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Gamify
Organizations are facing an engagement crisis. Regardless if they are customers, employees, patients, students, citizens, stakeholders, organizations struggle to meaningfully engage their key constituent groups who have a precious and limited resource: their time. Not surprisingly, these stakeholders have developed deflector shields to protect themselves. Only a privileged few organizations are allowed to penetrate the shield, and even less will meaningfully engage. To penetrate the shield, and engage the audience, organizations need an edge.
Gamification has emerged as a way to gain that edge and organizations are beginning to see it as a key tool in their digital engagement strategy. While gamification has tremendous potential to break through, most companies will get it wrong. Gartner predicts that by 2014, 80% of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives primarily due to poor design. As a trend, gamification is at the peak of the hype cycle; it has been oversold and it is broadly misunderstood. We are heading for the inevitable fall. Too many organizations have been led to believe that gamification is a magic elixir for indoctrinating the masses and manipulating them to do their bidding. These organizations are mistaking people for puppets, and these transparently cynical efforts are doomed to fail.
This book goes beyond the hype and focuses on the 20% that are getting it right. We have spoken to hundreds of leaders in organizations around the world about their gamification strategies and we have seen some spectacular successes. The book examines some of these successes and identifies the common characteristics of these initiatives to define the solution space for success. It is a guide written for leaders of gamification initiatives to help them avoid the pitfalls and employ the best practices, to ensure they join the 20% that gets it right.
Gamify shows gamification in action: as a powerful approach to engaging and motivating people to achieving their goals, while at the same time achieving organizational objectives. It can be used to motivate people to change behaviors, develop skills, and drive innovation. The sweet spot for gamification objectives is the space where the business objectives and player objectives are aligned. Like two sides of the same coin, player and business goals may outwardly appear different, but they are often the same thing, expressed different ways. The key to gamification success is to engage people on an emotional level and motivating them to achieve their goals.
Gamification has emerged as a way to gain that edge and organizations are beginning to see it as a key tool in their digital engagement strategy. While gamification has tremendous potential to break through, most companies will get it wrong. Gartner predicts that by 2014, 80% of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives primarily due to poor design. As a trend, gamification is at the peak of the hype cycle; it has been oversold and it is broadly misunderstood. We are heading for the inevitable fall. Too many organizations have been led to believe that gamification is a magic elixir for indoctrinating the masses and manipulating them to do their bidding. These organizations are mistaking people for puppets, and these transparently cynical efforts are doomed to fail.
This book goes beyond the hype and focuses on the 20% that are getting it right. We have spoken to hundreds of leaders in organizations around the world about their gamification strategies and we have seen some spectacular successes. The book examines some of these successes and identifies the common characteristics of these initiatives to define the solution space for success. It is a guide written for leaders of gamification initiatives to help them avoid the pitfalls and employ the best practices, to ensure they join the 20% that gets it right.
Gamify shows gamification in action: as a powerful approach to engaging and motivating people to achieving their goals, while at the same time achieving organizational objectives. It can be used to motivate people to change behaviors, develop skills, and drive innovation. The sweet spot for gamification objectives is the space where the business objectives and player objectives are aligned. Like two sides of the same coin, player and business goals may outwardly appear different, but they are often the same thing, expressed different ways. The key to gamification success is to engage people on an emotional level and motivating them to achieve their goals.
162 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2014
77 people are currently reading
1200 people want to read
About the author
Brian Burke
1 book10 followersBrian Burke is a Research Vice President at Gartner, covering enterprise architecture for the past 15 years. For the past three years, he has been leading research on the emerging gamification trend. As an expert in enterprise architecture, he has worked for decades on understanding disruptive technology trends and their implications for business. He currently leads research in business outcome-driven enterprise architecture, and his groundbreaking work in the development of federated architectures has been implemented in hundreds of organizations in both the public and private sectors. He is also a prominent researcher and speaker in the areas of gamification, enterprise architecture, innovation management and IT strategy. He has been published and interviewed in Wall Street Journal, BBC, USA Today, Financial Times, Inc, The Guardian, Forbes Online.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 29, 2014
If this book had been “Gamification: You're Doing it Wrong!” it could have been excellent. Burke does a great job of providing a catalogue of mistakes organisations regularly make in adding gamification to their products or services, and in distilling key reasons such processes regularly fail:
• Thinking gamification is about fun. (“Fun is the primary currency of games. Things are the primary currency of rewards programs. Self-esteem and social capital are the primary rewards of gamified solutions.”)
• Failing to distinguish between emotional engagement and transactional engagement. (“Games primarily engage players on a whimsical level to entertain them. Rewards programs primarily engage players on a transactional level to compensate them. Gamification engages players on an emotional level to motivate them.”)
• Trying to motivate people to achieve your organisational goals, rather their personal ones. (“Don’t mistake business goals for player goals. The organization’s goals are a by-product. If the player’s goals are aligned with the organization’s goals, then the organizational goals will be achieved as a consequence of the player achieving her goals.”)
But when it comes to showing examples of doing it well, the book falls short. (Deciding whether that's down to poor writing or an undersupply of good examples to write about can be left as an exercise for the reader...) And so we're given a supply of seeming success stories, but where the gamification aspect actually has very little to do with it — such as Khan Academy, where almost all the key positives listed are to do with the core structure of their teaching approach, rather than the later addition of "energy points" and badges), or Barclaycard Ring, where the implementation of a customer-chosen late-fee policy has less to do with any gamification elements than simply seeking customer input to the process.
Similarly, the extended fictionalised walk-through of a player-centric design process was largely uncompelling — though it does provide a handy chart of the key continuum-based parameters that should be carefully considered for each approach:
The book ends with the author's vision of what effects gamification might have during the remainder of the decade — including in public policy, giving examples in participatory budgeting and Citizens Initiative lawmaking.
Again, however, the author seems to be over-enthusiastic in conflating the concepts:
I'm all for meaningful, engaged, participation. And gamification might indeed be one way to achieve that. But not all such participation is gamification, and the case for making gamification a key component of government is far from made.
