University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Gamification Revolution
Book

The Gamification Revolution

How Leaders Leverage Game Mechanics to Crush the Competition

Gabe Zichermann and Joselin Linder
McGraw-Hill, 2013
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Successful gamification – the business use of game-based mechanisms – considers both human psychology and the more concrete matters of how material looks and functions. Experts Gabe Zichermann and Joselin Linder spell out this process in accessible, engaging language. They explore the best uses of gamification, using illuminating stories about companies, organizations, governments and individuals. Zichermann and Linder practice what they preach, engaging you with compelling narratives, down-to-earth recommendations and actual games interspersed throughout the text. getAbstract recommends this manual covering the coming wave of gamification in employee training and customer motivation to start-ups, entrepreneurs, managers, marketing, HR professionals, and anyone looking for new ways to inspire and retain customers and employees.

Summary

Models of Gamification

Even top-tier corporate strategy can crumble without employee and customer engagement. Gamification – the implementation of game-derived mechanisms and dynamics in business – offers effective tools and strategies for gaining and retaining customer focus and employee motivation. These factors precede and spur revenue.

Companies can use a variety of models of gamification to fit different needs. In the “grand challenge” model of gamification, a leader opens a competition, usually inviting the public to solve a problem. Whoever devises the solution earns the glory of victory and, typically, a prize. Another model is the “rapid feedback game” – such as a sport – in which real-time scoring motivates performance. In a “simulation-discovery game,” a designer gamifies a body of knowledge and presents it with the intent to teach. In a “status marathon,” acclaim rewards quality content. Social media, which provides recognition in the form of comments, followers or likes, offers a good example. In a gamified “commercial/negotiation system,” players vie to earn the most virtual currency, such as points in a frequent-flier program or fake money in a Monopoly...

About the Authors

Gabe Zichermannis CEO of Gamification Corp. He and Joselin Linder, who writes for NPR and AOL, co-wrote Game-Based Marketing.

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