9,5 theses on the power and efficacy of gamification
DESCRIPTION
Video: http://goo.gl/oKMFm // Are points and badges mere indulgences for the faithful looking for redemption in loyalty programs? In nine (and a half) theses, this talk will walk you through the history, definition, and issues of “gamification,” and point out what is worth salvaging for designers and researchers.TRANSCRIPT
9.5 Theseson the power and efficacyof gamificationSebastian Deterding (@dingstweets)Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research, Hamburg UniversityOctober 2012
cb
Education
Sustainability
Activism
Life
Everywhere
The blueprint (still)
pointsTracking, Feedback
badgesGoals, surprise
leaderboardsCompetition
incentivesRewards
The Enablers
success stories
sensors & analytics practices & discourses
1 Gamification isnothing new.
»One purpose of this book is to explore ways in which even routine activities can be transformed into personally meaningful games that provide optimal experiences.«
flow (1990: 51)Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Precursors(1980+)
Repurposings(2001+)
UX(2002+)
Hedonic attributes
Playfulness(2005+)
Serious Games(1960+)
DigitalSerious Games
(2001+)
Alternate Reality/Pervasive Games
(2001+)
Ludificationof culture
(2006+)
Ludic design(2002+)
Persuasive Tech(2006+)
Precursors and parallels
Precursors
User Experience
Playfulness
Ludic Design
Persuasive Technology
Serious Games
Pervasive Games
Alternate Reality Games
Ludification of Culture
2 Gamification isthe use of game design elements in non-game contexts.
Gamification:The use ofgame design elements in non-game contexts
Gamification:The use ofgame design elements in non-game contexts
Roger Cailloisman, play, and games (1958)
LudusPaidiaplay
improvisationexplorationtumultuousimmoderate
gameskill, effortstrategizing
orderedrule-bound
Gaming
Playing
Gaming, not playing
Story
Systems Elements
Elements, not whole systems
Game Design Elements
Game-based technology
Controllers, AI, 3D engines, ...
Game-based practices Serious Gaming
Game-based design Gamification
Non-Game Contexts
Story
Syst
emElem
ents
Gaming
Playing
gamification(serious) games
playful design(serious) toys
3 Gamification isan inadvertent con.
Margaret Robertson
»Gamification is an inadvertent con. It tricks people into believing that there’s a simple way to imbue their thing ... with the psychological, emotional and social power of a great game.«
can’t play, won’t play (2009)
Confu
sion
#1
Theodore Sturgeon
»Ninety percent of everything is crud.«
sturgeon‘s revelation (1958)
Games are not fun because they are games, but when they are well-designed.
Con(fusion) #1
Confu
sion
#2
Earn 1,000,000,000,000 points
Score: 964,000,000,000,000(You rock!)
Drop all loot!
Level: 1(You rock!)
Get princess!
Score: 400 princesses(You rock!)
»Fun is just another word for learning.«
Raph Koster
a theory of fun for game design (2005)
Raph Koster
»Fun from games arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun. With games, learning is the drug.«
a theory of fun for game design (2005)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diego_rivera/4261964210
Extrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/areyoumyrik/308908967
Edward Deci, Richard Ryan
»An understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.«
the what and why of goal pursuit (2000)
The fun in playing games chiefly arises from intrinsic enjoyment, not extrinsic incentives.
Con(fusion) #2
Confu
sion
#3
http://www.flickr.com/photos/apartmentlife/6559123353/
»Mowing the lawn or waiting in a dentist’s office can become enjoyable provided one restructures the activity by providing goals, rules, and the other elements of enjoyment to be reviewed below.«
flow (1990: 51)Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
»Gaminess« is not a feature you can add.
Con(fusion) #3
4Motivational designis a promising proposition.
How might we ...
restructure a system to support intrinsic enjoyment, using game design as a lens?
Put differently
If this were a game –in what ways is it broken?
Game Atoms
model/skill
rule system
goal
success! / failure!
action
feedbackimmediate/progress
challenge
Games in class > Class as game
Games in school > School as game
Games in Undergrad > You get the idea ...
GoalsDaily, weekly, monthly, annually w/ progress
Feedback Accuracy, speed, friendliness in comparison, w/ recommendations
Reality Check
ChallengeTraining, job rotation, job enrichment
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/4141140976/sizes/o/in/faves-7834371@N04/
5 Gamification isthinking inside the box.
The BoxGameA designed artifact
PlayingA frame of engagement
»Even though we are involved in a game, we are not always playing … Even though we are playing, we are not always involved in a game ...Playing a game is a special condition of both play and games.«
Bernie de Koventhe well-played game (1978/2002: 7)
debugging
playtesting/reviewing
presenting gameplay
making a machinima
a scientific study
learning (serious games)
sports (e-sports)
work (goldfarming)
So ...
