Gamification in business: definition and benefits

Popularized in the 2010s, gamification, which introduces game elements into certain aspects of work, is gaining ground and beginning to be used in various fields. Combating boredom at work, remotivating employees, and giving meaning back to one's work are just a few examples of the benefits of gamification. And if this concept works so well, it's because it appeals to needs inherent in human nature. Discover now the principles of gamification and how you can use these needs to design a customized gamification program for your employees.

What is gamification?

Gamification is a trend originating in the professional world that can be applied in several areas. It can be described very simply: it's the act of introducing game elements into processes that are not directly related to them, such as work or marketing.

The reasoning behind this approach is that play is a natural human behavior.

But why? What makes people want to play? According to Yu-kai Chou, a pioneer of gamification, games appeal to 8 essential human needs.

The 8 Elements Games Emphasize

1) Meaning: A player feels they are doing something significant, something that transcends their own abilities, and that they are doing it for a reason.

2) Development and Achievement: The intrinsic drive to progress, develop skills, and ultimately overcome challenges.

3) Empowerment: People not only need ways to express their creativity, but they also need to be able to observe the results, receive feedback, and then react to it.

4) Ownership: When a player feels responsible for something, they naturally want to improve what they have and possess it even more.

5) Social Influence: When you see a friend incredibly talented in a certain discipline or who possesses something extraordinary, you are motivated to reach the same level.

6) Scarcity: Desiring something because you cannot have it.

7) Unpredictability: If you don't know what's going to happen, your brain is engaged, and this often worries you.

8) Avoidance: Wanting to prevent a negative event from occurring.

What we're saying here is that while we're playing, the game itself appeals to what motivates us as human beings. Therefore, we enjoy the game and will naturally continue to play. Think about the last time you played a board game with your family or friends and lost. Would you say it was a waste of time or that you didn't enjoy it? Would you do it again? Of course, because unless you're a professional gamer (and even then, with a few exceptions), you did it because you enjoyed the activity itself and could continue playing it. In fact, some games don't even have a winning objective.

Gamification and Game Elements

So, how can we leverage these human needs?

Most often, you'll find that a company has gamified a process because it has one or more gamification elements: points, badges, and leaderboards. But simply having these elements isn't enough. In a real game, participants are compelled to be actively involved. The simplest framework relies on four elements to achieve this:

1) Objectives, which motivate us to reach or accomplish them.

2) Rules, which describe how to achieve the objective.

3) A challenge/conflict, which arises from the unique combination of the objective and the rules.

4) Feedback, to indicate how well we are succeeding or how close we are to the objective.

How can gamification be applied in businesses?

Well-designed gamification can be useful for engaging and motivating participants, changing behaviors, developing skills, or solving problems. In other words, because gamification impacts behavior, almost every department within a company can benefit from some degree of gamification. In sales and marketing, for example, it can be used to increase customer loyalty; in management, it can be used to make meetings more effective.

These are just a few examples, but if you're interested in using gamification to create change in your organization, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• What are my organization's objectives regarding the implementation of gamification?

• Who is the community for whom am I creating this game? Are they interested in this type of game?

• How will we reward participants? Are the rewards relevant?

• What is the organization's culture like? Are my employees open to this kind of dynamic?

By answering these questions, you'll have a much clearer idea of ​​the possibilities available to you for creating a game system in the sector you want to improve.

Conclusion

Games can be a very versatile and powerful tool when used correctly. Well-designed gamification programs can significantly improve results in many sectors by changing behavior within organizations. However, simply implementing a points system, badges, and scoreboards is not enough. A well-designed game program encourages participants to use rules and thus tap into their natural motivations. A thorough analysis of the community involved and the organization's objectives is necessary to create rules and scenarios that maintain each member's interest and ensure the project's success.