• Thinking gamification is about fun. (“Fun is the primary currency of games. Things are the primary currency of rewards programs. Self-esteem and social capital are the primary rewards of gamified solutions.”)
• Failing to distinguish between emotional engagement and transactional engagement. (“Games primarily engage players on a whimsical level to entertain them. Rewards programs primarily engage players on a transactional level to compensate them. Gamification engages players on an emotional level to motivate them.”)
• Trying to motivate people to achieve your organisational goals, rather their personal ones. (“Don’t mistake business goals for player goals. The organization’s goals are a by-product. If the player’s goals are aligned with the organization’s goals, then the organizational goals will be achieved as a consequence of the player achieving her goals.”)
But when it comes to showing examples of doing it well, the book falls short. (Deciding whether that's down to poor writing or an undersupply of good examples to write about can be left as an exercise for the reader...) And so we're given a supply of seeming success stories, but where the gamification aspect actually has very little to do with it — such as Khan Academy, where almost all the key positives listed are to do with the core structure of their teaching approach, rather than the later addition of "energy points" and badges), or Barclaycard Ring, where the implementation of a customer-chosen late-fee policy has less to do with any gamification elements than simply seeking customer input to the process.
Similarly, the extended fictionalised walk-through of a player-centric design process was largely uncompelling — though it does provide a handy chart of the key continuum-based parameters that should be carefully considered for each approach:
The book ends with the author's vision of what effects gamification might have during the remainder of the decade — including in public policy, giving examples in participatory budgeting and Citizens Initiative lawmaking.
Again, however, the author seems to be over-enthusiastic in conflating the concepts:
Recently, government have been devolving some of the decision-making power to the people they represent. The moves are small ... and it is moving in the right direction, but more can be done. Governments still maintain full control over citizen participation. Public servants need to recognize that it’s not their government. The role of government must be to facilitate the development of public policy by the stakeholders and citizens. This is where gamification can play a role in addressing wicked problems. Rather than having government design policy solutions to wicked problems, it needs to design gamified solutions that will enable policy development by the stakeholders and citizens. Only then will collaborative solutions for wicked problems emerge with the broad support of stakeholders and citizens, thus ensuring that public support is in place for politicians to risk supporting legislative change.
I'm all for meaningful, engaged, participation. And gamification might indeed be one way to achieve that. But not all such participation is gamification, and the case for making gamification a key component of government is far from made.
November 15, 2017
فلسفی به موضوع گیمیفیکشن نگاه کرده. نویسنده تو یه شرکت مشاورهای بسی معروف کار میکنه و برا همین چالشها و اشتباهات رایج تو فهم گیمیفیکشن رو میدونه چیا هستند.
من حس کردم نویسنده خسته شده از بس مشتریا نمیدونستن گیمیفیکشن چیه و اومده یه کتاب خلاصه نوشته که پایهای باشه برای گسترش درست و فهم مفید گیمیفیکشن.
خوندن کتاب چون باعث میشه اشتباهات رایج رو انجام ندیم و در دام اسم گولزنندهی گیمیفیکشن نیفتیم (چون گیم به قول نویسنده مربوط به فاناه، اما گیمیفیکشن مربوط به انگیزهس)، توصیه میشه.
من حس کردم نویسنده خسته شده از بس مشتریا نمیدونستن گیمیفیکشن چیه و اومده یه کتاب خلاصه نوشته که پایهای باشه برای گسترش درست و فهم مفید گیمیفیکشن.
خوندن کتاب چون باعث میشه اشتباهات رایج رو انجام ندیم و در دام اسم گولزنندهی گیمیفیکشن نیفتیم (چون گیم به قول نویسنده مربوط به فاناه، اما گیمیفیکشن مربوط به انگیزهس)، توصیه میشه.
September 7, 2017
يقدم الكتاب منهجية لبناء
Gamification
في بيئة عملك أو مشروعك.
الكتب الأخرى التي قرأتها كانت تقدم نصائح وطرق لبناء
Gamification
يتفوق عليها هذا الكتاب بتقديم منهجية لبناء ذلك
يعيب عليه أن المنهجية تم تقديمها بين السطور، وبذلك سيعاني الشخص إن إراد المراجعة أو الوصول السريع إلى خطوات هذه المنهجية
Gamification
في بيئة عملك أو مشروعك.
الكتب الأخرى التي قرأتها كانت تقدم نصائح وطرق لبناء
Gamification
يتفوق عليها هذا الكتاب بتقديم منهجية لبناء ذلك
يعيب عليه أن المنهجية تم تقديمها بين السطور، وبذلك سيعاني الشخص إن إراد المراجعة أو الوصول السريع إلى خطوات هذه المنهجية
July 19, 2020
The book is a spin off of a Drive's intrinsic motivation book a few years earlier. I'm working on a gamified reading application and I came to this book hoping to enhance some of the features. That attempt ended in unsatisfactory. The book starts off gamification examples of badges, leaderboard, and points. The book never progresses that much further than those few examples of gamification.
Some of the things I learned:
- You cant make people do the things they don't want to do with gamification
- Badges have to be meaningful to them (Google News badge failed because no one cares)
- Point card reward program is different from gamification (the former relies on external motivation)
Overall, his analysis of why people care about collecting badges seemed weak. The book would have left a larger mark in my brain if he did more research into the psychology literature. We could have known what part of Foursquare made us care about becoming the mayor. Or an attempt to compare two social networks that succeeded and failed in gamification would have made the book more practically useful.
Also, the book felt stretched with irrelevant business concepts like you should listen to customers well. Have empathy. Work collaboratively across teams. That applies to any of the concepts like those innovation books. That mix of those generics annoyed me slightly.
Some of the things I learned:
- You cant make people do the things they don't want to do with gamification
- Badges have to be meaningful to them (Google News badge failed because no one cares)
- Point card reward program is different from gamification (the former relies on external motivation)
Overall, his analysis of why people care about collecting badges seemed weak. The book would have left a larger mark in my brain if he did more research into the psychology literature. We could have known what part of Foursquare made us care about becoming the mayor. Or an attempt to compare two social networks that succeeded and failed in gamification would have made the book more practically useful.
