counsel life game

LIFE’S A GAME LOWE COUNSEL LOWE & PARTNERS MAY 2011

Life’s a Game The Rise of the Game Layer

May 2011


Gamification: This year’s buzz word…

THE INFLUENCE OF GAMING OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT, NOT ONLY AS A SOURCE OF INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNAL ENTERTAINMENT BUT IT HAS ALSO AFFECTED THE WAY WE THINK, EXERCISE,

LIVE OUR LIVES, INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND PERSUE OUR GOALS.

“The last decade was the decade of social. The coming one will be the decade of games.” — Seth Priebatsch, Chief Ninja, SCVNGR

HOTLY DEBATED AT SXSW, TED AND IN MULTIPLE FORUMS GAMIFICATION OR THE GAME LAYER IS UNAVOIDABLE IN 2011.


The Game has Changed

•! GAMING USED TO BE THE PRESERVE OF TEENAGE BOYS IN THEIR BEDROOMS

•! WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF PLATFORMS, THE CLOUD, AND THE HUGE ARRAY OF SOCIAL GAMES THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE

•! 55% OF ALL GAMERS IN THE U.S. ARE WOMEN, 53% OF FRAMVILLE PLAYERS ARE WOMEN AGED 25-44

•! DURING 2010 THE AVERAGE FARMVILLE PALYER SPENT 68 MINUTES A DAY PLAYING!

•! GAMING IS INFILTRATING ALL OUR LIVES

“Nearly 62 million US internet users, or 27% of the online audience, will play social games at least once a month in 2011. That is a spectacular number considering that this form of gaming took off in earnest less

than two years ago. By 2012, there will be 68.7 million social gamers in the US.” - www.emarketer.com


Cultural Energies:

SKIM CULTURE AND THE RISE OF INFOGRAPHICS FOMO: FEAR OF MISSING OUT

SENSORY EXTRA BRAND ME

THE DATA DIMENSION

THE PERFECT STORM FOR GAMIFICATION TO TAKE OFF…


Skim Culture

INFORMATION OVERLOAD AND OUR GROWING ONLINE DEPENDENCE IS CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT, PROCESS AND RETAIN INFORMATION.

ALWAYS ON AND CONNECTED WE NO LONGER FEEL THE NEED OR HAVE THE TIME

TO GATHER AND RETAIN INDEPTH KNOWLEDGE, IT’S ALL JUST A FEW CLICKS AWAY.

THE ERA OF THE INSTANT EXPERT!

IN A DISTRACTED/A.D.D WORLD WHERE TWEETS AND UPDATES ARE SUPERCEDING E-MAIL AS A PREFFRED WAY TO COMMUNICATE, WE NEED TO FIND EVER MORE INTERESTING WAYS

TO KEEP OUR AUDIENCES’ UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.


Skim Culture - The Rise of Info Graphics

DATA VISUALIZATION HAS BECOME INCREDIBLY POWERFUL IN THE ‘DISTRACTED’ WORLD.

WE ARE MOVING TO A MORE VISUAL BASED WAY OF SPREADING INFORMATION. MAKING GAMING EVEN MORE APPEALING.


F.O.M.O.

THE FEAR OF MISSING OUT IS A VERY POWERFUL MOTIVATOR, ESPECIALY AMONGST DIGITAL NATIVES. NOT ONLY A STATE OF MIND IT CAN ALSO TRIGGER PHYSICAL REACTIONS. SUFFERERS REPORT SWEATING, PACING

AND OBSESSIVE REFRESHING OF THEIR FEEDS!

RELATIVE DESPERATION - BY CONSTANTLY COMPARING THEMSELVES WITH PEERS, TEENS IN PARTICULAR CAN EXPERIENCE DISSATISFACTION WITH THEIR LIVES, BY THINKING EVERYONE’S HAVING A BETTER TIME AND/OR IS MORE POPULAR THAN THEY ARE.


Sensory Extra

IN A WORLD WHERE WE ARE SPENDING MORE TIME IN FRONT OF OUR SCREENS SKIMMING THROUGH INFORMATION THERE IS A POWERFUL DESIRE TO FEEL AND EXPERIENCE THE

NEW AND IMPACTFUL.

WE ARE ALWAYS IN SEARCH OF THE PROVERBIAL NEW HIGH, WHETHER THAT BE A FISH PEDICURE OR HEADPHONES WITH MEGA-BASS.

THINK OF HEIGHTENING SENSATIONS AND EXPERIENCES, THAT COMPLETELY TRANSPORT USERS.