What about this frame called playing?
»I need to be very routinized; I mustn’t let myself drift.« »I hammer it through.«»Often, you have to force yourself to do it.«»You’re under real pressure.«»It’s extremely exhausting.«»It wears you out.«»My friends usually cannot comprehend how stressful this is.«
»Sometimes, you have to play, you have to get further – and then, play is work.«
Johan Huizinga
»First and foremost, all play is a voluntary activity.«
homo ludens (1938/1950: 7)
Element
#1
»The key element of an optimal experience is that it is an end in itself.«
flow (1990: 67)Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Edward Deci, Richard Ryan
»An understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.«
the what and why of goal pursuits (2000)
Fun Voluntary
Voluntary Fun
… vs. Quality and VarietyA safe space
Element
#2
James Paul Gee
»Psychosocial moratorium principle:Learners can take risks in a space where real-world consequences are lowered.«
what video games have to teach us... (2003: 67)
Attunement
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wondermonkey2k/6188527275
Element
#3
»When mother and child have fun together, … they are establishing ... the convention that they take precedence over the fun. When the child cries, the mother stops having fun.«
Bernie de Koventhe well-played game (1978: 18)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iboy/5709372593
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iboy/5709372593
»It is the nature of a fun community to care more about the players than about the game. ... We are having fun. We are caring. We are safe with each other. This is what we want.«
Bernie de Koventhe well-played game (1978: 19-20)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/docentjoyce/3138887652
Element
#4
Shared focus & attitude of exploring ...
… mastery, ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulgorman/1392988135
… benign transgression, ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bixentro/540642579
… and most importantly, fun
Trust
I won‘t let you fall.
I‘ll know and say when it‘s too much.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucianvenutian/439410200
Element
#5
Edward Deci, Richard Ryan
»An understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.«
the what and why of goal pursuits (2000)
Rewarded or mandatory games ...
http://albanyny.bitsbytesbots.com/after-school-enrichment
danger
#1
… curbs autonomy through control
http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/4955407599/sizes/l/in/photostream/
… detrains autonomous regulation
danger
#2
the rule ofirrelevance
http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg
Framing as strategic instrumental action
… crowds out communal ethics, ...
»It is through a community of people who care more about fun than winning that the Well-Played game happens.«
Bernie de Koventhe well-played game (1978: 5)
http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg
… fixates thinking inside the system and ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/5tein/2347819903
… encourages gaming the system
Roger Cailloisman, play, and games (1958)
LudusPaidiaplay
improvisationexplorationtumultuousimmoderate
gameskill, effortstrategizing
orderedrule-bound
In short: a ludic mindset
Utopia lost in amusement
danger
#3
Theodor W. Adorno
»The unreality of games gives notice that reality is not yet real. Unconsciously they rehearse the right life.«
minima moralia (1951)
Theodor W. Adorno
»Simply because the child deprives the things with which he plays of their mediated usefulness, he seeks to rescue in them what is benign towards men and not what subserves the exchange relation that equally deforms men and things.«
minima moralia (1951)
a thing enjoyed for its own sakeis a moment of life well-lived
Theodor W. Adorno
»Amusement is the extension of work in late capitalism. It is sought out by him who wants to escape the mechanised process of work only to become fit for it anew.«
dialectics of enlightenment (1969)
6Playful reframingis a promising proposition.
Play
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrlerone/405730185/sizes/o/
What we usually design
Who decides whether this is play
(or playing is allowed)
http://ascottallison.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/p1030286.jpg
Support autonomy
Principle
#1
Create a safe space
Principle
#2
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charamelody/4613804703
Principle
#3
Metacommunicate: »This is play!«
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amrufm/2593920251/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Make a bowhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mccun934/3604759449
Disrupt standing frames
Use cues and associationshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/webatelier/5929298899
… vs. Quality and VarietyModel attitude and behaviors
Principle
#4
Offer generative tools/toys
Principle
#5
Small pieces, loosely joined
Kars Alfrink
»So when designing tools for play, underspecify!«
a playful stance (2008)
(Obligatory Minecraft slide)
FarmVille
MySpace!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplemattfish/3205907410/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Provide invitations
Principle
#6
Safe spaceCulture of trust, forgiveness, mutual care, zero blame
Autonomy Choice in goals & strategies, concordant w/ values & needs
Shared attitudeLived focus on exploring, mastery, benign transgression, shared joy
Generative tools/toysInviting openings for exploration and redesign
7 Gamification ismaterializing morality.
Evil mind control?
