Understanding Game Mechanics

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6000 Greenwood Plaza Blvd Suite 110 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 303.798.5458 www.aspenware.com Ghost Town: Understanding Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community.

description

Game mechanics are not games. They are the rules and principles that guide a person through a series of activities while providing feedback as to progress and performance and delivering rewards for accomplishments. Game mechanics are deeper than pins, badges or levels, they are mechanisms that harness the power of fundamental human needs. If you understand fundamental human needs and how they apply to game mechanics you will be able to design software interactions that are compelling and engaging for the people who us the software. This presentation discusses the psychology of motivation and the basics of game mechanics.

Transcript of Understanding Game Mechanics

Page 1: Understanding Game Mechanics

6000 Greenwood Plaza BlvdSuite 110Greenwood Village, CO 80111303.798.5458

www.aspenware.com

Ghost Town:Understanding Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community.

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Jeremiah Fellows

Jeremiah Fellows, Marketing and Service Innovation | @JWFellows | [email protected] | http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiahfellows/

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Starting at the Beginning

As a former IT manager for a global electronics manufacturer I have deployed well designed and architected software that met business objectives. The software was never used.

As a consultant I see enterprise software projects fail due to lack of employee engagement. This failure occurs more often than failure due to poorly designed and implemented technology.

Game mechanics are one way to create an engaging experience that will result in a more focused and productive employee.

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What are game mechanics

Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Starting at the Beginning

Game Mechanics NOT games. They are the• Principles• Rules• Mechanismsthat govern behavior through a system of • Incentives• Feedback• Rewardswith a reasonably predictable outcome.

Game mechanics are not new.• This factory has gone X days without an accident• School children's name on the board• Sales leaderboards, diamond clubs, etc.

Game mechanics are mechanisms that can create powerful participation engines.

But only if we understand how they work.

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Starting at the Beginning

Why are people participating in painful races like marathons and the Tough Mudder?

Why are people willing to spend large sums of money to participate in these painful events?

How do these races able to motivate people to be so focused and engaged?

What motivates people to participate in these races are the same things that motivate people to• Buy what they buy• Interact with the people they interact with• Get tattoos• perform tasks at work

People are motivated activities that meet fundamental human needs. There is no difference between what motivates a person as an employee, a consumer or a participant in recreation.

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Motivation Matters

Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Motivation Matters

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 1 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Motivation Matters

Higher level needs• Esteem• Belonging• Self-actualizationbecome powerful drivers of behavior.

Once a person has physiological and safety needs met promises of additional physiological and safety (often in the form of bonus or cash rewards) can de-motivate. They do not meet higher level needs.

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Motivation Matters

So how is it that painful races meet higher level needs?• Esteem – The racer has done something other

people have not done. They get visible rewards (t-shirts and medals) that allow them to publicize their accomplishment.

• Belonging – The racer is part of a group of people that not everyone can belong to.

• Self-Actualization – At some point during a race every racer hits a wall and fears they cannot make it. When they push through the wall they accomplish more than they thought they could, they believe they have met or exceeded their potential.

It is important to note that it is not necessary for a participant to win to have their fundamental needs met. The last place finisher is as proud of their accomplishments as the winner.

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Where are we now?

Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Where Are We?

What needs are met by this software?• Esteem• Belonging• Self-actualization

This software is designed to meet business needs but neglects fundamental human needs that will result in engagement and motivation for employees.

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Where Are We?

These software packages are designed to meet the same business goals.

Only one meets higher level fundamental needs.

Belonging

Esteem

Self Actualization

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Start simple.

Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Simple.

The Microsoft BETA1 game increased the level of participation in Vista beta testing among employees by 400%.

Simple game mechanics met basic needs: • Belonging – people are participating in the game together whether they win

or lose.

• Esteem – The leaderboard publicizes positive performance

Game mechanics do not have to be part of a complex long term strategy. Game mechanics do not need to meet every fundamental human need to be effective.

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Simple.

Belonging

Levels

Challenges

Self Actualization

Points

Levels

Challenges

Esteem

Points

Leaderboards

Levels

Metrics

Common game mechanic elements and how they meet fundamental human needs.

Note that the presentation of a simple metric can meet high level needs without a massive complex implementation. This is true as long as needs, motivation and business goals are well understood.

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

Simple

Getting started with your participation engine:• Goals – Understand the business goals

you are trying to accomplish.• Storyboard – Storyboard the

interactions and where the game mechanics affect a behavior.

• Implement – Implement the smallest mechanics possible that will meet the business goal. Don’t use a level or badge when the presentation of a number will do.

The more complex and longer term the strategy the greater the need for a well designed story with increasing levels of difficulty and exploration, more robust feedback and rewards commiserate with the level of effort.

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Warning

Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

A Word of Warning

• Game mechanics do not result in Pavlovian conditioning. Badges, levels and stats cannot make up for poorly designed and meaningless work.

• People will try to game the system. Use your storyboard to identify potential for cheating.

• Game mechanics can drive both positive and negative behavior. Make sure the behavior you are incentivizing does not result in unethical behavior or unintended consequences.

Game Mechanics are participation engines.-Rajat Paharia, founder of Bunchball

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Resources

Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

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Ghost TownUsing Game Mechanics to Build a Vibrant SharePoint Community

A Word of Warning

Books:• Total Engagement: Using games and Virtual Worlds to Change the Way People

Work and Businesses Compete. Bryon Reeves and J.Leighton Read

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Daniel Pink

• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions Dan Ariely

SharePoint Game Mechanics Products:Warning: These products will enable you to fling badges, points and levels all over SharePoint. Start with business goals and a story!

• Badgeville• BunchBall

A deeper dive:• Fogg Behavior Model• Michael Wu Ph.D.

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6000 Greenwood Plaza BlvdSuite 110Greenwood Village, CO 80111303.798.5458

www.aspenware.com

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