Also, the book felt stretched with irrelevant business concepts like you should listen to customers well. Have empathy. Work collaboratively across teams. That applies to any of the concepts like those innovation books. That mix of those generics annoyed me slightly.
July 14, 2023
Așteptarea pe care am avut-o după citirea titlului a fost că această carte va explora în detaliu gamificarea și modul cum aceasta motivează oamenii. Însă așteptarea a fost satisfăcută numai parțial, iar accentul a fost pus mai mult pe partea pragmatică de cum se poate implementa gamificarea ca soluție în lumea afacerilor.
Autorul a punctat câteva idei importante legate de miturile și ideile preconcepute pe care majoritatea oamenilor le au vis-a-vis de gamificare: nu există semn de egalitate între gamificare și jocurile video, nici între aceasta și sistemele de recompense folosite de diferite organizații pentru a-și atinge propriile interese, iar gamificarea nu se poate reduce numai la un sistem de insigne, puncte și clasamente. Gamificarea este, mai degrabă, un sistem care ajută oamenii să își atingă scopurile personale folosing recompense intrinseci bazate pe știința motivației. Conform autorului, gamificarea poate fi folosită pentru a obține trei lucruri: a învăța noi aptitudini, a schimba comportamente și a impulsiona inovația.
Datorită cărții am învățat câteva lucruri noi, pe care în entuziasmul meu inițial legat de gamificare le-aș fi omis. Mi-a plăcut și viziunea pe care autorul a avut-o legat de anul 2020 (cartea a fost scrisă în 2014): a identificat în mod corect trendurile tehnologice care ghidează acest deceniu, dar a idealizat măsura în care ele au fost implementate și în care impactează viața de zi cu zi.
Cu toate că stilul autorului a fost de a se concentra mai mult pe partea pragmatică a lucrurilor, ceea ce a făcut ca pentru mine lectura să fie adesea plictisitoare, autorul a oferit o privire clară și bine argumentată asupra gamificării.
Autorul a punctat câteva idei importante legate de miturile și ideile preconcepute pe care majoritatea oamenilor le au vis-a-vis de gamificare: nu există semn de egalitate între gamificare și jocurile video, nici între aceasta și sistemele de recompense folosite de diferite organizații pentru a-și atinge propriile interese, iar gamificarea nu se poate reduce numai la un sistem de insigne, puncte și clasamente. Gamificarea este, mai degrabă, un sistem care ajută oamenii să își atingă scopurile personale folosing recompense intrinseci bazate pe știința motivației. Conform autorului, gamificarea poate fi folosită pentru a obține trei lucruri: a învăța noi aptitudini, a schimba comportamente și a impulsiona inovația.
Datorită cărții am învățat câteva lucruri noi, pe care în entuziasmul meu inițial legat de gamificare le-aș fi omis. Mi-a plăcut și viziunea pe care autorul a avut-o legat de anul 2020 (cartea a fost scrisă în 2014): a identificat în mod corect trendurile tehnologice care ghidează acest deceniu, dar a idealizat măsura în care ele au fost implementate și în care impactează viața de zi cu zi.
Cu toate că stilul autorului a fost de a se concentra mai mult pe partea pragmatică a lucrurilor, ceea ce a făcut ca pentru mine lectura să fie adesea plictisitoare, autorul a oferit o privire clară și bine argumentată asupra gamificării.
December 9, 2021
هذا الكتاب يحاول يفهم (مثل ما هو واضح في العنوان) كيف ممكن إضافة "لمسات" لطريقة إنهائك لمشروع معين تحول خطتك العامة إلى لعبة فيها أهداف وجوائز ونقاط خبرة.. إلخ
فيه أمثلة كثيرة عن شركات نجحت في هذا الشيء وطبقته بشكل يومي والنتيجة ملايين من الدولارات في الأرباح ناهيك عن بعض التجارب الي يذكرها الكاتب..
كتاب ممتع ومثير جدا للإهتمام
فيه أمثلة كثيرة عن شركات نجحت في هذا الشيء وطبقته بشكل يومي والنتيجة ملايين من الدولارات في الأرباح ناهيك عن بعض التجارب الي يذكرها الكاتب..
كتاب ممتع ومثير جدا للإهتمام
May 1, 2014
An interesting look at gamification and the impact it can have in business and other areas.
According to Wikipedia, "gamification" is defined as "the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems". This book explores "gamification" and how it be used in different contexts to change behavior, develop skills, and drive innovation.
As a former game designer, someone who enjoys business books, and someone who loves to explore how ideas and principles from one field can be applied in another, I was really looking forward to this book as it combines a several of my interests. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed by this book.
My main issue with this book is that while it starts with a fairly broad definition of gamification ("the use of game mechanics and experience design to digitally engage and motivate people to achieve their goals"), the examples it focuses on seem far more narrow in scope. It also puts a big emphasis on "points, badges, and leaderboards" as the main types of game mechanics used in gamified approaches, and very few (if any) other types of game mechanics are discussed or described.
I also expected more discussion or reference to "serious games" and the application of gamification in training and instructional design. While the book does include references to these, it felt to me like it was only skimming the surface. I also expected more references to other works focused on the application of game design in non-game related fields. I was particularly surprised that the book made no mention of Jane McGonigal's "Reality is Broken", a book focused on the idea that "games make us better" and "can change the world". While not specifically about gamification, several of the examples in McGonigal's book are near exact parallels to examples in this book.
That said, there is plenty in this book of value to those interested in learning about gamification and how it can be applied in their business or area of interest. The chapters focused on "Player-Centric Design" and "Designing a Gamified Solution" were my favorites, as they provided a good (if not especially inspired) model for the design and develop of a gamified solution.
I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to get an introduction to gamification and some of its applications.
Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book as part of the "First Reads" program on GoodReads.
According to Wikipedia, "gamification" is defined as "the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems". This book explores "gamification" and how it be used in different contexts to change behavior, develop skills, and drive innovation.
