In recent decades, technological advancements have given rise to innovative Game Design Techniques, one of which is the increasingly popular Avatar concept. Despite its straightforward nature and widespread adoption, the avatar holds immense dynamism, reshaping the landscape of gamified design and infusing playful elements into digital platforms. This essay delves into the essence of avatars, their psychological implications, and their transformative impact on user engagement in the realm of gamification.
Defining the Avatar
At the heart of any digital platform lies the user – a real, living individual with unique experiences, desires, and perspectives. An avatar serves as a bridge between this real-world individual and the digital universe. In its simplest form, an avatar can be a static image representing the user. However, as technology has progressed, avatars have evolved into intricate 3D characters capable of mimicking real-world movements and interactions.
One might recall James Cameron’s cinematic masterpiece, “Avatar,” where the concept took a more tangible form. In the movie, avatars are biological entities, embodying the user’s consciousness and allowing them to navigate an alien world. While cinema and real-world applications differ, the core principle remains the same: an avatar is an extension of oneself, a manifestation of one’s identity in a virtual domain.
The Psychological Underpinnings
At the crux of the avatar’s appeal lies a powerful psychological mechanism: the core drive for ownership and possession. Users, when presented with an avatar that they can customize, inherently feel a sense of ownership. This digital representation becomes a part of their identity, a virtual self that they can mold, nurture, and showcase. Many users choose avatars that mirror their real-world appearance, while others opt for idealized or aspirational versions of themselves. This connection is so potent that it often translates into heightened engagement and loyalty to the platform.
Further extending the avatar’s psychological reach is its ability to foster social connections. Avatars can play a pivotal role in fulfilling the human need for Core Drive 5: Social Influence and Relatedness within the Octalysis Framework. In digital spaces, where users might be hesitant to reveal their true identities due to vulnerability concerns, avatars offer a safe middle ground. Instead of uploading personal photos, which might feel too revealing, or choosing impersonal images like landscapes, which lack identity, avatars provide a personalized yet guarded representation. They maintain the essence of the user while ensuring a level of privacy and comfort.
In the vast universe of game design, there’s a myriad of techniques employed to amplify user engagement and immersive experiences. Among these, one stands out for its unique charm: the “Pet Companion” Game Design Technique #135.
This concept may remind some of the Avatar Design, a foundational game design technique. While there are similarities, the essence of ownership and the feeling of camaraderie differ significantly.
Distinguishing Avatar (GT#13) and Pet Companion Designs
In the world of Avatar Design, players often see themselves as the avatar. The avatar becomes an extension of their identity, a digital representation of themselves in the virtual realm. This embodiment fosters a profound connection, a bond that makes every achievement, loss, or challenge deeply personal.
In contrast, the Pet Companion Design introduces a subtle shift in this dynamic. Here, the player isn’t the digital entity but rather its master or friend. The relationship is one of guardianship and camaraderie. This distinction, while nuanced, profoundly alters the gaming experience. For example, when faced with a challenge, having a pet launch an attack feels distinctly different from the player-avatar doing so. The former feels like teamwork, while the latter is more personal.
How Battle Camp utilizes Pet Companions to expand their appeal
For clarity, let’s go deeper into some games that masterfully employ this technique:
In “Battle Camp,” players have the unique task of capturing monsters. Once captured, these monsters fight for the player. An intriguing aspect of “Battle Camp” is its substantial female player base. Beyond its vivid designs and colors, the game’s indirect combat mechanism provides a different kind of appeal. Instead of the player’s avatar fighting with ninja swords, their Pet Companions, or monsters, engage in combat, offering a level of detachment that can be particularly appealing to those who shy away from inflicting direct violence within games.
Some games have pushed the boundaries of the Pet Companion Design by introducing layers to the player’s virtual identity. In games like Battle Camp, players have avatars, which they can modify. These avatars, in turn, own battle pets that engage in combat. This layered approach adds depth to the gameplay, further distancing the player from direct combat and creating a more complex narrative.
Plants vs. Zombies: This game is a brilliant showcase of autonomous combat. The player’s home is under threat from zombies, and to defend it, plants are strategically placed in the garden. These plants then automatically fight off the approaching zombies, removing the player from direct combat. It’s a strategy game where the player’s choices determine the outcome, but the action is executed by their plant companions.
Super Mario: Mario’s adventures are made all the more thrilling with Yoshi, a green dinosaur. Yoshi not only serves as Mario’s mount but can also eat enemies, adding a layer of strategy to gameplay.
