Here are some of the most used gamification dynamics:
- Aversion to loss: It is used to encourage continuous participation, this dynamic is based on the natural inclination to avoid punishment.
- Appointments: Here we talk about specific events in which users should participate. An example is the game of Zynga Farmville. This hugely successful game required users to harvest their crops after a certain amount of time since sowing.
- Group collaboration: This dynamic motivates users to work together to solve a problem or challenge. Users are usually more motivated if their success depends on other members of the group, not just their own actions. This we can all confirm, is not it?
- Free Stuff: That delicious feeling of getting something for free. It works even more when the gift comes because another user has done his job very well. It has its role in encouraging the user to continue doing their homework, this can be understood, the moment a child does all his homework and duties at home, because he will be rewarded with going to eat at Mc Donald's. That's how we all are, even adults.
- Countdown: This element gives participants a short period of time to do something and usually generates peaks of participation. Imagine that XenForo exists a special discount of 50% in a period of one week. You will see how countless people will not hesitate to buy a license from XenForo.
- Discoveries: We all love the new, and with this type of dynamics you can delight your users with the surprise of getting something new, provoking their curiosity.
- Owner of your actions: In the game world, the decisions of the users have consequences; Win or lose should not depend solely on random factors. Users need to feel that they are able to succeed through their own actions. This can easily be transmitted in a forum.
- Impulse of behavior: This dynamic refers to the tendency of users to continue doing what others have been doing. It is an evolutionary impulse, imagine that suddenly you are walking on the street and all the people run away, you will quickly take that behavior because others do. This can be transmitted in forums.
- Infinity Game: This refers to games without an explicit purpose. Again we use Farmville as an example. The game has a static, positive state. This dynamic works better with women than with men. We can see this as it happens on Twitter, Facebook, Gaia Online, GTA V, in countless places. Their popularity and participation have no equal.
- Epic Achievements: With this dynamic you give the user the sensation of achieving something big, imposing and bigger than oneself. It must be an achievement that involves effort, dedication and time. How to post 5000 posts in a forum or receive 5000 positive votes (achievements in this regard have their function, but must be accompanied to make their potential unique). I must highlight Gaia Online again in this respect.
- Lottery: Basically it is a question of determining the winners based solely on chance. This can create a high level of expectation, but can also quickly alienate losers. You can create a virtual lottery every week for all the users of a forum, and the winners will get 50,000 coins (virtual currency, for example).
- Missions and challenges: Challenges often have a time limit or elements of competition. Missions are obstacles that the participants must overcome. In these dynamics the uncertainty is also important. If you know that you are going to succeed, you let go and you lose motivation.
- Levels: A classic through which participants are rewarded by the accumulation of points which is expressed in an experience bar. Games often use levels to unlock items as users progress. The use of levels is one of the highest motivating components for players. In general, there are three types of leveling ramps: flat, exponential and wave functions. For more information, read: "https://xenforo.com/community/threads/level-systems-in-xenforo.123788/#post-1117512"
- Urgent optimism: These are dynamics of extreme self-motivation. It is the desire to act immediately to face an obstacle combined with a reasonable hope of success.
- Productivity: The sensation created in the users to achieve an achievement generates satisfaction, a feeling that can perfectly be absent in the real life of the same ones. In a community this feeling is important, imagine doing many actions in a community like posting a message, creating a topic, voting on a survey, editing the wiki, commenting on blog articles, receiving positive feedback because its content was quality, Earn virtual coins (and have value in the community), and many more things. All these actions in doing so gives you a degree of sastifaction and if your actions are appreciated, you feel productive.
- Points: Another of the most used forms in gamification models. It is an embodiment and generally indicates the progression of a user. Points can be delivered as virtual currency, greatly encouraging interaction between users.
- Theory of cascading information: This theory holds that information must be released in minimal fragments so as not to overwhelm users. That is, just give them a couple of tasks, once they are finished they will see new ones that come in queue. But under no circumstances can you let them see all the "trophies blocked", because if they are too many, they can overwhelm the user.
- Comrades: This element of the games requires several people to play or make you get better results if you play with several people (a group).
Gamification has very little to "see" with games, video games or social networks as you usually think. Rather, it is a technique that tries to give people feedback on their actions quickly and appropriately to their needs. Gambling helps new users learn what is expected of them and that they are moving in the right direction. Experienced people give you reasons to go ahead by quantifying your intrinsic motivation. It also helps provide context for users to make better decisions. Finally, it helps people keep track of their personal growth and progress through measurable goals and a marked path. Does not this remind you of something? Indeed, it reminds us all. From the time we are young to adulthood, every educational system, political, business, etc. It is based on the gamification technique.
I recommend this
TED Talk by
Jane McGonigal about the
use of gamification to improve the world:
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world
There is no written or predefined schema about what motivates users. It can be the desire for an achievement, the prestige, the joy and pleasure of exploration, the satisfaction of your own curiosity, the desire to connect with other people or the simple pleasure of competing. Your audience will have their own unique motivations and it is your mission to know them to encourage the use of your project, in this case, XenForo.
The term "gamification" is in vogue. No doubt about that. In marketing they use it by focusing on achievements. Many online stores and communities use it as a reward and reputation system through points, badges, levels, and rankings.
But do not forget that gamification is much more than that. It is a useful mental structure to plan how to encourage your audience to participate in your project, whatever. However, no matter how serious, there are also good jokes
In games do not fail. If you do not go through a stage you just have to reflect on what needs to be changed and improved and you play again. This is a vital element of games that vastly change the way users face their daily challenges. And to finish, what do you think? Do you see the importance of this? I hope the developers can see it, because this is necessary. XenForo can last another year to develop this, but it's worth it. It would be a remarkable change to see XenForo and then see XenForo 2 (with a decent gamification system, at least). But if the gamification system is very powerful, congratulations !. XenForo seizes
75% of the forum software market. And it also makes us all happy.
I have been reading many issues that have been published here about this, I had to create this topic, to explain well the gamification system and its importance. So this is my suggestion for XenForo (remember for this, I gave a prize lol)...
@Alfa1 and
@Veer
I would like to know your opinion, developers?
@Mike @Kier @Chris D
P.S: Sorry for the double post, but the topic had more than 10000 characters and the system did not let me publish everything. It would be good if the limit of characters is 25000 (I think!).
Greetings to all, Reinhard