As a former game designer, someone who enjoys business books, and someone who loves to explore how ideas and principles from one field can be applied in another, I was really looking forward to this book as it combines a several of my interests. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed by this book.
My main issue with this book is that while it starts with a fairly broad definition of gamification ("the use of game mechanics and experience design to digitally engage and motivate people to achieve their goals"), the examples it focuses on seem far more narrow in scope. It also puts a big emphasis on "points, badges, and leaderboards" as the main types of game mechanics used in gamified approaches, and very few (if any) other types of game mechanics are discussed or described.
I also expected more discussion or reference to "serious games" and the application of gamification in training and instructional design. While the book does include references to these, it felt to me like it was only skimming the surface. I also expected more references to other works focused on the application of game design in non-game related fields. I was particularly surprised that the book made no mention of Jane McGonigal's "Reality is Broken", a book focused on the idea that "games make us better" and "can change the world". While not specifically about gamification, several of the examples in McGonigal's book are near exact parallels to examples in this book.
That said, there is plenty in this book of value to those interested in learning about gamification and how it can be applied in their business or area of interest. The chapters focused on "Player-Centric Design" and "Designing a Gamified Solution" were my favorites, as they provided a good (if not especially inspired) model for the design and develop of a gamified solution.
I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to get an introduction to gamification and some of its applications.
Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book as part of the "First Reads" program on GoodReads.
July 9, 2020
I listened to the audio book and it's interesting. If you have ever owned a Fitbit, use Strava, or Nike Plus, or are collecting Traihead badges on SFDC then you are familiar with Gamification which is different than a video game or gaming. The author, Brian Burke, does a great job of explaining the differences throughout the book.
The opening story about the self-made ski pin for climbing 50,000 vertical feet is a great opening and sets the theme of the book and why gamification works on the human brain.
I participate in gamification with Strave and SFDC and find it highly motivating to collect badges. Now if only insurance companies could integrate with Strava or Nike Plus they may get more participation in their gamification programs to promote personal health to reduce costs though maybe not because who wants to share more information than necessary with your health insurance provider?
I found interesting that the end of this book talked about the future and status of gamification in the year 2020 which is this year and Burke believes it will be on the decline. I'm not certain I agree with this assessment as I believe it is alive and well and will continue to grow. What do you my audience think?
I definitely recommend this book.
The opening story about the self-made ski pin for climbing 50,000 vertical feet is a great opening and sets the theme of the book and why gamification works on the human brain.
I participate in gamification with Strave and SFDC and find it highly motivating to collect badges. Now if only insurance companies could integrate with Strava or Nike Plus they may get more participation in their gamification programs to promote personal health to reduce costs though maybe not because who wants to share more information than necessary with your health insurance provider?
I found interesting that the end of this book talked about the future and status of gamification in the year 2020 which is this year and Burke believes it will be on the decline. I'm not certain I agree with this assessment as I believe it is alive and well and will continue to grow. What do you my audience think?
I definitely recommend this book.
November 19, 2018
As a researcher of gamification reading a non-academic book on gamification, i was surprised that this book is pretty rounded. It does simplify core concepts in gamification but it does not oversimplify them. Most importantly, it does not have a superficial understanding of gamification as just sugar-coating some system with points and badges. The book gives many examples to showcase different gamification implementations and they were interesting to read. The one drawback, if we can call it that, is that, at least to me as a researcher in this field, the book provides unnecessarily lengthy, repetitive discussions that it feels that the book could have been shorter and more effective. it made me get bored sometimes and put it down to get back to it later after a few months. But I will attribute this effect mainly to my familiarity of the concepts the book is discussing more than to a fault of the book itself.
March 15, 2022
Es una excelente opción para que te enteres de que si es y que no es la Gamificación. Lo recomiendo mucho si estas tratando de utilizar este trend de alguna manera.
February 26, 2019
Summary:
Reading as an educator, it’s important to note that this is not an education book. The concepts and themes are certainly applicable but it focuses on something much bigger than that. Something that employers, parents, coaches, presidents, and teachers all ask about; How do people get motivated? “At its core, gamification is about engaging people on an emotional level and motivating them to achieve their goals.” (Burke, p.16, 2014).
That’s what the book is about. Understanding engagement and motivation and how it relates to human drive. The book is broken down into 2 different sections. The first explains what gamification is and what it can do. The second part explains how gamification can be successfully executed.
Gamification is the process of setting up systems (game mechanics include concepts like entertainment and compensation) to boost engagement in some form. Burke explains that intrinsic motivation and working towards goals with purpose is what gamification is all about. Burke also explains that, although big-purpose oriented, gamification allows tasks to be chunked into reasonable portions or tasks.
Burke describes gamification as a great way to develop a connection and bring comradery to an organization. It can create competition while developing individual skills. Again, it’s big-purpose oriented so it’s a great way to bring about innovative ideas and new ways of looking at old problems. “Gamification benefits innovation by engaging the crowd in idea-generation and development activities” (Burke, p. 85. 2014).
The second part of the book was very practical. Burke focuses on ways to create a system that works for your organization but avoids being petty, patronizing, or pretentious. Chapter 8 specifically touched on the pitfalls of gamification. Burke explains that companies may fail at gamified solutions when organization outcomes are unclear. He also mentions that organizations run into problems when the solution is really just about the organization and not the player. He further develops that failure can occur when the solution focuses only on extrinsic motivation never reaching down into intrinsic motivation.
Critique:
In my opinion, Burke does a great job of simplifying gamification. He hits major key understandings in a practical and straightforward way. He spends a good amount of time in each chapter being realistic. He isn’t simply trying to sell his tactic but rather works to develop an understanding of gamification concepts to allow the reader to decide if it’s a practical solution.
Burke’s book is chock-full of examples of organizations employing gamification strategies. Although helpful in making points and describing different settings, I could have done with fewer scenarios. This is certainly a preferential critique due to the type of reader that I am.