MegaMan: MegaMan’s world is enriched with companions like his loyal dog, which he can ride, and Beat, a bird that autonomously seeks out and attacks enemies. These companions add depth to the gameplay, offering varied combat options.
Diablo II: Here, players can have a ‘follower,’ a companion equipped with weapons and skills. This follower aids the player in battles, casting spells, and confronting adversaries. The customization options for the follower add an extra dimension to strategy.
World of Warcraft (WoW): WoW offers a multi-layered pet companion system. The Hunter class can tame wild animals, turning them into loyal companions. These companions can be trained, given equipment, and even have their skills customized. Additionally, WoW introduced battle pet companions, which players can train to fight other pets they encounter in the expansive game world.
Pros and Cons of Pet Companions
Pet Companion Design touches upon various Core Drives that motivate players. From the drive for Social Influence and Relatedness, where players feel a sense of camaraderie, to the drive for Empowerment of Creativity and Feedback, where players can customize their pets, these drives play a pivotal role in enhancing player engagement.
However, while the advantages are numerous, there are challenges too. Players might be less inclined to invest in cosmetic upgrades for their pets as compared to their avatars. This is because avatars often serve as a direct representation of the player in the digital realm.
Fitness and Health Apps: “Walk with a Virtual Pet”
Description: Many health and fitness apps have introduced virtual pet companions to motivate users to stay active. For instance, a user might adopt a virtual dog that requires daily walks. The health of the virtual pet directly correlates with the user’s physical activity. If a user reaches their daily step count or exercise goal, the virtual dog appears happy and healthy. Conversely, if the user is inactive, the virtual pet might appear sad or unwell.
Impact: By tapping into the user’s emotions and sense of responsibility towards their virtual pet, these apps encourage daily physical activity. Users aren’t just walking for their health; they’re also walking to keep their virtual pet companion happy.
Educational Platforms: “Learn with Your Study Buddy”
Description: Some e-learning platforms introduce virtual pet companions to assist students in their learning journeys. As a student progresses through lessons or achieves certain milestones, their virtual pet might evolve, gain new skills, or even unlock special features. The virtual pet can provide hints, celebrate the student’s achievements, and even pose challenges or quizzes.
Impact: The pet companion serves as both a motivator and a learning aid. Its evolution mirrors the student’s academic progress, making learning more engaging and rewarding. The interactive nature of the pet companion also aids retention and understanding of the material.
Banking and Finance Apps: “Grow Your Savings with Your Virtual Plant”
Description: Some banking apps utilize the pet companion technique by introducing virtual plants or trees that grow as users save money. When a user deposits money into their savings account, the virtual plant receives “water” and grows. Reaching certain savings milestones might result in the plant bearing fruit or flowers. However, withdrawing money might lead to the plant wilting, serving as a visual deterrent against unnecessary spending.
Impact: The virtual plant acts as a visual representation of the user’s financial health and growth. It encourages consistent saving habits and provides a sense of achievement as users watch their virtual plant flourish in tandem with their savings. The emotional connection to the plant’s well-being can deter impulsive spending, promoting better financial management.
In each of these examples, the Pet Companion Design Technique is leveraged outside of traditional gaming to foster engagement, responsibility, and motivation in real-world scenarios.
Incorporating Pet Companion Design in Gamification
The Pet Companion design offers dynamic game mechanics. However, its complexity can be a deterrent, especially for companies aiming for simpler gamification strategies. While not every project needs a “World of Warcraft” level of intricacy, incorporating nuanced mechanics beyond basic points and badges can create a more engaging user experience.
To conclude, the Pet Companion Design Technique offers an innovative avenue for enhancing player engagement. Its dynamics, when effectively incorporated, can significantly enrich the gaming experience. I’m eager to hear your insights on this technique and any memorable pet companion designs that have captivated you in your gaming adventures.
It’s all about the Gamification Examples & Case Studies
Below is a list of gamification examples and cases with ROI (Return On Investment) stats and figures, with many links to the case studies, so you can see for yourself the tremendous impact it is having on businesses.
I want this list to focus on cases that can confidently be measured as ROI.
The current gamification market size is estimated between $3 billion and $12 billion, depending on sources.
The Octalysis Group: Yu-kai Chou’s Case Studies
A 712% uplift in sales for a well-known hotel chain, through our human-focused designs that boost product attractiveness and market performance.
