To anyone who knows me I do my best to avoid revealing myself as a gamer, but the truth is I am. I just don't want to be associated with the stereotypical fat, sweaty slob that comes to mind and I don't think many people do.
It is easy for me to get excited by the possibilities of gameification but my Mum is adamant that she will never play games. My Mum wouldn't even let me install Angry Birds on her phone when mine ran out of battery, despite promising to delete it before I gave it back to her. If I asked my Mum to pick up an Xbox control I might as well be asking her to surgically remove her own arm.
Having said that it is also apparent to me that my Mum is already playing games, sort of. As many blogs and articles have pointed out, the loyalty systems that brands have been employing for years are influenced by game mechanics. What more are credit card reward schemes and airline loyalty cards than simple games involving, points, levels and prizes?
When I read about the different ways some brands have introduced game mechanics it seems to me that the main source of influence comes from back in the day when games bleeped and you had to put coins in them. Don't get me wrong, as a gamer show me a leaderboard and entice me with a few points and I will do whatever you want.
Unfortunately my Mum isn't interested.
I am going to throw this out there, modern games are pretty good. I don't expect everyone to like Modern Warfare 2 but there are valuable lessons to learn from these blockbuster titles. When you boil them down they use the same mechanics as the credit card reward scheme and airline loyalty card, but blockbuster titles take standard game mechanics to the next level, excuse the pun. One of the games I play does this so well that I have been returning to play it consistently for the past eight years.
My Mum thinks there is something wrong with me.
The next level, mastery, if a game is too easy it is boring, if it is too hard it is frustrating. Offering choices allows for players to come up with strategies and a great game can never be mastered. Happy hour at the local has many game mechanics, go to the right place, at the right time, reward. Can you master going to the pub? Yes, most people already have. Integrating social, playing with my friends offers a multitude of advantages but the key one for me is that it provides context to rank myself. I am motivated because I want status. I don't really care what level I am told I am, or how many points I have, I want my friends to respect and acknowledge me as the best. At the moment the material reward is believed to be the key motivator but to truly differentiate a game needs to focus on the journey its players go through and the nontangible awards they earn themselves.
The problem is my Mum doesn't like games but she does participate in her credit card reward scheme. My opinion is that you don't need to tack on game mechanics onto the outside of your campaign you need to have them built on the inside. Great games influence behavior through motivating mastery and social integration. A great game doesn't need a scoreboard, it needs to motivate. This is why I have the utmost respect for the credit card reward scheme and airline loyalty cards that have invisibly got my Mum playing games. They just need to be a bit more fun.
Just ask, would my Mum want to play it?
Robert Bellamy
UM
The AdNews NGen blog: My Mum says she will never play games
4 October 2011