As an educator, I would have liked to see more educational settings being examined for gamification strategies. I know many schools and districts are utilizing gaming concepts and I would have liked to see that as a part of the book’s conversation. All in all, the book was an informative and interesting read that I found easy to apply.
Author’s Qualifications:
Brian Burke is highly qualified in leading the conversation about gamification. He is a renowned business strategist and leading innovator. He is known for creating enterprise architecture and has influenced hundreds of organization over a wide spectrum of industries. He is well published and vocal in this emergent field. Burke’s book shares a wealth of knowledge that he has clearly digested and applied over his years of experience.
In conclusion, it was a wonderful read, on a clever and powerful strategy that shapes the way we look at a business, politics, or, especially pertinent to me, education.
Reading as an educator, it’s important to note that this is not an education book. The concepts and themes are certainly applicable but it focuses on something much bigger than that. Something that employers, parents, coaches, presidents, and teachers all ask about; How do people get motivated? “At its core, gamification is about engaging people on an emotional level and motivating them to achieve their goals.” (Burke, p.16, 2014).
That’s what the book is about. Understanding engagement and motivation and how it relates to human drive. The book is broken down into 2 different sections. The first explains what gamification is and what it can do. The second part explains how gamification can be successfully executed.
Gamification is the process of setting up systems (game mechanics include concepts like entertainment and compensation) to boost engagement in some form. Burke explains that intrinsic motivation and working towards goals with purpose is what gamification is all about. Burke also explains that, although big-purpose oriented, gamification allows tasks to be chunked into reasonable portions or tasks.
Burke describes gamification as a great way to develop a connection and bring comradery to an organization. It can create competition while developing individual skills. Again, it’s big-purpose oriented so it’s a great way to bring about innovative ideas and new ways of looking at old problems. “Gamification benefits innovation by engaging the crowd in idea-generation and development activities” (Burke, p. 85. 2014).
The second part of the book was very practical. Burke focuses on ways to create a system that works for your organization but avoids being petty, patronizing, or pretentious. Chapter 8 specifically touched on the pitfalls of gamification. Burke explains that companies may fail at gamified solutions when organization outcomes are unclear. He also mentions that organizations run into problems when the solution is really just about the organization and not the player. He further develops that failure can occur when the solution focuses only on extrinsic motivation never reaching down into intrinsic motivation.
Critique:
In my opinion, Burke does a great job of simplifying gamification. He hits major key understandings in a practical and straightforward way. He spends a good amount of time in each chapter being realistic. He isn’t simply trying to sell his tactic but rather works to develop an understanding of gamification concepts to allow the reader to decide if it’s a practical solution.
Burke’s book is chock-full of examples of organizations employing gamification strategies. Although helpful in making points and describing different settings, I could have done with fewer scenarios. This is certainly a preferential critique due to the type of reader that I am.
As an educator, I would have liked to see more educational settings being examined for gamification strategies. I know many schools and districts are utilizing gaming concepts and I would have liked to see that as a part of the book’s conversation. All in all, the book was an informative and interesting read that I found easy to apply.
Author’s Qualifications:
Brian Burke is highly qualified in leading the conversation about gamification. He is a renowned business strategist and leading innovator. He is known for creating enterprise architecture and has influenced hundreds of organization over a wide spectrum of industries. He is well published and vocal in this emergent field. Burke’s book shares a wealth of knowledge that he has clearly digested and applied over his years of experience. In conclusion, it was a wonderful read, on a clever and powerful strategy that shapes the way we look at a business, politics, or, especially pertinent to me, education.
November 22, 2022
Book of the Day – Gamify
Today’s Book of the Day is GAMIFY: HOW GAMIFICATION MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS, written by BRIAN BURKE and published in 2014 by Routledge,
Brian Burke is an international expert in enterprise architecture at Gartner, where he developed research in fields like gamification, innovation management, and IT strategy.
I have re-read this book in the last few days as I am designing a gamification proposal.
This book is one of the must-reads in this field as it not just presents the theory but it also shows some clear examples of how to apply this theory to concrete situations.
Today, many companies are struggling in keeping their employees and managers engaged and motivated.
After the pandemic, this struggle has become even more tangible, as working from home has given back people one of the most valuable assets, their precious time. Almost everyone has reclaimed the right to a meaningful job, a decent work-life balance, and time to foster self-growth.
Gamification has been one of the most used tools that companies and organizations used in the last years to grow their digital engagement success. Yet, even if gamification can be extremely effective, it’s also incredibly easy to make it wrong, due to poor design and misunderstanding of its goals, strengths, and weaknesses.
Too many companies have believed that gamification was a sort of magic wand that would have delivered committed, hard-working employees with just little effort from the management in providing the tool.
GAMIFY shows how to correctly design, develop, deploy, and improve gamification projects in real-life scenarios. The book clearly demonstrates how good design, smart development, and a deep understanding of the goals of gamification strategies can give in return engaged and motivated people who will commit to achieving both their own purpose and the business goals.
The key, according to the author, is to understand that motivation is internal, and it cannot be forced from the outside, from the managers. Motivation, when it comes from the individual, helps to change negative behaviors, develop new skills, and foster growth.
The goal of every gamification strategy is to align the business objectives with the goals and purposes of the users of the project.
This book should be on every manager’s desk, as a perennial reminder that employees, as well as managers themselves, cannot be forced into doing things. Motivation must be nurtured by every single person and then brought into one’s personal and professional life.
Burke has shown, once and for all, that gamification, to succeed, should be made by experts who understand the complexity of the project and design the solution with humanity and purpose.
So, if you too are serious about gamification, get a copy of this book and enjoy it!
Today’s Book of the Day is GAMIFY: HOW GAMIFICATION MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS, written by BRIAN BURKE and published in 2014 by Routledge,
Brian Burke is an international expert in enterprise architecture at Gartner, where he developed research in fields like gamification, innovation management, and IT strategy.
I have re-read this book in the last few days as I am designing a gamification proposal.
This book is one of the must-reads in this field as it not just presents the theory but it also shows some clear examples of how to apply this theory to concrete situations.
Today, many companies are struggling in keeping their employees and managers engaged and motivated.
