The document discusses how social gaming concepts can be applied to businesses. It provides Helen as an example of someone whose job as a World of Warcraft guild officer mirrors that of an HR manager. The document then discusses social gaming statistics and concepts like avatars, narrative context, feedback systems, reputation/ranks, competition with rules, and teamwork that could be applied to businesses. It concludes by suggesting businesses start by collaborating with gamers to create a game and adjust it frequently based on player feedback.

1. Total Engagement
Using ideas from Social Gaming in
your business

2. Meet Helen
• 31 year old
• Logs in from home
• Oversees a team of 15 spread over 4 states and Australia
• Starts her day by reviewing messages and ensuring she’ll have
enough resources for today’s task
• Reviews resumes of potential team members with other team
leaders
• Trades materials on public market and reviews potential profit / loss
margins on transactions
• Works with her superiors to determine which team members will
perform best in what positions
• Uses an interface that gives her real-time statistics on team
members’ performance, and makes recommendations on-the-fly
based on that feedback

3. Guess What Helen Does?
• H/R Manager?
• Sales Lead?
• Stock Market Trader?
• Level 70 Guild Officer in
World of Warcraft
• She pays $15/month to work

4. Who Plays Social Games?
• WoW has 12 million registered users, paying an
average of $15/month ($180M/mo!)
• Average age of 33
• 26% of players over 50
• 80% male
• Play 25 hours a week on average
• 60% of the most active users are female
– women play about 5 hours a week more than men
• 66% of players have a college education

5. Why Do People Play Social Games?
• Sense of Achievement
• Immersion in their world
• Exploration and learning
• Competition with others
• Socializing aspect

6. Social Gaming Ideas that can be
applied to work
• Avatars
• Narrative Context
• Feedback at multiple levels and increments
• Reputation, Rank, and Level
• Competition under Explicit and Enforced Rules
• Teams
• And others…

7. Avatars

8. Avatars
• Takes advantage of human interaction
principles already developed
• Advertise expertise
• Increase engagement

9. Avatars

10. Narrative Context

11. Narrative Context
• Helps guide players – gives a sense of purpose,
how small actions contribute to larger picture
• Open-ended stories – review the history of the
game, but leave the future up to the success
of the player
• Increased excitement and attention
• Easier to remember information presented in
a narrative format

12. Feedback at Multiple Levels and
Increments

13. Feedback at Multiple Levels and
Increments
• Feedback changes behaviour
• Provides positive and negative reinforcement
• Instant feedback helps break down behaviours
into smaller components
• Intrinsic reward – gives feeling of achievement
and gratification

14. Reputation, Rank & Level

15. Reputation, Rank and Level
• Persistent and Transparent – Everyone can see your
level, and it follows you everywhere
• Relevant – ranks are earned by specific tasks or
experiences
• Continual – ranks must be earned and maintained
• Trusted – criteria for ranks are well known and
consistent for everyone
• Accelerate social interaction – removes the need for
small talk to determine a player’s expertise
• Vicarious reinforcement – “if that player can hit level
30, so can I”

16. Competition under Explicit and
Enforced Rules

17. Competition under Explicit and
Enforced Rules
• Provides a definition of “winning”
• Rules apply to everyone equally – helps
develop an internal sense of control and
accountability

18. Teamwork

19. Teamwork
• Playing in teams is a primitive ability – we’ve
been doing it for centuries
• “I Win When We Win” – players are driven to do
the best they can in their role for the team to
succeed
• Social relationships extend beyond the game –
team experiences help build personal
relationships between members
• Encouraging Community – teams self-organize to
be the most efficient for the task at hand

20. Where to start?
• Sit down with gamers at your company
• Work with them to create a game
• Inform the players of the game, not the rules
• Adjust frequently