GAMIFICATION Iain Douglas, Alejandro Moreno

LAB 1 - Gamification
Games vs Gamification

Aim of Games:
To entertain --> Entertainment: Fun curiosity, surprise

Aims of Gamification:
Applied to real world intervention.
To achieve: Skills (abilities, physical), Knowledge, Awareness (Behavioural)
Gamification should trigger, fun, curiosity, surprise.

Types of Gamifications - Content vs Structural:

Content:
transform the content to make more game like:
This can involve delivery content as if it was a story/ adventure or a puzzle.
Perhaps hidden pieces of information are scattered throughout a website etc.

Structural:
Adding game elements to an experience without changing the content or its delivery
(Charts, Leader board)

Motivation - Intrinsic / Extrinsic:

Intrinsic:
refers to a person's inherent desire to participate in an activity because they find it enjoyable or
satisfying.
--> Find the HOOK to get people

Extrinsic:
refers to external rewards (money, grades, recognition etc)
--> Generally intrinsic information is more sustainable

--> Practice makes perfect --> give enough space for practice

Problem / Question / Challenge: Iterative

What do we already know?
Recall current knowledge, skills, awareness.

Can we combine?
Ideas based on previous experiences.
Construct a solution.
Build a solution.
Evaluate results.
Improve: Adjustments for better results

Three Pillars - Knowledge, Skills, Test

Knowledge
familiarity or understanding of someone or something.
facts, information, descriptions, theoretical understanding of a subject
acquired through experience.

Skills
Practical understanding of a subject
Practical skill or expertise within one or more domains
Test
Demonstration of skills / expertise in a (simple or complex) situation

Awareness:
directly know and perceive to feel, or to be cognizant of events.
Person is aware of information that led to a wide range of behavioural actions.
awareness is related to the person of experience.

Insights triggers change:

Skills, knowledge awareness --> Behaviour --> Cause and Effect --> Insight --> Redo
 Gamification doesn't have to be a game.

CMIO
Context - Empathizing, Observe
- Methods
- Equipment
- people (Manpower)
- Materials
-Environment

Intervention
- Experience: Act of intervening, interfering, or interceding
- Interactive system
- Game activity, role play, simulation

Mechanics
-Clockwork or mechanics of the intervention
-Mental: Motivation: Goals / commitments, Emotions: Success/failure, Knowledge
- Physical: Interaction
- Social: Interaction between users, Direct/ indirect rules

--> The mechanics that is triggered by the intervention in a certain context by indicating why the
intervention produces a certain outcome
--> Explanation of the cognitive processes learn, adapt that actors use to choose their response to
the intervention based on context environment with individual groups (mental, physical)

Outcome
- Expected results: Trigger fun, surprise, curiosity (presentation with Kahoot)
- Knowledge skills, awareness
- How to measure / verify: View, Observe, Assessment/test, Interview
--> Desired results of your intervention, be mindful of unintended results of intervention/mechanics

CIMO Applied example - Kahoot:

Context:
People: Anyone can use it; it is universal use for anybody
--> Learners or students
--> People with knowledge can share/ test their knowledge
--> People who would like to learn about something

Materials:
Mobile devices and laptops for research

Methods - Structural Gamification:

Quiz, Points, Leader board system

Environment:
Sometimes requires two devices/ browsers --> requires a host and a player.

Intervention:
Experience: Quizzing
- Interactive system:
-Activity: Answering questions

Mechanics:
Extrinsic motivation:
Mental:
--> Competition on leader board (Success and failure)
--> Streak system
Social:
--> leader board --> social mechanic to motivate users

Outcome:
Expected results:
Triggers, fun (competitiveness), surprise (suspense at the end), curiosity (learning more about a
topic)

--> Increased playtime: 70 million monthly active unique users and used by 50% of kindergarten - 12
y.o. students
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131520300208#:~:text=Kahoot!%20is
%20a%20game%2Dbased,of%20US%20K%2D12%20students.)
LAB 2 - 1-3 Octalysis Framework
(Framework to persuade and change people) – White Hats
1) Epic Meaning
Epic Meaning and calling core drive in people --> People think they are part of a bigger picture, or
the people are special in some way.
--> Equals to player getting a weapon at the start--> feel chosen
--> The power in the user to make them feel special

 Narrative (include a story)

 Elitism (Team games, prideful group)
 Humanity Hero (Plant a tree while doing something good)
 Revealed Heart (entrusted with a secret)
 Beginners Luck (Finding that powerful weapon early on, randomize)
 Free Lunch (allowing the user to easily obtain something that would otherwise be difficult to
obtain, let users access benefits or items for free when other groups must pay in-game
currency for the same item)
 Cap Switcher (Requiring many types of resources to unlock certain items, but the experience
switches to having only one as scarce at any given time, combining resources to get
something else)
 Co-creationist (have user participate in user-generated content, feel pride, ownership,
status)