After the pandemic, this struggle has become even more tangible, as working from home has given back people one of the most valuable assets, their precious time. Almost everyone has reclaimed the right to a meaningful job, a decent work-life balance, and time to foster self-growth.
Gamification has been one of the most used tools that companies and organizations used in the last years to grow their digital engagement success. Yet, even if gamification can be extremely effective, it’s also incredibly easy to make it wrong, due to poor design and misunderstanding of its goals, strengths, and weaknesses.
Too many companies have believed that gamification was a sort of magic wand that would have delivered committed, hard-working employees with just little effort from the management in providing the tool.
GAMIFY shows how to correctly design, develop, deploy, and improve gamification projects in real-life scenarios. The book clearly demonstrates how good design, smart development, and a deep understanding of the goals of gamification strategies can give in return engaged and motivated people who will commit to achieving both their own purpose and the business goals.
The key, according to the author, is to understand that motivation is internal, and it cannot be forced from the outside, from the managers. Motivation, when it comes from the individual, helps to change negative behaviors, develop new skills, and foster growth.
The goal of every gamification strategy is to align the business objectives with the goals and purposes of the users of the project.
This book should be on every manager’s desk, as a perennial reminder that employees, as well as managers themselves, cannot be forced into doing things. Motivation must be nurtured by every single person and then brought into one’s personal and professional life.
Burke has shown, once and for all, that gamification, to succeed, should be made by experts who understand the complexity of the project and design the solution with humanity and purpose.
So, if you too are serious about gamification, get a copy of this book and enjoy it!
January 3, 2023
This was not a fave of mine - Burke tries to describe the principles of gamification and suggest strategies for implementing gamification at one's organisation, but this book really smacks of an analyst/ consultant who isn't super intimately involved in the actual process.
For example, Burke defines gamification as specifically being a technique that engages people on an emotional level and motivates them to achieve their own goals, not organisational goals. He says those who define gamification as incorporating game-like elements to their objectives have the definition wrong. This doesn't sit well with me - just because you want a definition to be something else doesn't mean that's the commonsense definition of it. Instead, he should be suggesting that GOOD gamification plays off an individual's own goals.
Additionally, a lot of examples used in this book are kind of iffy and uncompelling. For example, he mentions that a company implemented principles of gamification into their training and compliance videos and that employees loved it 'because they answered correctly on 98% of questions', which shows they're engaged. As someone who's had to do compliance training in a corporate environment, I can tell you that there was absolutely zero engagement from staff into this training - it was done because it was mandatory, and everyone had high scores because it was dead easy. Burke makes the mistake of saying that high scores mean that there's high engagement, and this just feels lazy.
There's a bit of good content in this book around iterative design and getting MVPs out, but it was overshadowed by a lot of irksome consulting talk that felt shallow.
For example, Burke defines gamification as specifically being a technique that engages people on an emotional level and motivates them to achieve their own goals, not organisational goals. He says those who define gamification as incorporating game-like elements to their objectives have the definition wrong. This doesn't sit well with me - just because you want a definition to be something else doesn't mean that's the commonsense definition of it. Instead, he should be suggesting that GOOD gamification plays off an individual's own goals.
Additionally, a lot of examples used in this book are kind of iffy and uncompelling. For example, he mentions that a company implemented principles of gamification into their training and compliance videos and that employees loved it 'because they answered correctly on 98% of questions', which shows they're engaged. As someone who's had to do compliance training in a corporate environment, I can tell you that there was absolutely zero engagement from staff into this training - it was done because it was mandatory, and everyone had high scores because it was dead easy. Burke makes the mistake of saying that high scores mean that there's high engagement, and this just feels lazy.
There's a bit of good content in this book around iterative design and getting MVPs out, but it was overshadowed by a lot of irksome consulting talk that felt shallow.
July 7, 2020
Gamify presents a good perspective on gamification. Burke breaks down a group of advice and experiences that support and guide the tasks of a gamifier. The zone where explain the design of the gamified activities is good, short but concise, in other words, direct to the point. This is the best book feature. When you begin the reading, you will not stop.
Finally, it is a book that evidence of the author´s faith in human beings.
---
Gamify presenta una buena perspectiva sobre la gamificación. Burke desglosa un grupo de consejos y experiences que soportan y guían la tarea de un gamificador. La zona donde explica el diseño de las actividades gamificadas es buena, corta pero concisa, en otras palabras, directo al punto. Esto es lo mejor característica del libro. Cuando usted comienza la lectura, no podrá parar.
Finalmente, este es un libro que entre líneas evidencia la fe del autor en los seres humanos.
Finally, it is a book that evidence of the author´s faith in human beings.
---
Gamify presenta una buena perspectiva sobre la gamificación. Burke desglosa un grupo de consejos y experiences que soportan y guían la tarea de un gamificador. La zona donde explica el diseño de las actividades gamificadas es buena, corta pero concisa, en otras palabras, directo al punto. Esto es lo mejor característica del libro. Cuando usted comienza la lectura, no podrá parar.
Finalmente, este es un libro que entre líneas evidencia la fe del autor en los seres humanos.
November 18, 2016
Gamify is a non-fiction work written by Brian Burke, who is an expert in enterprise architecture and research. Burke serves as the Vice President for Gartner, Inc., where he has been for over 15 years. Gartner is a company that provides global technology insights to IT and business leaders. Burke has lead research on the gamification trend since 2010 and has a rich background in technology and strategy. Gamify is his only book to date, however, he has contributed to interviews and publications in the Wall Street Journal, BBC, USA Today, Financial Times, Inc., The Guardian, and Forbes Online. The book jacket offers praise from four fellow authors and leading experts in gamification.
Burke provides an excellent introduction reminiscing on earning a priceless ski badge in his youth. This relatable experience immediately engages the reader emotionally and reminds them to recall moments they have been motivated with tokens of achievement. The introduction continues and covers the author’s background in gamification, new and upcoming trends, who’s getting it right, and how organizations can be successful. Burke explains how the book is organized and divided into two parts. The first part discusses the concepts of gamification, and how and when it is appropriate to use. The second part walks through the design and launch of a gamified solution, which Burke refers to as the “player experience process”.