Range Rover Evoque interactive movie “being henry” intends to articulate metaphorically the various options available when customizing the car: http://helloevoque.Com/beinghenry/en-us/


IN A MARKETING-LINGUAL AND CONNECTED WORLD, PEOPLE ARE MORE AND MORE CONSCIOUS OF HOW THEY ARE PERCEIVED AND ARE THUS MORE

CAREFUL AND CALCULATED ABOUT WHAT THEY #, LIKE, POST… AND WHO THEY FRIEND.

The fancy.com and pinterest.com provides a space for users to catalog and store images of the products and brands they like.

Another example is new york fast food restaurant 4food that encourages people to create their own

burger combination, and then market it through social network and in-store displays, allowing others order your creation. Every time someone orders your creation you win 4food bucks.

Brand me


The Data Dimension

WE NOW GENERATE AND INCREASINGLY HAVE ACCESS TO TERRABYTES OF PERSONAL DATA EACH YEAR.

ALTHOUGH A IN ITS INFANCY IT IS PREDICTED THAT WE WILL ALL START USING THIS DATA TO

SELF EVALUATE AND COMPARE OURSELVES TO THOSE AROUND US.

THIS IS LIKELY TO CREATE AN ARENA FOR COMPETITIVENESS , WHETHER IT IS COLLATING ‘HOW

MANY COUNTRIES I’VE VISITED’ OR PUBLISHING MY BEST RUNNING TIMES THROUGH NIKE+.

THINK OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SIMPLE PROGRESS BAR ON LINKEDIN TELLING USERS THAT WITH A FEW CLICKS THEIR PROFILE CAN BE CLOSER TO A 100% OR THE

FEELINGS SPARKED BY A MAP SHOWCASING THE LOCATIONS YOU HAVE BEEN TO.


My Data Life = My Empowered Life

SIMPLE APPS LIKE DAYTUM ALLOW US TO CREATE CATEGORIES, INPUT OUR DATA AND THEN SEE AND COMPARE PERFORMANCES ON VERY

BASIC AND MUNDANE LIFE STATISTICS.

GIVING US A BIRDS EYE VIEW OF OUR LIVES, POTENTIALLY FUELING SELF IMPROVEMENT BUT ALSO RIVALRY!

ALTHOUGH IMMEDIATE IMPLICATIONS MAY FEEL SUPERFICIAL, OUR INCREASING DATA TRAIL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE NEARLY EVERY

PART OF OUR LIVES, FROM OUR FINANCES TO EVEN OUR SEXUAL PERFORMANCE!


Game Dynamics


THE GAME LAYER IS NOT ABOUT CREATING FAKE NEEDS AND DESIRES, BUT FINDING AND CONNECTING TO THE ONES THAT ALREADY EXIST WITHIN THE USER.

PLAYING GAMES ACTIVATES THE BODY’S NATURAL REWARD AND RESPONSE ENDORPHINS – IT

IS ADDICTIVE AND EFFECTIVE IN CHANGING BEHAVIOR.

Motivate and change behavior

Dan Pink at the RSA In his speech he points out that the so-popular carrot-and-stick method generally works for simple,

straightforward tasks, but “when a task gets more complicated” and “requires some conceptual, creative thinking, those kind of

motivators don’t work.”


AT THE MOST BASIC LEVEL PEOPLE WANT AND NEED TO BE ENTERTAINED.

PARTICULARLY WHEN SO MUCH OF OUR TIME IS SCREEN-TIME.

AND WITH OUR EVER REDUCING ATTENTION SPANS INTRODUCING A ‘GAME’ ELEMENT CAN HELP TO MAKE DULL TASKS MORE FUN. (LIKE YOUR MOTHER USED TO DO)

Let me entertain you


A GAME LAYER CAN HELP PEOPLE REMEMBER TO DO MORE OF WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING.

Focus and self-improvement

AN APP FROM XEROX THAT HELPS DISCOVER AND ANALYZE DISTRACTIONS TO HELP BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYEES BE MORE PRODUCTIVE.

A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR DOES MAKE THE MEDICINE GO DOWN EASIER…


REFLECTING THE CHANGING NATURE OF GAMING AND THE INCREASING POWER OF SOCIAL NETWORKS.

MANY OF THE MOST POPULAR AND SUCCESSFUL ‘GAME LAYER’ CONCEPTS INVOLVE OR ARE

INHERENTLY SOCIAL…AND SHAREABLE

Social


CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION MIGHT CURRENTLY BE A DIRTY WORD BUT STATUS REMAINS VERY IMPORTANT AND CENTRAL TO GAMING, PARTICULARLY WHEN CONNECTED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.

STATUS REMAINS A KEY BEHAVIOR / GAME MOTIVATOR. MANY OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL REWARD/

LOYALTY/LOCATION BASED GAMES RELY ON THE DESIRE OF THE PLAYER TO SHARE THEIR SKILLS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR ASSOCIATIONS WITH THEIR SOCIAL NETWORK.