issue
#1
Jane McGonigal
»If you use the power of games to give people an opportunity to do something they want to do, then you’re doing good. If you’re using the power of games to get people to do something you want them to do, then you’re doing evil.«
digital ethics symposium (2011)
Technologies of power
Get your friends to shop more
Technologies of the self
Help me meditate
… are technologies of control
Fitter.Happier.More productive.Not drinking too much.Regular exercize at the gym.Get out more with your associate employees.Stay in the game. Move on.Stay in the game. Move on.Stay in the game. Move on.Stay in the game. Move on.Stay in the game. Move on.
Stay in the game. Move on.
issue
#2
Implicit values, virtues, normality
Richard Buchanan
»Products ... are vivid arguments about how we should lead our lives.«
design and the new rhetoric (2001)http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/philosophy_and_rhetoric/v034/34.3buchanan.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amanky/1722371602
The Good Life
Compare. Compete. Be on top.
What vision of
The Good Life do your designs convey?
Implicit theory of social change“Extended willpower”
issue
#3
When discipline is reinforced, revolution cannot fail!
»Commentators blithely assure us that it is ‘all about who wants it the most’, as though sporting podiums are arranged exactly according to the amount of willpower that went into the struggle. Bronze: considerable self-belief; silver: still stronger self-belief; gold: self-belief on an epic scale. … Our own age has indulged a pseudoscientific cult of willpower: the deification of determination.«
the voodoo cult of positive thinking (2012)Ed Smith
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2012/09/voodoo-cult-positive-thinking
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/small-painless-behaviour-change
What theory of
social changedo your designs convey?
8 Gamification isworth researching.
Motivational DesignMarrying the psychology of motivation with the practice of design.
Topic#1
The Gameful Classroom
Rule Design StudiesThe holistic study and design of rule systems.
Topic#2
Law
Economics
Sociology
computer science
Game Studies
GovernancePublic PolicyInterpretation
Social orderInstitutionalizationScripts (STS)
AlgorithmsModeling, abstraction,automation, simulation
Game TheoryIncentivesBusiness processes
DesignDynamics & AestheticsSemiotics
Playing StudiesUnderstanding and designing for playful and gameful reframing.
Topic#3
Are you “playing” or “using” it?
Mandatory or optional?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/5tein/2347819903
How to counteract a gaming mindset?
9 “Gamification” isa terrible word to use.
Ian Bogost
»Gamification is bullshit.«
gamification is bullshit (2011)http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4294/persuasive_games_shell_games.php
Issue#1
Ian Bogost
»This is why gamification is such an effective term. It keeps the term game and puts it right up in front, drawing attention to the form’s mysterious power. But the kicker comes at the end: the -ify suffix makes applying that medium to any given purpose seem facile and automatic.«
exploitationware (2010)
What is a “game element”?** Most game definitions have multiple necessary conditions
Issue#2
Game Atoms
model/skill
rule system
goal
success! / failure!
action
feedbackimmediate/progress
challenge
gamification
Rules
Goals
Avatars
Story
Story
not game-specific
Redeemable rewards
Commitment
Analytics
NotificationsComments
not game-related
Quantitative feedback
Encourgaing “add-on” thinking
Issue#3
Remember “Playfulness”?
Gamefulness!
Roger Cailloisman, play, and games (1958)
LudusPaidiaplay
improvisationtumultuousimmoderate
gameskill, effort
orderedrule-bound
Story
Syst
em/A
rtef
act
Elements
Gaming
Playing
gamification(serious) games
playful design(serious) toys
Gameful Design
Quality/mode
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Gamification is nothing new.Gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts.Gamification is an inadvertent con.Motivational design is a promising proposition.Gamification is thinking inside the box.Playful reframing is a promising proposition.Gamification is materializing morality.Gamification is worth researching»Gamification« is a terrible word to use.
9.5 Ceterum CenseoYou should all read The Well-Played Game
»Inscribed in gold in our flag is the motto If you can’t play it, change it, and woven into our banner are the words If it helps, cheat.«
Bernie de Koventhe well-played game (1978/2002)
@dingstweets
codingconduct.cc
Thank You.