLICIT RULES OF A PUZZLE
• Puzzles are a form of play.
• Puzzles have a goal or objective.
• Puzzles are “tricky.”
• Puzzles imply needed ingenuity.
PUZZLE

32. EXPLICIT RULES OF A PUZZLE
A PUZZLE
HAS RULES

34. GAME OR PUZZLE?

35. A PUZZLE IS
FUN AND HAS
(A LEAST ONE)
T
RIGHT ANSWER

36. FOLD.IT

37. SURPRISE,
DELIGHT,
RANDOMNESS,
POSSIBILITES
(NOW WITH A PURPOSE)

38. GAME
Photo used under Creative Commons from Muffet

39. A GAME IS A PLAY
ACTIVITY WITH
RULES THAT
INVOLVES
CONFLICT
-- INTERNATIONAL GAME DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION

40. RULES OF A GAME
• Games are an activity.
• Games have rules.
• Games have conflict.
• Games have goals.
• Games involve decision making.
• Games have an uncertain outcome.
GAME Portions of text used under Creative Commons from Ian Schreiber

41. RULES OF A GAME, MAYBE?
• Games have Players?
• Games have Winners and Losers?
• Games are purposely inefficient?
• Games have outcomes?
• Games involve systems?
• Games are...?
GAME

42. A GAMES ARE
STORY
MACHINES.

43. STORY
Photo used under Creative Commons from DeusXFlorida

44. STORY
Photo used under Creative Commons from StuSeeger

45. THE PIECES OF
OUR STORY
MACHINE ARE
CALLED
MECHANICS

46. GAME MECHANICS ARE
CONSTRUCTS OF RULES
INTENDED TO PRODUCE
AN ENJOYABLE GAME
OR GAMEPLAY

47. GAME MECHANICS
• Achievements • Infinite Gameplay
• Behavioral Momentum • Levels
• Bonuses • Loss Aversion
• Cascading Information • Lottery
• Combos • Ownership
• Community • Points
Collaboration • Progression
• Countdown • Quests
• Discovery • Reward Schedules
• Epic Meaning • Status
via http://gamification.org/wiki/Game_Mechanics

48. DIALING IN THE
FUN!
............

49. DESIGNING FUN
IS ABOUT
DESIGNING
BALANCE

50. BALANCE
Photo used under Creative Commons from cho45

51. WHAT TO BALANCE?
Risk vs. Reward
Luck vs. Skill
Random vs. Predictive
Completion vs. Endlessness
…This vs. That…

52. THESE ARE THE
BIG THREE,
BUT THERE ARE
MANY OTHERS

53. RISK
VS.
REWARD

54. RISK

55. RISK VS. REWARD
• Think of RISK and REWARD as a
mechanic to drive MEANING.
RISK = EFFORT
EFFORT + REWARD =
MEANING

56. CHALLENGE & DIFFICULTY
According to human nature, it is
inevitable that a person will learn and
gain more skill presented a
challenge and a chance to grow—
therefore a game must increase in
difficulty as the player progresses in
order to continue to be challenging

57. MORE CHALLENGE =
MORE EFFORT =
MORE RISK

58. SO, GAMIFING A
TASK WITH OUT
RISK* WILL
INHERENTLY
MAKE IT UN-FUN

59. *FIND A VERSION OF RISK
• Risk of Loss
– Tangential loss
– Compounding loss
– Ultimatum loss
• Risk of Effort
• Other kinds of Risk?

61. REWARDS ARE
EASY.
TOO EASY?

62. THINK ABOUT YOUR REWARDS
• Too Plentiful? (Points)
• Not Valuable? (Coupons, Badges)
• Not Legal? (Cash)
• Meaningless?
REWARD

63. REWARDS NEED
MEANING
FOR THE
AUDIENCE

64. MEANING. LIKE IT OR NOT.

65. LUCK
VS.
SKILL

66. LUCK SKILL
Photos used under Creative Commons from dupo-x-y & Muffet

67. ALL GAMES
HAVE SOME
LUCK

68. ALL GAMES
HAVE SOME
SKILL

69. SOURCES OF LUCK
• Random Number Generators (Dice, Coins,
etc.)
• Simultaneous Choices (Rock, Paper,
Scissors)
• Hidden Information (Cards, Stock Market)
• Environment (Weather, imperfections,
etc.)

70. LUCK LEVELS
THE PLAYFIELD

71. LUCK IS
INCLUSIVE

72. SOURCES OF SKILL
• Physical (Exercise, Practice, etc.)
• Intelligence (IQ, Problem Solving, etc.)
• Familiarity (Experience, Practice, etc.)
• Endurance (Willpower, etc,)

73. SKILL TAKES
EFFORT

74. SKILL ADDS
MEANING

75. MANIPULATING
LUCK

76. MANIPULATE
LUCK VIA SAP*
*SKILL ADVANTAGE PERCENTAGE

77. NBA JAM’S SAP = 5%*
*JUSTAGUESS

78. WHEN SKILL
GETS AN
ADVANTAGE,
DIAL UP THE
LUCK

79. SO, GAMIFING A
TASK WITH OUT
LUCK WILL
INHERENTLY
MAKE IT UNFAIR

80. RANDOM
VS.
PREDICTIVE

81. RANDOM PREDICTIVE
Photos used under Creative Commons from dupo-x-y & Muffet

82. RANDOMNESS
ISN’T
LUCK

83. PREDICTIONS
ARE
ODDS

84. CHESS IS VERY RANDOM
• The Shannon number, named after Claude
Shannon, is an estimated lower bound on
the game-tree complexity of chess
• Shanon’s number is estimated at
10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1046.7) games
• More than the estimated number of atoms
in the Universe
via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_number

85. Photos used under Creative Commons from Muffet

86. CHESS IS PREDICTIVE
IN BOOK IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK IN BOOK
IN BOOK
NOVELTY

87. KNOWING THE
POSSIBLE
OUTCOME MAKES
VARIATIONS
MORE EXCITING

88. WHO WINS?
i

89. PREDICTIVE
OUTCOMES
CREATE
UNDERDOGS

90. PREDICTIVE
OUTCOMES
CREATE
RIVALRIES

91. WHO IS THE
UNDERDOG?
Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike_fleming

92. SO, GAMIFING A
TASK WITH OUT
PREDICTION WILL
INHERENTLY
MAKE IT BORING

93. BRING IT
TOGETHER
............

94. ARE YOU
CREATING
CONFLICT?

95. ARE YOU
CREATING
MEANING?

96. ARE YOU
CREATING
BALANCE?

97. Risk vs. Reward
Luck vs. Skill
Random vs. Predictive