Over 60%: of learners say leader boards and competition would motivate them.
80% of learners would be more productive if learning was more game-like.
97% of teachers use digital games created for educational use.
70% of teachers saw increase in student engagement when using educational video games.

“Gamification should be about driving learning and behavior change” — Karl Kapp, professor of instructional technology, Bloomsburg University

Source: Online-Education-Degrees.net

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In the previous post, I looked at Player Types that linked with Extrinsic (Carrot and Stick) motivation.

“For a gamified system we need to tailor our design to the types of players that will be participating. Each of us as individuals have a certain way of looking at the world – we are subjective in our view. For this reason we need to consider what will appeal to our target audience and the sort of motivators that will work best“.

For the purposes of gamification, we will not be primarily focusing on the Extrinsic motivators whilst designing a gamified system but it is important to be aware of them and their Player Types. We focus instead on the Intrinsic motivators and this will be based on the MAGIC motivators (Mastery, Altruism, Greater Meaning, Independence and Community). (READ MORE HERE)
 

Intrinsically Motivated Players

MASTERY

The need to meet and overcome challenges and to ‘master’ skills

Player Types:

Achievers want to improve their skills and achieve mastery of the system. They will be motivated most by feedback as their experience points build, leaderboards and badges. If given the chance to feed back into the system they can help to improve it. They will need increasing difficulty as they progress in order to maintain a state of flow.

Destroyers want to show their Mastery over the system by destroying it and its users. They enjoy the feeling of superiority as the system yields to their actions
 

ALTRUISM

The need to care for and help others

Philanthropists are truly altruistic and thrive on helping others even if it does not necessarily advance them. In the FarmWorld game many users spend more time farming to help others than they do in developing their own farm – these are Philanthropists. However, a Philanthropist may sometimes strive to give help where it is not wanted and lacks the filter to see that they are annoying other players or putting them off. However well-intentioned, these Philanthropists are Misguided.

GREATER MEANING

The need for legacy – to be part of something greater than oneself

Icons and Heroes engage wherever they perceive a Greater Meaning. This may be the drive to be part of an Epic Quest or Storyline or the need to leave behind a personal legacy. Sometimes this can manifest as a single-minded drive for glory or recognition at the expense of all other objectives or players and the Totalitarian emerges.
 

Independence

The need for freedom and ability to make choices

The Free Spirit loves Independence and will explore the system. They enjoy choices, freedom and creativity. In pushing at the boundaries of the system the Free Spirit may find ways to exploit the rules, manipulate the boundaries or just plain cheat if they can get away with it and become a Hacker.
 

Community

The need to connect and socialize with others

The Socializer is driven by Community and interaction with others. Any Social Networking elements will have strong appeal to them. Beware those Socializers who do not like your system though as they may become Fifth Columnists and use Social Media and community connections against your system.
 
 

WORLD VIEW

Whichever system of Player Types you decide to use, it is important to design for user types and consider their world view through a virtual lens or, in other words, to look at your gamified design through the eyes of others. It is also important to realise that few people will fit strictly into one of these player types but will have aspects of each, some more so than others. Consider this as your attributes for your avatar in a game; your character will have so much strength, stamina, magic ability, intelligence, charisma etc etc and you must strike a balance between the attributes to get the best out of your playing experience.

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“Gamification is the process of using game mechanics and game thinking in non-gaming contexts to engage users and to solve problems. Gamification leverages game design, loyalty program design and behavioral economics to create the optimal context for behavior change and successful outcomes.” Engagement Alliance

Developers and educators are very interested into looking into these processes and learning through “unconventional” techniques using technology. In today’s day in age, with so many distractions (a lot of them tech distractions), education in the 21st century is focusing more on engaging students, keeping them engaged and creating a self-learner approach.

The process of learning needs to be fun and this can be seen various EdTech companies. The look and feel that games provide engage learners on a deeper more meaningful level. Whether it be through competitions, rewards and applying gamified features, they can help learners master and retain information much more quickly.

The Playing to Learn Infographic presents some interesting facts about gamification education market, which features are more liked than others, and examples of apps and eLearning software companies that incorporate gamification techniques.

Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

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For a gamified system we need to tailor our design to the types of players that will be participating. Each of us as individuals have a certain way of looking at the world – we are subjective in our view. For this reason we need to consider what will appeal to our target audience and the sort of motivators that will work best.

As there are as many distinct personalities as there are people, we cannot possibly take into account every factor so we need to somehow generalise and group our players. We do this by defining ‘Player Types’, each of which has their own core motivators and views the world in their own way. There are many player classification systems and perhaps the best known one was designed by Richard Bartle.

Bartle’s Player Types consisted of Killers, Achievers, Socializers and Explorers and described how each type preferred to interact with a video game. He later expanded these player types, splitting each category into two to give eight player types in total.

The Bartle Player Types have proven to be effective for video game design but do not always apply well to gamification, where the systems being designed contains elements of video game design rather than being a video game.

I believe that, for the purposes of gamification, player type design is best when linked to the motivators (Extrinsic and Intrinsic). But each Player has its ‘dark side’ or Shadow who may affect the system in a negative manner. For example, someone motivated by Mastery might want to gain the highest levels achievable within the system or even improve it but their Shadow may see destroying or breaking the system as the ultimate expression of their Mastery over it.

Extrinsically Motivated Players

There are four types of extrinsic motivation as defined by Deci and Ryan. These are the ‘carrot and stick’ motivations.

Externally regulated behaviour

This is where the drive comes from an external demand or expected reward. For example working because you’re paid to do so. There is no autonomy (Autonomy = independence or self-determination) for the person and if they are not paid, they will not work unless some other reward or punishment motivates them.

Player Types:

Wage Slave – They are driven by Externally Regulated Behaviour. Reward or Punishment will motivate a Wage Slave but without them they will immediately stop interacting and become a Striker
 

Introjected regulation of behaviour

Here, we’re avoiding feelings of guilt or recrimination. For example “I need to work to support my family”. Although the behaviour is being driven internally by the individual’s need to move away from an undesired state, the cause is very much external and the subject has little autonomy in the situation.

Player Types:

Guilt Tripper – Motivated by Introjected Regulation of Behaviour. They are avoiding feelings of guilt or recrimination however, this needs to constantly apply to their situation. Should the situation they are trying to move away from actually occur at any point, they may no longer be able to function, give up and become Depressed.

Regulation through identification

This form of motivation is driven by a desire to express something that is felt to be ‘important’ to the individual. There is an element of autonomy involved and self-identified ‘values’ such as “I work because I want to do it”.

Player Types:

Believer – Motivated by Regulation Through Identification they are driven by a desire to express something they deem important or fits their self-defined values. However, if they lose or downgrade the importance of these beliefs and values they can easily become Agnostic.
 

Integrated Regulation

Now we are approaching Intrinsic motivation: Integrated Regulation occurs when a set of rules, beliefs or regulations are fully assimilated into the individual’s identity. It is very similar to Intrinsic motivation but the beliefs and models involved have come from strictly external conditioning rather than in inherent joy or inspiration.

Player Types:

Evangelist – Integrated Regulation drives this user and their inner self is the Evangelist, happily carrying out ‘the good work’ in an almost Intrinsic manner. However, if those external rules or beliefs are shown to be false or doubtful then the player could become a Heretic, now opposed to those beliefs and motivated by a different set of beliefs.

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In the second part of this post about Motivation (PART ONE HERE), we’ll explore Intrinsic Motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation

This is where we do things for the sheer enjoyment of the task or the satisfaction we derive from doing it. In Self-Determination theory it is regarded as the purest form of motivation.

For the purposes of Gamification, I have developed my own model of intrinsic motivators and… its MAGIC!

Mastery

The need to meet and overcome challenges and to ‘master’ skills

Altruism

The need to care for and help others

Greater Meaning

The need for legacy – to be part of something greater than oneself

Independence

The need for freedom and ability to make choices

Community

The need to connect and socialize with others

In designing a gamified system we can use these motivators to develop our design. We may use just some or sometimes all of these motivators.

Each will have differing appeal to the individual player; some people prize their independence above all else, others have a strong need to socialize.