2) Accomplishment
 Feeling that user have achieved something: making progress, develop skills, achieve
mastery, eventually overcoming challenges.
 reward without proper challenge is not very meaningful.
 Status Points (Level/ Rank, numeric tracker that shows growth, users’ journey, often
symbolizing higher status in the ecosystem)
 Progress Bar (shows the full journey with your current progress, milestones)
 Badges (Visual Icon that symbolizes achievement, Badge)
 Fixed Action (earned Lunch) (reward structure where direct actions lead to a specific and
anticipated reward)
 Leader board
 Aura Effect (Mechanic that lets a user’s efforts or actions benefit other users around them.
Higher-level users can carry their team to success, individuals can purchase boosters that
benefit the whole team, etc. --> Purchases of potions etc)
 Anticipation Parade (Triggering a rewarding sensation when getting closer to the Win-State.
Crescendo/exciting music, visual feedback, encouragement, messages etc. Mario Kart last
lap music --> feeling, environment)

3) Empowerment (of Creativity and Feedback)

  They have made choices that are meaningful (super simple: Multiple choice
questions)
 Allow people to express their creativity (for example: Minecraft, building and exploration)
 Evergreen mechanics: Self-fulfilling: no longer need to continuously add additional
content to keep the activity fresh and engaging.
 figure things out with different combinations, choices
 Milestone Unlocks (dangled win-state that unlocks new possibilities to play the
game when reached, when reaching a point in the experience the user learns a new
skill that makes the game easier --> goal oriented)
 Real Time Control (Users control options in real-time towards the Win-State)
 Chain Combos (A list/string of actions that would produce a greater effect than the
sum --> Candy Crush puzzle, fighting games)
 Dynamic Feedback (Whenever the user takes a Desired Action, they receive real-
time feedback on their progression towards the win-state (real time trackers,
notices, SFX, button feedback, picking up items - haptic feedback etc.)
 Boosters (Early users can achieve something easily based on luck, but other users
need to work hard to get it, can be done by tweaking normal odds in favour of early
users and focusing on celebrating early achievements)
 Blank fills (Make users come up with the obvious problem solution themselves by
giving them clear framing --> “No pain. no ____”, Professor Layton puzzles)

1-3) are all under the White Hat

 make us feel powerful,
 fulfilled and satisfied in control.
 however, do not create any sense of urgency/ drama which is a powerful driving force in a
lot of successful games.

Can be both Black Hat & White Hat

4) Ownership (and possession) (can be both black hat and white hat)
 Make user feel they own or control something. When user feels they are in control, they
want to improve it.
 \Example: Animal Crossing, feel in control of the house, mundane tasks (paying loan)
give small rewards, expanding the house for creativity

5) Social Influence (and relatedness) (can be both black hat and white hat)
 social elements that motivate people, including membership, social acceptance, social
feedback, companionship, competition, and envy
 for example, competition among friends or seeing someone who is doing really well
or has some really awesome stuff --> motivate to obtain same skills and/or
possessions.
 If you see an object that reminds you of childhood, you're more likely to buy it (because of
nostalgia)


LAB 3 – Octalysis - Black Hats

6) Scarcity and Impatience
Wanting something because it is extremely rare, exclusive, or unattainable right away.
Many games have torture breaks (come back in x hours for your reward), you can only play after an
amount of time. And because you can’t have it RIGHT NOW you’ll think about it all day long
 Magnetic Caps:
o Limit or cap in how many times a user can perform the Desired Action over a certain
period

 Appointment Dynamics
o A system where some events only happen at a specific time communicated to the
user
o It incentivises users to interact with the experience at a certain time to usually
receive a Reward
o Bar: Happy hour, Games: events: Splatoon (Ranked Maps switches)
 Torture Breaks
o A sudden pause in the experience caused by making the Desired Action unavailable
to the user for a set amount of time
o Torture breaks avoid user burn out they also create a sense of Scarcity
 Moats
o An extra difficult challenge that blocks the user from accessing a Win-State, but can
be overcome with skill and planning
o By increasing the difficulty, Moats make the Win-State more exclusive
o Extracting money method
 Dangling
o consistently showing users something that they can’t obtain yet
o Having a reward just out of reach makes it seem more desirable and makes users
strive for it (Getting xp, better grade, a diploma, a good job
 Prize Pacing
o A set of items that would only be complete if all were gathered. (Animal Crossing)
 Count Down Timer
o Mechanic that displays the time remaining until the end or beginning of an event
o Countdown Timers create a sense of urgency to perform the Desired Action, good to
avoid hesitation
 Last Mile
o A feedback showing the user they are very close to the Win-State