Part one focuses on how to motivate players by giving them meaning, changing behaviors, developing skills and driving innovation through gamification. Burke discusses how emotional engagement, intrinsic rewards, and goal alignment help drive much of this motivation. He gives a description and background story of an iPhone app called “Pain Squad” that is created and used by the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Through detailed examples, he ties the children’s positive experiences using the app, as well as the statistical information it provides to his concept of motivation. Burke continues by explaining the differences between games, gamification and rewards programs. He differentiates gamification as having the ability to change behaviors and develop skills through access to information in a collaborative and geographically diverse environment (Burke, 2014, p.27). This allows organizations to leverage wisdom from a crowd and gain a richer perspective. Burke reminds the reader that this wisdom must be engaged and focused, and provide confidence to the community that their ideas are taken into serious consideration.
Part two of the book dives into the concepts behind designing a gamified player experience. Burke discusses player-centric design, designing a gamified solution, common design pitfalls, managing for success, and what the future holds for gamification. He walks us through the design experience from the discovery phase to implementation. He uses three graphical illustrations in the section to support his ideas on design experience. The “Gamification Scope” (analyzes where business outcomes and player goals overlap into shared goals), the “Typical Player Journey” (illustrates the path players take through the solution) and “Game Economy” (cites incentives and rewards given to players for successfully completing tasks, challenges and goals) (Burke, 2014, p. 90,106,119). Burke wraps up the second section with tips for avoiding common pitfalls, successfully managing gamification projects, and anticipating future trends in gamification.
Burke does a great job of providing real life and fictitious examples for each topic in the book. The examples are relatable to the chapter concepts or design being focused on and help the reader think objectively. The first experience Burke shares in his introduction immediately provokes interest in the reader to recall moments they have participated in experiences that were gamified in some sort of manner. This sets the tone for the rest of the book. A scenario or example is shared, the reader is interested, and then it is explained in greater detail with supporting facts and figures. Burke's style of writing fits in nicely with the overall theme and title of the book, which is “motivation”. Perhaps the best example he shares is the iPhone app developed for kids cancer patients called “Pain Squad”, which creates an emotional engagement for the reader. It is inspiring and uplifting, while also brilliantly designed. It allows children to feel a sense of connection and hospital staff to monitor vital information. This sort of gamified experience creates excitement right out of the gate for the reader. The realistic and honest gamification examples shared provide logical connections, while also establishing trust in the author and his suggestions for future projects.
Burke (2014) comments:
This book provides the guidance you need to move forward with a gamification initiative based on the lessons learned (good and bad) from many bleeding-edge adopters. But implementing a successful new gamified solution remains a challenge. You will likely be breaking new ground as you move forward with your first gamified solution. Welcome to the leading edge. (p. 12)
Not having read other books on the topic in detail it is difficult to offer a comparative analysis. Beneficial additions to the work could include statistics on the current state of gamification in organizations per region and additional perspectives from leading experts. Overall, the book provides excellent insight to anyone interested in learning more about implementing gamification within their organization.
Burke provides an excellent introduction reminiscing on earning a priceless ski badge in his youth. This relatable experience immediately engages the reader emotionally and reminds them to recall moments they have been motivated with tokens of achievement. The introduction continues and covers the author’s background in gamification, new and upcoming trends, who’s getting it right, and how organizations can be successful. Burke explains how the book is organized and divided into two parts. The first part discusses the concepts of gamification, and how and when it is appropriate to use. The second part walks through the design and launch of a gamified solution, which Burke refers to as the “player experience process”.
Part one focuses on how to motivate players by giving them meaning, changing behaviors, developing skills and driving innovation through gamification. Burke discusses how emotional engagement, intrinsic rewards, and goal alignment help drive much of this motivation. He gives a description and background story of an iPhone app called “Pain Squad” that is created and used by the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Through detailed examples, he ties the children’s positive experiences using the app, as well as the statistical information it provides to his concept of motivation. Burke continues by explaining the differences between games, gamification and rewards programs. He differentiates gamification as having the ability to change behaviors and develop skills through access to information in a collaborative and geographically diverse environment (Burke, 2014, p.27). This allows organizations to leverage wisdom from a crowd and gain a richer perspective. Burke reminds the reader that this wisdom must be engaged and focused, and provide confidence to the community that their ideas are taken into serious consideration.
Part two of the book dives into the concepts behind designing a gamified player experience. Burke discusses player-centric design, designing a gamified solution, common design pitfalls, managing for success, and what the future holds for gamification. He walks us through the design experience from the discovery phase to implementation. He uses three graphical illustrations in the section to support his ideas on design experience. The “Gamification Scope” (analyzes where business outcomes and player goals overlap into shared goals), the “Typical Player Journey” (illustrates the path players take through the solution) and “Game Economy” (cites incentives and rewards given to players for successfully completing tasks, challenges and goals) (Burke, 2014, p. 90,106,119). Burke wraps up the second section with tips for avoiding common pitfalls, successfully managing gamification projects, and anticipating future trends in gamification.
Burke does a great job of providing real life and fictitious examples for each topic in the book. The examples are relatable to the chapter concepts or design being focused on and help the reader think objectively. The first experience Burke shares in his introduction immediately provokes interest in the reader to recall moments they have participated in experiences that were gamified in some sort of manner. This sets the tone for the rest of the book. A scenario or example is shared, the reader is interested, and then it is explained in greater detail with supporting facts and figures. Burke's style of writing fits in nicely with the overall theme and title of the book, which is “motivation”. Perhaps the best example he shares is the iPhone app developed for kids cancer patients called “Pain Squad”, which creates an emotional engagement for the reader. It is inspiring and uplifting, while also brilliantly designed. It allows children to feel a sense of connection and hospital staff to monitor vital information. This sort of gamified experience creates excitement right out of the gate for the reader. The realistic and honest gamification examples shared provide logical connections, while also establishing trust in the author and his suggestions for future projects.