A loyalty program for a Major Airline with a 175% performance enhancement through a well-crafted reward system.
An employee engagement platform for sales staff led to 28.5% more revenue and 59% higher KPIs.
The Octalysis Group has a decade-long track record of success working with clients across industry and service verticals. We specialize in creating engagement in areas where this is difficult to achieve.
7) Galderma: a pharmaceutical company, uses gamification to train their sales division regarding new products. Despite the voluntary participation, nearly 92% of targeted employees ended up playing
12) Danske Statsbaner: through their “Engaged” platform, employees share their actions that support the value and strategy of the company, resulting in 92% positive ratings in content
21) EMC RAMP: with their gamification platform, the company rewarded positive behavior from employees, partners, and customers which led to a 10% increase in documentation, 40% more videos watched, and 15% more discussions
22) DirecTV: uses gamification to overcome the fear of failure
26) Slalom Consulting: participation in the employee name recognition program increased from 5% to 90%, and recognition scores improved from 45% to 89%
4) Step2: children’s retailers used PowerReviews’s social loyalty scheme to boost sales with a 300% increase in revenue from Facebook and 600% in content uploaded
5) Domino’s Pizza: created the gaming app Pizza Hero and increased sales revenue by 30% by letting customers create their pizza with an app
6) Moosejaw, a clothing company, used an innovative gamified system that saw 76% of sales revenue come from gamified activities, including 240k social media impressions, resulting in a 560% ROI from initial marketing expenditures
7) Silver Grill Cafe: received a 66% Return on Investment for having its waiters/waitresses play a cross-selling game)
9) Popchips: uses games to personalize mobile advertising and has seen its sales rise 40% leading to $100 million in sales.
10) Teleflora gamified its store with a social engagement scheme offering points for actions, increasing traffic from Facebook by 105% and conversion rates by 92%
11) America’s Army:30% of Americans aged 16 to 24 had a more positive impression towards and recruited more people than all the other methods combined while costing a fraction of the marketing cost
2) Leadership Academy: within three months, daily visitors increased by 46.6% with one user earning the Leadership Academy Graduate Badge, which was expected to take 12 months
3) Microsoft: obtained 16x more feedback from people through its Communicate Hope gamified system
4) EMC2: increased the amount of feedback it received by 41%
2) Joiz: a Swiss television network increased sharing by 100% and social referral traffic by 54% with social infrastructure and gamification technologies
7) Allkpop: during the week-long promotion of game mechanics, the online news site experienced a 104% increase in shares, 36% in comments, and 24% in pageviews
13) BlurbIQ: introduced Interactive Video Interruptions and within two weeks obtained 915% more interaction, 1400% increase in click-through rate, and 95% increase in recollection
22) Ask.com uses game mechanics to increase user engagement through real-time notifications and activity streams, increasing answered questions by 23% and votes by 58%
3) Deloitte Leadership Academy, an executive training program, increased by 46.6% the number of users that returned daily to their platform by embedding gamification mechanics into it
4) Stray Boots & A.L.Penenberg: the professor taught journalism through gamification and saw student grades increase by more than a letter grade
5) Devhub: a place for Web developers, added gaming feedback and watched in awe as the percentage of users who finished their sites shot up from 10% to 80%
Scientific research related to the effect of Gamification
1) Research findings support the impact of levels, badges, and a (dummy) feedback system connected to a study course, results were significant, with 18.5% higher average grades for students enrolled in the gamified course
2) Research findings support the impact of levels, points, leaderboards, streaking, and visual storytelling to improve participation in crowdsourced assessments. Results were significant with an increase of 347% of participants returning for recurrent participation. (compared to the control group)
3) Research findings support the impact of point-based levels (Status titles) and leaderboards on IBM’s internal social network service. Short-term impact showed a 92% increase in comments posted, within this research long-term engagement was also measured and a rise of 299% more comments posted was found compared to the control group
4) Subsequent research in the same social network service above showed the effects of removing the point-based levels, status titles, and leaderboards. The removal of the game mechanics showed a significant result as across-the-board activities on the social network service dropped by 52%.
5) Research findings support the impact of narratives, leaderboards, and countdown timers on online training. Results were significant with a 61% increase in participation in online training.
The Octalysis Group has a decade-long track record of success working with clients across industry and service verticals. We specialize in creating engagement in areas where this is difficult to achieve.
