Whether you prefer Bartle, Marczewski or the unified model, it is important to consider player types and what appeals to each of them so you may design a gamified system with maximum appeal across the groups.

The post Considering Gamification Player Types appeared first on Gamification Time.

Is Gamification the same as Serious Games? Are Simulations actual Games?

To try to make the distinctions between gamified experiences a little more clear, I have put together a chart which show the essential differences and where each one sits in relation to the others:

To break this down further, I will briefly go through each type of gamified experience:

Games

On the chart, Games are at the bottom left. They use elements of gameplay such as rules and scoring and are created primarily for entertainment purposes. There is no purpose beyond playing the game itself.

Serious Games

This type of Game can use elements such as rules and scores but will apply to or model a purposeful real-world situation or outcome, such as learning. Many educational and training games fall under this category.

Simulation

Many Simulations look very much like video games but they have purpose beyond that of entertainment and, like Serious Games, are typically applied to or model real-world experiences such as learning to fly an aircraft or even practicing surgical procedures.

Gamification

Gamification does not use gameplay and has a purpose beyond entertainment. It is

“The use of game elements in non-game situations to create motivating and engaging real-life experiences”.

Gameful Design

This uses elements of design from games but does not use gameplay and is not designed for entertainment. It is mainly for an aesthetic purpose and to attract and engage users by providing a fun experience. An example would be using video game graphics in a website design.

Of course, the reality is that this a loose model and open to some interpretation. You will see overlaps, leaps and merges of each of the gamified experience types quite often. Despite this, I feel that it is best to at least set of some form of framework which may be applied in the majority of cases.

For the rest, well… play around with them..!

You can connect with Steven on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post The Five Types of Gamified Experiences appeared first on Gamification Time.

This 74 year old Pokemon Master has used the game to transform his therapy into a fun and engaging life experience.

74-year old Spaniard Amadeo Busquets was diagnosed as a diabetic and was told by doctors that he needs to walk at least four kilometers a day. The trouble was, he found it incredibly boring…

Pokemon GO

It was then that he decided to find something that he could do whilst engaging in his daily exercise. The solution he came up with was to gamify his boring experience into an opportunity to enter the world of Pokemon GO.
As a result of his daily walks he was able to collect almost every available Pokemon and is the envy of most players. He easily defeats other is gym battles and has received nearly every gold medal available in the game.

He has also captured several rare Pokemon including Mew, Dragonite, Tyranitar, Lugia, and Gyarados.

Of his gaming achievements Busquets commented “I have a young person’s mind and that’s all.”.

The post The 74 year old Pokemon Trainer appeared first on Gamification Time.

Today sees the publication of the Rise Global ‘Gamification Gurus Power 100‘. Although I have mixed feelings about Leaderboards, there’s something undeniably intoxicating about being added to and then being positioned on the list.

Having reached the heady position of 27th on the list for November 2017 (and improving on my last month position), I have encountered an unexpected side effect of this status: My positioning gives me a vote on the Annual Awards which will be presented at Gamification Europe, held this year in Brighton on November 27th.

Not only that, my vote is also weighted by my Guru Score which gives me reasonable punching power without breaking my fingers.

And this is the BEST part of it!

I can now cast my votes for the people and projects I have admired and appreciated and give a little reward to those who are making the world or Gamification and the world in general, a better place.

I always think that the best thing about the Power 100 is that it gives you a list of names from the world of Gamification; Thought Leaders who you can check out and discover what they are writing or saying on the topic.

It also gives me a lift to see names like Kevin Werbach, Gabe Zichermann, Sylvester Arnab and Andrzej Marczewski – people who have directly inspired me and whose work I greatly admire.

Its all about community, love and sharing

What the Gamification Gurus list really does goes beyond a Leaderboard. It has created a community space, a place where those with shared interests can gather (I nearly used the term ‘like-minded’ but we’re not – as in all academia and learning pursuits, there are wide varieties of theory and opinions, which is as it should be).

It is as a community that knowledge and learning moves forward. However, the sharing of information and techniques is a difficult choice.

I know that I have been ripped off – and more than once – when discussing my ideas in the past at my workplace and elsewhere. It makes me reluctant to put forward new ideas and guilty when I use knowledge gained elsewhere (which, when you think about it, is nearly ALL knowledge you have ever gained!). Suffering from depression and social anxiety doesn’t help much either.

It’s a difficult one to get through. 

But – if you look around a little you will see many examples of people ‘giving away’ their ideas, theories and even content and prospering because of it! You can find free ebooks, courses, software and videos and a lot of it of the very best quality. But why? Why give away the content you have worked so hard to create?

Because, the things we share freely become powerful ways to build our brands and reputations.

Because we want our subject to advance and expand and we cannot do this alone.

So thanks to all the Gurus who care and share – I’ve voted for a few of you and it feels good.

Steven

The post Gamification Guru Power 100 no.27! appeared first on Gamification Time.

Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

The post Serious Games – Instructional Design Best Practices appeared first on Gamification Time.