7) Unpredictability
core drive where you/ the user is constantly engaged because you don't know what's going to
happen next. If something doesn't follow a perceived pattern, then your brain kicks into a higher
gear.
-> Primary core behind gambling addiction and to a less controversial degree is a big motivator in
TTRPGs
 Glowing Choice
o An option that is visually emphasized to show that users should do
 Mini Quests
o Create simple tasks to keep user engaged
 Visual Storytelling
o Use visuals to make story more meaningful and engaging (Very important to Artists)
 Easter Eggs
 o A reward awarded to the user based on an unexpected trigger
o Easter Eggs are usually not found by users who only take the main path of the
experience. They reward exploration and curiosity
 Random Rewards
o Unspecified reward that is awarded to users for achieving a specific desired action
(loot boxes)
o The reward can be anything from a pool of rewards usually with variable levels of
rarity/value)
 Obvious Wonder
o Something that users have been exposed to for a long time but only notice and
marvel at once it is pointed to them.
o “This is why they showed me this on level 1” à Zelda exploration.
 Evolved UI
o Giving limited options to users in the early stages and increasing them as they gain
experience.
o This avoids new users being overwhelmed by options while allowing a vast and
complex experience for veteran users (feeding bit by bit: Tales of arise)
 Sudden Rewards
o Pleasant surprise reward based on an unexpected trigger

8) Avoidance (and Loss)

 The core drive where the user avoids something negative happening.
 Small scale it's avoiding losing previous work (Jump King) - on large scale it's avoiding
acknowledging everything you've done so far has been useless and quitting.
 not wanting to miss out or lose something.
 Jump King/ Airlines, Trains points, snapchat streaks, finding a Pokémon but it self-destruct

 Sunk Cost prison

o A scenario where quitting would result in a loss of all the effort (time/money) user
has invested in it
o Loosing everything acquired would make the user feel like all their efforts or time
have been wasted. (Genshin Impact daily quests, playing ranked with loss when not
playing, Vincent Minecraft Aura, some people are not fit for certain studies)

 Progress Loss
o A punishment mechanic that deducts the progress of an activity the user invested
time into (no checkpoints, rogue likes: Hades)
o Progress can be lost objectively or in relation to others’ progress (loss of advantage)
(Racing games)

 Rightful Heritage
o Making a user feel like they earned something but could lose if they stop performing
(Ranked Games with seasonal rewards)
o Because of loss aversion, the risk of a loss has a stronger motivational pull than the
possibility of obtaining something.
 Evanescence Opportunity
 o An opportunity that has to be taken advantage of immediately as it fades within a
short amount of time (sign up in the next hour, subway surfer using items after
death)
o Early bird discounts, exclusive invitations to a special event, etc (Dokomi, shopping
ads)
 Statis Quo Sloth
o The challenge of motivation people to adopt new behaviours or engage with new
systems, as they may be resistant to change and prefer to stick with what they
already know (People would stick with what they already know: Blender over Maya,
operant conditioning to train out of that behaviour)
 Streaking
o A system that rewards the user for constantly repeating a Desired Action. The streak
may be lost when the users fail to keep performing the desired Action. Mostly used
to encourage daily log-ins. (snapchat, Genshin Impact, mobile games)
 FOMO Punch
o Implementing a strong Fear Of Missing Out for users who would not commit Desired
Action
o Missing out on exclusive revelations, useful information, fun time with friends, etc.
(bigger better rewards, bigger number, special seasons)

White Hat - Extrinsic White Hat - Intrinsic

"Over justification Effect" "Evergreen Engagement"
External drives: Money, status etc --> Curiosity and engagement

Black hat extrinsic: Black Hat – Intrinsic

Obsessive short-term behaviour Gambling-like a guilty addiction

 Humans react stronger when they loose something more than when they win
something (negative emotion > positive emotions)
Some examples Game designers can unethically use black hat gamification techniques:
 Exploitative monetization:
Games may employ predatory tactics such as loot boxes, pay-to-win mechanics, and
in-app purchases designed to create addiction or exploit players with gambling
tendencies
 Psychological manipulation:
Game designers use psychological tactics, such as creating an illusion of progress or
scarcity, to keep players engaged and spending money
 Dark patterns:
games may use deceptive or confusing user interfaces to trick players into spending
money or performing actions they didn’t intend to (click something, keep pressing to
buy something, checking to read the newsletter when signing up for something)
 Social Pressure:
Games may use social features like leaderboards or social rewards to create a sense
of social pressure and FOMO, encouraging players to spend more time and money in
the game
 However all mobile games use these and many game developers prioritize player well-being

Prompting somebody to get someone to do something:

Notification