New Trends in Applying Game Design to Web 2.0 Startups
Posted October 2, 2008
Applying game mechanics to the design of your site can increase user activation, user engagement, session length, and retention. Amy Jo Kim shares her broad and deep knowledge in gaming to help you rethink your site design.
What is a game? It is a structured experience that has rules and goals … and it is fun!
Game mechanics can be applied to social software. Games tap into our primal response patterns. A concept known as schedules of reinforcement tells us that if you provide a stimulus (reward), you will get predictable response. Random positive feedback with random duration (think of a one-armed bandit in Vegas that can return no coins, two coins, or a lot of coins) is addictive. Such a mechanism keeps people coming back for more.
Games get us into a flow. When the user is under-challenged (the task is too easy), you are bored. If task is too hard, you become anxious. When your skill is matched to the challenge at hand, you become engrossed, engaged, and lost in time. Good software continually adjusts to changing levels of skill.
Game Mechanics are the systems and features that make games fun, compelling, and addictive. There are five fundamental mechanics in gaming that can be easily applied to your site:
1. Collecting: Show me your stuff! Fulfills our internal urge to complete a collection. (i.e. friends, articles, links, reviews)
2. Points: Brings out our competitive spirit. People can race on points. Points can comes in two forms:
a. System points: Given to you by the computer (i.e. When you level-up in Bejewelled)
b. Social points: Conferred by other people: Reviews and ratings. Other people have to do stuff for you to get points.
3. Feedback: Accelerates mastery and adds fun. Rockstar, for example, gives incredible feedback during and after a session. It is like a really great coach –it watches what you do and helps you get better.
4. Exchanges: A structured social interaction. It has the back-and-forth structure of a conversation that makes people feel comfortable.
5. Customization: Used to express individuality (i.e. character customization, custom YouTube channels).