Burke (2014) comments:
This book provides the guidance you need to move forward with a gamification initiative based on the lessons learned (good and bad) from many bleeding-edge adopters. But implementing a successful new gamified solution remains a challenge. You will likely be breaking new ground as you move forward with your first gamified solution. Welcome to the leading edge. (p. 12)
Not having read other books on the topic in detail it is difficult to offer a comparative analysis. Beneficial additions to the work could include statistics on the current state of gamification in organizations per region and additional perspectives from leading experts. Overall, the book provides excellent insight to anyone interested in learning more about implementing gamification within their organization.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2017
A decent collection of things that need to be kept in mind when considering and implementing a "gamified" engagement program. The examples are ones you've probably been exposed the before, and the pitfalls highlighted are fairly obvious, but as we learned in the Checklist Manifesto, sometimes it's important to put things like that on a list.
That list is handily provided in the 'wrap ups' at the end of the various sections.
Nothing earth-shattering, but I think it's worth a listen if your organization is considering going down this route.
That list is handily provided in the 'wrap ups' at the end of the various sections.
Nothing earth-shattering, but I think it's worth a listen if your organization is considering going down this route.
September 17, 2018
This seems written for either the executive that head the buzzword of gamification and need to be brought down to earth, or those that have ideas to use gamification in their company and need very basic advice on how to get started. This short book is not going to provide a detailed manual for how to set up such a system. Nor does it present a ton of great ideas, although it does provide several fascinating anecodtes about what other companies have done, such as for Barclaycard Ring or Khan Academy.
On the whole, the book is ok, but is unlikely to be anyone's treasured tome.
On the whole, the book is ok, but is unlikely to be anyone's treasured tome.
March 19, 2021
I liked this book because what you think you're going to read is what you get. It's not pretentious nor does it feel the need to add pages upon pages to make itself larger, as many non-fiction books do.
The result is a well-structured book that walks you through the concept of gamification (what is and what is not) to then take you step-by-step on the things you should take into account if you are to introduce gamification in your service or product. And the "if" is big since the author goes to great lengths to make sure it's clear that gamification is not a one-fits-all solution.
The result is a well-structured book that walks you through the concept of gamification (what is and what is not) to then take you step-by-step on the things you should take into account if you are to introduce gamification in your service or product. And the "if" is big since the author goes to great lengths to make sure it's clear that gamification is not a one-fits-all solution.
November 19, 2018
I found this book very helpful in thinking about how to design products, services, and experiences to promote a desired behavior. It is really helpful to think about Gamification as a way to motivate people in a work setting. It also does a great job of spelling out what gamification isn’t and why creating a fun game that people play just because should not be the goal in the workplace. Read my full review here: https://financialglass.com/2018/10/29...
January 27, 2019
How Gamification helps to Motivate People Do Things
Author includes some useful example of applications that uses gamification to help build his point.
Suitable for people who start to listen ‘gamification’ buzzwords, but want to understand on a brief what it is all about.
The book are organized into two main sections. The first section helps to explain & define what is gamification. The second section explain how to design a good gamification application.
Author includes some useful example of applications that uses gamification to help build his point.
Suitable for people who start to listen ‘gamification’ buzzwords, but want to understand on a brief what it is all about.
The book are organized into two main sections. The first section helps to explain & define what is gamification. The second section explain how to design a good gamification application.
November 17, 2024
1. Gamification engages people in a way that is meaningful to them (intrinsic) — engages players on an emotional level to motivate them
2. 3 primary purposes - changing behavior, developing skills, driving innovation
3. Ideas:
1. Display the Qlik usage stats
2. Create a marketplace for users to vote on enhancements to apps - get user feedback for which items to work on next
3. Usage stats for WebEx Teams
2. 3 primary purposes - changing behavior, developing skills, driving innovation
3. Ideas:
1. Display the Qlik usage stats
2. Create a marketplace for users to vote on enhancements to apps - get user feedback for which items to work on next
3. Usage stats for WebEx Teams
July 25, 2022
This should be read as an introduction to gamification. If you’re new to the subject and want a place to start: this is it. They explain gamification with some clear examples, but also stretched them out further than necessary. I missed a clear direction or structure in the book, but maybe I just started with the wrong expectations and I already knew a bit too much about it already.
June 6, 2023
I’m glad this book is so short. The crux of the idea comes out very well in the first three chapters and is developed through an example in the latter half, but honestly if you read an overview of gamification that’s a few pages long you’ll probably get the same out of it.
Also, the predictions for what technology will be doing in 2020 are very funny with the benefit of hind sight.
Also, the predictions for what technology will be doing in 2020 are very funny with the benefit of hind sight.
September 4, 2019
The book give a good overview about gamification, however it was a bit boring with redundant examples, it could have been better if it goes more into the gamification model it self and explaining more about ways of implementation.
January 19, 2021
I expected a book about how to implement gamification. But, it was little on details.
One particularly troublesome part was the use of fictitious companies as examples
which doesn't help in showing the power of gamification.
One particularly troublesome part was the use of fictitious companies as examples
which doesn't help in showing the power of gamification.
September 3, 2023
This book was very dry. It was much more science/research-based than I anticipated and the performer of the audiobook did not help. The book would be very useful for upper level management of a large corporation but was not very useful for a small business owner.
June 14, 2024
Very market oriented, I found it very little helpful when it comes to implement practically the principles of gamification. I guess I was looking for something more planned oriented and not a bunch of anecdotes of capitalistic industries.
Nevertheless, maybe it's useful in other areas.
Nevertheless, maybe it's useful in other areas.
September 21, 2024
The book is well researched and points are salient and pertinent on how gamification is differentiated from rewards in an organizational sense. The book is a little long-winded with several points repeated over again throughout, could be more succinct.
October 29, 2024
Like other low-star reviews say, this would have been more engaging and helpful as an article. Pretty dry, too many examples/case studies, and not enough practical advice on implementing or designing beneficial gamification solutions. Overall it was okay, just not great.
June 10, 2017
Crap.
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