The document discusses gamification, which uses game mechanics and structures to engage and influence customer behavior. It explains that gamification takes advantage of people's psychological tendency to engage with games. The document then discusses why gamification is important now due to universal gaming culture and behavioral data. It provides examples of brands that use gamification and discusses game mechanics as well as the four M's of good game design: mystery, mastery, membership, and meaning. The document advocates using these game design structures to increase engagement in marketing campaigns.

1. By Bally Chohan
Gamification 101-by
bally chohan
Why games are becoming a key
marketing tool
www.ballychohan.com- Insight Curator

2. What is gamification?
By Bally Chohan
Gamification is an increasingly important marketing method which
seeks to effectively engage customers and influence their
behaviour through game structures and mechanics.
It takes advantage of our psychological tendency to engage in
games. As a technique it is mainly used to encourage people to
engage in behaviours they might ordinarily find boring;
shopping, completing surveys, or reading websites.
© Crayon 2010
www.ballychohan.com

3. Why is gamification important now?
By Bally Chohan
Though game mechanics like adding levels, points or
rewards have been used in customer loyalty
programmes for many years, it is only now with such
behavioural data explosions, that we can really begin to
harness the power of games effectively.
Gaming culture has become universal…
© Crayon 2010
www.ballychohan.com

4. Universal Gaming Culture - Why games?
By Bally Chohan
Games are the most engaging medium around:
- Games change people’s behaviour and mindstates because they are so
engaging; while playing in isolation,
games have relieved burns victims of their pains, more than any other medium.
- Some online games have had to introduce ‘fatigue systems’ which give less
points the longer your play or offer double points for taking a breaks, as some
gamers were developing damaging addictive compulsions to play.
- Games can get people engaged in eating healthily, Xtreme Xrunch Kart is a
racing game that takes the speed of the vehicle from the crunch sound of
eating carrots.
- There are more than 10 millions gamers in the UK each playing more than 20
hours a week – that’s more than a part-time job!
© Crayon 2010
www.ballychohan.com

5. Universal Gaming Culture – Beyond Games
By Bally Chohan
Social media is a part of gamification; the
social gaming market is worth billions already.
Consoles have infiltrated the mainstream.
‘Every new device ends up being a gaming device.’
Hacks of the Xbox Kinect have crossed over into many different mediums beyond
gaming, which will only continue given Microsoft have now released an official
software development kit :
Digital shadow puppetry. Invisibility. Quadrocopter radar. Shopping accessibility.
There are plenty of gamificiation creative executions, both brand-led and hackerled, taking place right now…
© Crayon 2010
www.ballychohan.com

6. Brands Using Gamification
By Bally Chohan
There are lots brand examples out there…
McDonalds
Toyota
Nike
VW
Coca-Cola
Heineken
Mini
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

7. Hackers Using Gamificiation?
By Bally Chohan
A clever Foursquare hack recently turned New York into
a giant game of Risk.
There are many new location-based technologies (here,
here and here) that have the potential to engage
people further.
Maybe we could create a location-based game in
London of Monopoly using Oyster card game
Chromorma and Foursquare?
© Crayon 2010
www.ballychohan.com

8. So what are game mechanics?
By Bally Chohan
There are different kinds of game mechanics that can
be introduced into marketing campaigns:
Achievements
Flowing Information
Combos
Countdowns
Levelling Up
Community Collaboration
There are lists here and here.
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

9. Do game mechanics make good games?
By Bally Chohan
Merely adding game mechanics to marketing campaigns does not make
good gamification.
All games are different so there aren’t necessarily mechanics that you
can apply to all games that will make them engaging. Winning badges
for everything doesn’t work.
The mechanics chosen need to come from how it feels to play. Games
that don’t focus on gameplay don’t work.
Designing good games should be based on the Four M’s of Game
Structure:
Mystery;
Mastery;
Membership;
Meaning. www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

10. Four M’s of Game Design - Mystery
By Bally Chohan
Mystery is all about exploration-based learning at the
beginning of a game. It involves learning about the game
environment, rules and goal via exploration challenges.
Mystery should compel us to play by asking – Where am I?
What’s the story? Why do I want to progress?
To gain a sense of Mystery games need:
1) A goal. 2) Rule. 3) Increasing difficulty. 4) Voluntary participation.
In short, Mystery is about creating new worlds for us to
discover; exploration; designing in flow and giving us the
initial urge to want to master the game.
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

11. Four M’s of Game Design - Mastery
By Bally Chohan
This is the step up from Mystery, once we’ve understood the
game world and want to continue to play and participate.
Mastery is about challenge-based learning through capturing
moments of attention, elongating them and repeating
interactions to strengthen involvement. The aim is to achieve
flow from matching skills to satisfaction.
Three techniques can make in-game challenges fun and
engaging:
1) Collecting Tasks. 2) Graduated hurdles and enemies. 3) Random rewarding.
The Mastery urge emerges when challenges are achievable
but an improvement of skill is needed. Mastery is never
totally out of reach.
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

12. Four M’s of Game Design - Membership
By Bally Chohan
This is where social media can fit in particularly well…
To understand Membership, it’s often useful to look at the
opposite: exclusion, alienation, being an outsider and how
the resulting feelings drive human behaviour.
Membership is largely about inclusivity and exclusivity as
well as defining the boundaries of identity in a given group.
The Mac and PC advertising that Apple used for a number of
years is an example of these boundaries – it creates vitriolic
feelings between members of the two groups.
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

13. Four M’s of Game Design - Meaning
By Bally Chohan
Meaning in game structure is derived from the goal of the
game, or what impact the game has beyond itself in the
player’s life. Different games have different meanings.
Some games are typified by being difficult. They require the
player to acquire acute skills and punish them for not doing
this – even the language can be punishing; ‘lives’ and ‘game
over’.
Casual games, which are becoming increasingly dominant
don’t require skills but rather time and often currency.
These games take their meaning from status.
Individuals must be able to derive meaning for
themselves from a game.
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010

14. Going Forward With Gamification…
By Bally Chohan
All good stories need a good dramatic structure,
in a beginning, middle and end.
Similarly good game design needs the Four M’s of
Mystery, Mastery, Membership and Meaning.
Using these structures to evaluate gamificiation
will increase levels of engagement in marketing
campaigns and will ultimately influence customer
behaviour.
www.ballychohan.com
© Crayon 2010