It’s All Zombies To Me- Gamification And The Art Of Engagement
Keeping fit has always been difficult for me and, as I yet again struggled to run up the final incline at my local park, I wondered if it’s time I embraced the alternative version of the ubiquitous training tool Nike Plus...
Zombies. Will this alter my languishing man in lycra, sport agnostic behaviour, to a more positive fitness embracing one? Will I add another gamified level to my own life?
Having already developed gaming products for pharmaceutical companies I know there’s something hugely motivating in winning a prize or immersing yourself in a challenging game. So, with the recent launch of Syrum are we going to see a huge uptake in gamification?
For me Syrum is a social game rather than a gamified experience, but along with Boehringer Ingelheim’s other activities in the digital space, such as their use of Kaggle, there is much about their approach to digital innovation that should be applauded. But, let’s roll back a bit. What is this notion of gamification? Is it marketing or the future of engagement? And how can I take something like Zombies Run! and create the same level of motivation to complete an e-detailer or improve adherence?
Gamification is pretty clearly defined and in essence is about enabling better, more meaningful engagement with people through the use and understanding of gaming mechanics. Or in my case, trying to avoid Zombies. To rephrase the well known acronym WTF (and knowingly condense Dr Michael Wu's excellent thoughtson gamification ) ...Where’s The Fun?
The engagement can be played out (no pun intended) at an enterprise level through platform providers or, as I’m inclined to believe, we will see more of the key principles being applied in disease areas and across a range of devices. And why shouldn’t we take advantage of this? If gamification increasingly puts the customer at the centre of a rewarding, motivational experience – embracing the principles of Flow - then surely we’d be negligent not to take advantage of these ideas. Afterall, there’s a whole industryalready devoted to maximising these opportunities.
The key question for me, isn’t about where the opportunities are or indeed how big an industry it will become according to both Gartner Research and Pew Internet but what are we’re actually gamifying? Where are our leading lights in this brave new world?
Well, this might surprise you but this is an increasingly active space and has been something people are consistently challenging themselves over; and although the predominant examples tend to be in general well being, typified by broad based apps, there are excellent examples in our industry which we should learn from and champion.
My own personal favourites are:
1. Pain Squad
Interestingly, this project was devised by a consumer led agency Cundariand perhaps, with its high production values, gives credence to thinking more widely about who can be innovative in delivering fresh ideas and ways of thinking to our industry.
2. Brainy App
An excellent initiative from Alzheimer’s Association Australia and BUPA attempting to address the growing demand for well being Apps. And perhaps touching on a wider social trend indicated by the development of projects such as fitocracy or Superbetter
3. Foldit
Although Foldit , along with Phylo both apply gamification to driving solutions, I’d certainly like to see more of this. Indeed, the Welcome Trust is taking the bull by the horns with their Gamify Your PHDstrategy
Perhaps, as an industry, we should think more of the application for gaming beyond the boundaries set by product launches, which seem to consume approaches to marketing. A few years ago I designed an extremely successful game based around a drug’s MOA. Although it was a simple 3D arcade game based on missile command, the real challenge lay in whether the player was as effective as the drug action itself. Added to this was an immersive audio visual experience reflective of the debilitating nature of the condition– pretty much instant and continuous feedback - and you’ll probably start to see how the experience was more than a simple brand game. Well, the judges thought so anyway.
Our own wider experience as an agency falls into platform gamification and then specific responses to client needs. I’d imagine this is typical of most. We have already delivered a gamified e-learning platform for a client that now has 20,000 registered users and is increasingly popular and, at the other end of the spectrum, we are designing an app to help an adherence regime.
So, if, J. Leighton Read, a U.S. expert on health games is correct, that "at a time when health care is focused on outcomes and seeking sustainability, the case for gamification has never been stronger." We should be looking to gamify where we can. And while I’m not suggesting everything becomes a health based version of Klash I am suggesting, as the leading pharma companies clearly have recognised, there is merit in understanding the topic and seeing how and where it can be relevant to patients.
About Richard:
Richard is an award-winning gamification expert in healthcare digital. Somone who can truly talk at all levels, Richard can liaise with with government officials, medics, patients and developers to bring a creative concept to life. Richard has almost 20 years experience of digital. This experience extends across production, marketing and brand engagement. He has also made made video games with EA and with Queen – the rock band not HRH!