Total Engagement

Using ideas from Social Gaming in your business

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

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

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

Why Do People Play Social Games?

• Sense of Achievement• Immersion in their world• Exploration and learning• Competition with others• Socializing aspect

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…

Avatars

Avatars

• Takes advantage of human interaction principles already developed

• Advertise expertise• Increase engagement

Avatars

Narrative Context

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

Feedback at Multiple Levels and Increments

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

Reputation, Rank & Level

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”

Competition under Explicit and Enforced Rules

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

Teamwork

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

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