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Gamification Nation Podcast

Podcast 36: How to use a game as inspiration for your serious game and gamification design

Gamification Nation Podcast
Gamification Nation Podcast
How games inspire us in gamification?
We want to pick a game that you all know to illustrate how we work and how it inspires what we do.

I often tell our game designers that you can make any game into something that we can use either for learning, for HR, for recruitment, onboarding, marketing, lead generation, etc. Sometimes they frown their eyebrows at me to sort of say, "Well, that actually doesn't work." Or, "We don't know how that could work." Then we tease it out a little bit further. My thinking is always if there is some commonality in the game and in the business problem that we're trying to solve, then we have a chance that it could fit. If it appeals to the people that are in that organisation, then obviously we can look at how can that game applies. Or how can we take the game elements that work for that game and apply it to the processes that they have? Whether that's marketing, HR, sales, you name it. Whatever is a process in business we can add game elements to it.
Board games are social in nature
Let's pick on an example that you probably all know, the game of Monopoly. The game of Monopoly is a board game. By default, the game genre or the game type is social in nature. Why? Because people have to sit around a table to play it. It's not something that you do on your own. I mean, maybe some people can, maybe there are online versions that you can play on your own, typically against a bot which pretends to be another player.

Monopoly is a good example of a social setting game that can be quite complex and where you can have up to five or six people playing at the same time. Where could a board game be useful in the world of work? Well, actually any time where you have a conference, anytime where you have learning taking place in groups or even at leadership events where you want to address a specific, rather complex situation, board games can be very useful.

I would even argue that often board games trigger more conversation than let's say any digital type of game or digital type learning or even structured classroom learning. Because what you're basically asking people to do is apply their limited knowledge to solve a problem, AKA the game.
Games ask you to solve problems
What problem does Monopoly solve? Well, it basically gets you to think about the supply and demand of real estate, the supply and demand of your money, and how far it stretches.

It also makes you think about, "Okay. Strategically, which types of streets do I want? What kind of buildings can I afford to put on them? And how lucky am I in rolling the dice?" Because there is an element of luck attached to the Monopoly game as well.

Whatever game genre you pick, it needs to be fitting to your audience, but also fitting to the problem you're trying to solve.

If you want people to be able to access your game remotely, then obviously it needs to be in some shape or form digital or able to be posted to them.
Imagine how the losers feel and experience the game (as well as the winners)
In Monopoly, each player plays for themselves and plays against the other players and ultimately there is a winner and a whole bunch of losers at the end. Some of the losers will feel the pain as they go through the game. Some of the losers just have been playing all along but just didn't end up with all of the money in the end of the day.
To compete or to collaborate that is a purpose driven question
The thing to consider is what you wanted the game to do. Do you want it to be competitive? If you have competitive people, we often ask the question is that the best strategy for your game? Because often when you have really competitive spirits, then I would suggest look at a collaborative board game. If you want to make it a social event-related ... because you still want people to talk to each other after, you still want people to work together. And for a workplace setting, often collaboration is something that's desired by many employers that...
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