There Be Dragons: Ten Potential Pitfalls of Gamification
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Transcript of There Be Dragons: Ten Potential Pitfalls of Gamification
There Be Dragonsten potential pitfalls of gamificationSebastian Deterding (@dingstweets)Digital Shoreditch, London, May 4, 2011
cbn
(Grumpy monster talk)
With unexplored territories ...
… comes dangerous ground.
A (partial) map of troubles ahead
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The Crap CrabAbuse is not a value proposition
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† But daily checkins/user dropped from 0,5 to 0,4 to 0,34 while growing from 2 to 5 to 8 million accounts (foursquare’s own data, 2011).
8 MillionFoursquare Accounts! †
Who knew?Foursquare has an engagement problem.
http://www.creative360.com/blog/2009/09/why-i-quit-playing-foursquare/
Aaron Patzer
»What we have learned from our users is that any game aspect has to be, at least for finance, more oriented toward some specific thing that you are working toward: I want to buy a house or a car, take a vacation, get out of debt ... Otherwise you have a system of points with no levels or no end game.«
founder, mint.com (2010)
The gamification battlefield*
Uservalue
Businessvalue
You check in
We give you points
* Courtesy Buster Benson, “The Game always Wins”
Gabe Zichermann
»The marketing dictum that “good marketing cannot compensate for a bad product” is patently turned upside down in the Funware world. Game mechanics and the psychological conditions they exploit are powerful tools that marketers can use, and they’re a lot cheaper … than cash in the long run.«
game-based marketing (2009)
An abusive relationship
Points and badges for loyalty – you are so
cheap!
That one coupon and I’m gone!
Stack Overflow
The gamification honeymoon
Uservalue
Businessvalue
You get answers & build reputation,we grow our platform
Uservalue
Businessvalue
Off
Playing field
Stay in the playing field
What do users value?*• Getting things done, easier
• Self-improvement
• Community recognition and belonging
• A sense of meaning and meaning
• Instrumental value, cash
• Fun and enjoyment
• Competence and achievement* A completely off-the cuff, non-comprehensive, non-scientific etc. pp. list
Getting things done, easier
Self-improvement
Community recognition & belonging
»Would my non-geek friend brag about this during dinner with colleagues?«
(The community status litmus test)
Sense of meaning and contribution
Wikimedia Foundation
»Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment.«
slogan
Cash, instrumental value
Fun and entertainment
The Feedback BlowfishRewards are not achievements
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Earn 1,000,000,000,000 points
Score: 964,000,000,000,000(You rock!)
Raph Koster
»Fun is just another word for learning.«
a theory of fun for game design (2005)
Raph Koster
»Fun from games arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun. With games, learning is the drug.«
a theory of fun for game design (2005)
Clear goals ...
plus constraining rules ...
equals interesting challenges.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodgerbrooks/1315419080
Plus constant, clear feedback ...
equals experiences of achievement.
Feedback without achievement
The Maelstorm of Misplaced ChallengeGetting in the way of efficiency
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Ticket
To receive ticket, steer point through maze
Level 2
Ticket
To receive ticket, steer point through maze
• Maximum output?
• Error-free, polite, actionable?
• Prioritization?
• Quick answers?
• Checking less often?
• Inbox Zero?
The core challenge of e-mail?
Prioritization
Procrastination
The Trapped Sea of StalenessNo fresh content and challenge
4
Max
. lev
el
Year
2004: 60
2007: 70
2008: 80
2010: 85
World of Warcraft Expansions
… vs. Quality and VarietyFrontierVille Seasonal Content
The Urobus of Unintended ConsequenceNeglecting side effects
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… vs. Quality and VarietyTumblarity
Mayor Maker
The Social Signal Sea SerpentIgnoring Context Meanings
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Autonomy Leech and Value VampireThe hidden costs of extrinsic rewards
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… vs. Quality and VarietyCurbing autonomy through control
http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/4955407599/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Devaluing the activity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/4955407599/sizes/l/in/photostream/
The Ice Shelves of IgnoranceNot knowing your users
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FarmVille
Fallout 3
Fanlib.com, a cautionary tale
The Feature ShallowsNeglecting design process
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… vs. Quality and VarietyPrototype & playtest for “how”, “why”
Analytics for “where”, “how much”
The Panacea PythonLooking for a quick-fix, one-size-fits-all wonder potion
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Seth Priebatsch
»At SCVNGR we like to joke that with any seven game dynamics you can get anyone to do anything.«
welcome to the decade of games (2010)
motivation(intrinsic, extrinsic)
ability(Skills, habits)
opportunity(Situation, environment)
behaviour
When do people do stuff?*
Usability
Prompts,context
Game design(and other things)
* A comprehensive, well-researched, widely adopted etc. pp. model (namely the Motivation, Opportunity, Ability Model)
Four questions to leave with• Is motivation the issue?
• Is there a core value that game elements can amplify?
• Can this be gamed (does it involve a learnable challenge and autonomy)?
• Is gaming the most cost-benefit efficient way of improving motivation here?
@dingstweets
codingconduct.cc
Thank You.