This is where ‘player types’ come in and determining the make-up of your target audience of players is vital when building gamification solutions.

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Gamification is all about Motivation; our drive to do things. We try to use Gamification to create motivating and engaging real-life experiences.

Unsurprisingly, psychology has a lot to say about motivation and what drives us to do the things we do. The oft-quoted ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ developed by Maslow¹ describes various levels of requirements we have as humans and argues that, unless the basic needs are satisfied, we are not motivated to aspire to the higher levels.

Or, in a nutshell, if you are starving and cold your priority is not likely to be seeking a ‘sense of belonging’…

Although Maslow’s model has been criticised, it is still a pretty good concept to keep in mind –

if you don’t address the essential needs, motivating people to do ‘higher’ things becomes difficult.

Self-Determination Theory

Following on from this view of motivation, Self-determination theory (SDT) is a major theory in psychology which studies motivation and innate psychological needs within humans (beyond our essential physical requirements such as food and shelter). SDT identifies three particular psychological needs that humans naturally have which affect our growth: Competence, Relatedness and Autonomy. If these needs are met, we will be motivated and productive. If not, our motivation, productivity (and happiness!) are adversely affected. Let’s take a brief look at what each of the needs means:

Competence

The need to meet and overcome challenges and to ‘master’ skills. When we have a balance between increasing difficulty and increasing skill we can enter a ‘Flow’ state, a state of being ‘in the zone’.

Relatedness

To connect with others. Caring for others and being cared for ourselves, unconditionally.

Autonomy

Freedom and having choices. Independence.

Driving On…

Daniel Pink the author of ‘Drive’² felt that the Competence, Relatedness and Autonomy model needed updating. He proposed his own three-element model of motivation: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose

Autonomy

Freedom and having choices. Independence.

Mastery

The need to meet and overcome challenges and to ‘master’ skills.

Purpose

The desire to do tasks that have meaning and purpose.

From a gamification perspective, I have developed my own model – more on that later…

Extrinsic v Intrinsic

When considering gamified systems, we need to look at the two distinct types of Motivation – Extrinsic and Intrinsic.

Extrinsic Motivation

This is where we do things for external rewards or to avoid punishment or consequences rather than for enjoyment – the ‘carrot and stick’ approach. Deci and Ryan³ described four types of extrinsic motivators as part of their Organismic Integration Theory, a sort of sub-theory within SDT (Kudos for the awesome theory name guys!).

Externally regulated behaviour

Introjected regulation of behaviour

Regulation through identification

Integrated Regulation

So – let’s have a look at each type:

Externally regulated behaviour

This is where the drive comes from an external demand or expected reward. For example working because you’re paid to do so. There is no autonomy (Autonomy = independence or self-determination) for the person and if they are not paid, they will not work unless some other reward or punishment motivates them.

Introjected regulation of behaviour

Here, we’re avoiding feelings of guilt or recrimination. For example “I need to work to support my family”. Although the behaviour is being driven internally by the individual’s need to move away from an undesired state, the cause is very much external and the subject has little autonomy in the situation.

Regulation through identification

This form of motivation is driven by a desire to express something that is felt to be ‘important’ to the individual. There is an element of autonomy involved and self-identified ‘values’ such as “I work because I want to do it”.

Integrated Regulation

Now we are approaching Intrinsic motivation: Integrated Regulation occurs when a set of rules, beliefs or regulations are fully assimilated into the individual’s identity. It is very similar to Intrinsic motivation but the beliefs and models involved have come from strictly external conditioning rather than in inherent joy or inspiration.

We can link these four types with autonomy:

Next we’ll look at Intrinsic motivation and the MAGIC motivators…
READ PART 2: THE MAGIC OF MOTIVATION

References and further reading:
1. Bridges, S. and Wertz, F. (2009), Abraham Maslow. In Lopez, S. (Ed.). The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
2. Pink, D. (2011). Drive : the surprising truth about what motivates us. Edinburgh: Canongate.
3. Ryan, R. & Deci, E. (2017). Self-determination theory : basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York: Guilford Press.

The post Getting Motivated appeared first on Gamification Time.

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.

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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.

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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.”.

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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

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