Status, Status, Status


SOCIAL ONE-UPMANSHIP.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT STATUS IS A STRONGER MOTIVATOR THAN FINANCIAL REWARDS, JUST CHECK OUT FOURSQUARE!

Status: we’re all majoral candidates


IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT MANY OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GAMES HAVE THEMES THAT GAME DEVELOPERS WOULD

TRADITIONALLY HAVE NEVER PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED DUE TO THEIR MUNDANE SUBJECT MATTER.

FARMVILLE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE…

The simple pleasures of life


Game On!!


MOTIVATING

Bringing the game layer to life

ENTERTAIN CHALLENGE

SOCIAL STATUS


VOLKSWAGEN'S THE FUN THEORY, IS BASED ON THE IDEA THAT THE EASIEST WAY TO CHANGE PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOR FOR THE BETTER IS TO MAKE IT FUN.

FUN DRIVES THE AKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AN ISSUE AND THEN HELPS CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR.

The Fun Theory

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO.


Epic Win

EPIC WIN REWARDS YOU FOR DOING THE CHORES YOU HATE DOING.



‘THE WITNESS’ IS A INTERACTIVE MOVIE THAT COMBINES TECHNOLOGIES SEAMLESSLY TO PROVIDE A NEW KIND OF PARTICIPATORY GAME/ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE.

The Witness – The first movie in the outernet



THE LYNX STREAM COLLECTS EVERY VIDEO, PIC, TEXT, TWEET AND STATUS UPDATE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS MAKE ON A NIGHT OUT AND TURNS IT INTO

AN EXCLUSIVE ONLINE PAGE THAT YOU CAN THEN SHARE…

OR NOT – DEPENDING ON HOW PUBLIC YOU WANT LAST NIGHTS FUN TO BE!

JUST CREATE AN EVENT AND SELECT YOUR FRIENDS FROM YOUR

FACEBOOK OR YOUR PHONE AND SEND OUT THE INVITE.

Lynx Stream



CHROMAROMA IS A GAME THAT SHOWS YOUR MOVEMENTS AND LOCATION AS YOU SWIPE YOUR OYSTER CARD IN AND OUT OF THE LONDON PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM.

IT CONNECTS COMMUNITIES OF PEOPLE WHO CROSS PATHS AND ROUTES ON A REGULAR

BASIS, AND ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO MAKE NEW JOURNEYS AND USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN A DIFFERENT WAY BY EXPLORING NEW AREAS AND POTENTIALLY USING DIFFERENT MODES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

Chromaroma



Green Goose

GREENGOOSE LETS YOU SET SIMPLE LIFESTYLE GOALS AND TRACK YOUR OWN PROGRESS AUTOMATICALLY WITH SENSORS. ALLOWING YOU TO EARN LIFESTYLE

POINTS THE MORE OFTEN YOU DO THINGS.

SHARE OR EXCHANGE POINTS WITH OTHER APPLICATIONS, OR PARTNERS OFFERING REWARDS - OR EVEN AN ALLOWANCE FOR KIDS.


SIMPLY EXPLAINED: GET A PASS. HIT THE SLOPES. CAPTURE YOUR EXPERIENCE. CONNECT AND SHARE

WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

VAIL – Epic Mix


GROUP BUYING MAY BE ALL THE RAGE VIA COMPANIES LIKE GROUPON BUT SHOPWITHYOURFRIENDS ADDS A NEW TWIST TO ONLINE SHOPPING BY MAKING IT SOCIAL.

ALLOWING YOU TO HAVE A GROUP SHOPPING SESSION ONLINE. THE DUTCH STARTUP USES CO-

BROWSING TECHNOLOGY TO SHARE THE SCREEN BETWEEN MULTIPLE SHOPPERS WHO CAN PUT TOGETHER DIFFERENT PIECES AND DISCUSS THEIR CHOICES. THE IDEA IS TO SIMULATE ONLINE THE REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE OF A GROUP OF WOMEN SHOPPING TOGETHER.

Shop with your friends


Keeping a promise

REEBOK INTRODUCES THE ONLY RUNNING APP THAT WILL ACTUALLY MAKE YOU GET OUT AND RUN. BY USING GOOD OLD FASHIONED PEER PRESSURE. AS A PROMISE TO

EVERYONE YOU KNOW IS MUCH HARDER TO BREAK THAN A PROMISE YOU MAKE ONLY TO YOURSELF, THE PROMISE KEEPER WILL MAKE SURE TO INFORM ALL YOUR FRIENDS

ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE UP TO. IT WILL PRAISE YOU WHEN YOU RUN AND WHEN YOU DON'T... LET'S JUST SAY THAT WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISES.


