Introduction to Meaningful Gamification

Scott Nicholson, associate professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, introduces his take on the concept of Meaningful Gamification

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• gamification

[Amrito78]

I like this new term. I'm a passionate board gamer, I used to play RPGs and I invented some languages for fantasy games. So I could use my language skills for games purposes.

I'm a psychotherapist too, so I know role-playing and artistic expression (like painting) as means of expressing yourself. But I often wonder if I could introduce more of my game experiences in my work with people. Another idea I have in mind is inventing a game that represenst basic psychological processes. Any ideas? :o)

[snicholson]

@Amrito78 Someone who saw this video wrote and chatted with me about Jungian's Synchronicity concept, and I'm going to pursue that more when I'm exploring the concept of meaningful. It's all about finding the possible connections between the game mechanism and the underlying content.

[Medsas]

i dont even see how external rewards can be considered gamification....isnt money a reward as well? so having a job and getting paid for it is a game? just rewards is not close enough to games...

[snicholson]

@Medsas Gamification is about applying game elements to non-game activities. The problem comes when those game elements are based on external rewards, and not being engaging and meaningful game elements. I'm arguing that if the game elements are meaningful and engaging, then they don't need the external rewards as well.

[dajusta87]

I have been apart of Children's ministry for the church in Vancouver BC and we reward kids with prizes and candy for doing good work. We have found that teens and college students are less centered on church and have been wondering for years. Maybe it is because of this gamification that replaces their internal motivation with external rewards. Rewards that stop after a certain age in life.

[snicholson]

@dajusta87 That is a very interesting thought. I hadn't considered the fact that when the rewards no longer interest someone because they are older, it will have the same effect as not offering the reward.

[SilverAvoify]

The suggestion up the thread about experience points really got me thinking. XP are a reward that isn't *external* to the game structure. In a workplace they could become extra responsibility and privileges within an organisation - perhaps even for real promotions or shifts in job titles, like a shift from 'junior' to 'senior' whatever your role. This makes me think there is scope to investigate more meaningful forms of reward as well as more meaningful game structures.

[Tiwaking]

@Medsas Roleplaying games (electronic and tabletop) contain two 'rewards': Money and Experience. The more 'experience' you get the better chance you have of defeating a higher 'level' of challenge.

This idea can (and is) be applied to worker/management/ceo. General electric would fire the bottom 10% of its managers. In gaming terms: That would be sacrificing pieces to checkmate a king.

[Tiwaking]

That was actually a very good (and short) explanation on organisational behaviour in general :D

[WelcomeToZomboCom]

so to summarize, you want the workers to participate in those game activities not because of the rewards, but because of the intrinsic value of the activity itself?

[WelcomeToZomboCom]

@vidjogamer good point

[vidjogamer]

@Medsas I just want to point out that you do not get more rewards for playing better at most jobs.

[mrmgrace]

Sometimes you don't need a reward for people to enjoy. The activity it self as long as it is fun is the reward.

[mrmgrace]

@dajusta87 Yeah rewards can be a dangerous thing.