Macon Money: Play to boost local economy

MACON MONEY IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE SOCIAL GAME DESIGNED FOR THE RESIDENTS OF MACON, GEORGIA. USING

A NEW LOCAL CURRENCY WITH A FUN TWIST, THE GAME BUILDS PERSON TO PERSON CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT

THE COMMUNITY WHILE SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES.


WORLD WITHOUT OIL IS A SERIOUS GAME FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD. PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE “COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION” TO CONFRONT A REAL-WORLD

ISSUE: TOUR UNBRIDLED THIRST FOR OIL.

IT’S A MILESTONE IN THE QUEST TO USE GAMES AS DEMOCRATIC, COLLABORATIVE PLATFORMS FOR EXPLORING POSSIBLE FUTURES AND SPARKING FUTURE-CHANGING ACTION.

A world without oil


GAMESAVE IS A HACK-A-THON STYLE EVENT WHICH TAKES PLACE OVER THE COURSE OF 5 WEEKS, DURING WHICH MULTIPLE TEAMS OF GAME DEVELOPERS AND EMERGENCY RELIEF

PROFESSIONALS WILL EACH CREATE A COMPLETE GAME CONCEPT AND WORKING DEMO AIMED AT AN ASPECT OF DISASTER RELIEF.

GameSave



The Good Mogul

YOU CAN "WORK" (CHECK-IN) AT ANY LOCATION YOU VISIT. THE MORE YOU CHECK-IN THE BETTER THE JOB YOU WILL HAVE AND THE MORE YOU WILL MAKE.

EACH PLACE HAS A SHARE PRICE BASED ON FOURSQUARE, GOWALLA AND FACEBOOK

CHECK-INS. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT CHECK-IN, THE MORE YOU MAKE. IF THE PLACE ISN'T THAT POPULAR, YOU WILL LOSE MORE.


HAPIFY IS AN IPHONE APP THAT ENABLES YOU TO REALLY SAVOR THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD BY BUILDING A PERSONAL PROFILE

TO HELP LEARN ABOUT YOUR OWN HAPPINESS. WHEN YOU SHARE ALL THIS WITH OTHERS, EVERYONE CAN DISCOVER EVEN GREATER HAPPINESS

THROUGH THE SUGGESTIONS AND INSPIRATION THE APP GENERATES.

Hapify

THE 1,500 USERS ALREADY SIGNED UP HAVE ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE HAPPIEST PLACE IN NYC IS THE FLATIRON DISTRICT AND 8 P.M. IS THE

HAPPIEST TIME OF THE DAY.


Tidy Street

RESIDENTS ON A STREET IN BRIGHTON (UK) RECENTLY LAUNCHED A PROJECT WHERE THEY RECODED THEIR INDIVIDUAL HOMES ENERGY CONSUMPTION EACH DAY.

THE PARTICIPANTS' ELECTRICITY USAGE OVER THE PREVIOUS 24 HOURS WAS MARKED ON THE STREET; AND EACH WEEK PARTICIPANTS CAN CHOOSE TO ADD ANOTHER COMPARISON LINE THAT

WILL SHOW HOW THEIR ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION COMPARES TO ANOTHER REGION IN THE UK OR EVEN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.


Implications


•! BE READY TO SEE PAST THE BUZZ AND THINK LONG TERM

•! A GAME LAYER IS NOT JUST A WAY TO ENGAGE MORE EFFICIENTLY WITH CONSUMERS, BUT A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER. (THINK DATA COLLECTION AND A WINDOW TO

UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOR AND PREFERENCES WITHOUT DISRUPTING)

•! ENGAGE ON EXISTING INTERESTS TO GENERATE SUSTAINABLE MOTIVATION

•! F.O.MO. IS A POWERFUL FORCE, HOW CAN YOU USE IT TO ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE A DESIRED

RESPONSE OR ACTION?

•! WITH DIMINISHING ATTENTION SPANS, HOW CAN YOU ENGAGE PEOPLE WITH YOUR

MESSAGE?

•! UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS. EMPOWER THEM…

•! COMBINING REAL WORLD ACTIVITY WITH ONLINE IS A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY OF CREATING

SOCIAL GAME EXPERIENCES, ESPECIALLY WHEN GEO-LOCATION IS AN ELEMENT

•! ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT WILL INCREASINGLY HAVE ELEMENTS OF USER INTERACTION, HOW CAN YOU CREATE BRAND CONTENT THAT EMBRACES THIS?

•! AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, BE CONSCIOUS OF HOW POWERFUL AND ADDICTIVE GAME LAYERS CAN BE. HARNESS THE GOOD!

Implications for brands

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