Today we shall explore another Gamification Design Technique I coin as the “Anticipation Parade” (Game Design Technique #15). This gamification design technique can be used for heightening the excitement and engagement levels in various mediums such as games, movies, and even business software. So, let’s unfold this narrative and venture into the depths of Anticipation Parade, a technique that not only engages users but sometimes makes an experience more gratifying.
An Anticipation Parade is a sensational event that builds up to a climactic moment. It is that pulse-quickening period just before an exhilarating event is set to unfold, generating an ambiance saturated with curiosity and excitement. The beauty of this technique lies in its ability to prepare the audience mentally and emotionally for what’s coming, fostering a state of heightened eagerness, and even a bit of impatience, driven by a tantalizing foreplay of what is about to occur. This buildup often augments the overall experience, making it vastly more engaging and immersive.
Let us step back a bit and analyze this technique through the lens of film history. One of the quintessential examples that illustrate this technique flawlessly is the theme music in the movie “Jaws,” a well-known thriller that had audiences gripping their seats. The music in the movie crafts a significant amount of tension, setting the stage for the shark’s appearance which in itself may last for just a fleeting moment.
However, this orchestrated build up of sound and tension, often lasting minutes, enhances the entire scene manifold, making the shark’s appearance feel a lot a more prominent than it actually is. It’s an orchestration that signals to the audience that an exhilarating event is imminent.
Similarly, in the animated world, series like “Dragon Ball” have utilized this method to great effect. The series, peppered with such instances, features characters like Vegeta who, before executing a powerful move, exhibits a buildup that is often accompanied by distinctive background musical scores. This musical cue not only sets the scene but also amplifies the gravity of the impending event. In the popular Parody Youtube Series, “Dragon Ball Z Abridged,” viewers love to joke about the Anticipation Parade. When Vegeta was full of rage and building up his powerful attack, his allies would try to stop him from destroying the earth, but since the piano scored as started to play, there was no going back.
Transcending beyond the realms of movies and animations, this technique finds its echoes in animated series like “Disney’s Aladdin” as well. Remember the time when Aladdin discovers the magic lamp? That moment wasn’t simply about the Genie popping out and offering wishes. There was a deliberate buildup, a spectacle that signaled to the audience that something wondrous was on the horizon, thus making the Genie’s eventual appearance more significant and delightful.
Now, let us shift our focus towards the gaming sphere where Anticipation Parades play a critical role. In games like “Heroes of the Storm” or “Overwatch”, the act of opening a loot box or a card pack isn’t a straightforward affair. The process is transformed into a theatrical event, adorned with animations and accompanied by musical cues that enhance the significance of the activity. Even though the rewards might not always match up to the buildup, the Anticipation Parade ensures that the process feels eventful and rewarding.
Now, I would like to bring your attention to the element of sound in creating this buildup. In many scenarios, especially in gaming, a spinning wheel is used to heighten the anticipation. The sound of the wheel spinning, accompanied by music that escalates in intensity, often serves as an auditory cue for the impending reward. This auditory buildup, coupled with visual elements, creates a rich tapestry of anticipation, making the eventual revelation a more rewarding experience.
Moreover, this technique is not limited to entertainment mediums. In the non-entertainment domain, a simple drumroll preceding an announcement serves a similar purpose, fostering a brief moment of heightened anticipation before the revelation. This technique leverages Core Drive 5: Social Influence and Relatedness, drawing people into a communal experience of anticipation.
Furthermore, in the realm of business software, companies like MailChimp had cleverly integrated this concept into their platform. Before sending out a newsletter to a large audience, a figure is depicted nervously poised to press the send button, visually echoing the sender’s own apprehensions and thus connecting with the user on an emotional level. This builds a brief moment of tension, which is then followed by a congratulatory message, thus transforming a mundane task into a more engaging and gratifying experience.
As we traverse through this journey of understanding the Anticipation Parade, it is evident that it is a powerful tool in human-focused design, a methodology that centers around human feelings and motivations as opposed to mere functionality and efficiency. It takes into consideration the human proclivity towards excitement and anticipation, and utilizes it to craft experiences that are more immersive and rewarding.
In conclusion, I’d encourage you to take notice whenever you spot an Anticipation Parade, possibly even finding avenues to incorporate it into your projects. Whether in media, movies, software products, or even in classroom settings, this technique has the potential to amplify the engagement and excitement levels.
I invite you to share examples and insights in the comments section, fostering a rich discussion that could potentially inspire many in our community. Let us explore how this technique can be woven into our narratives, making experiences more engaging and exciting.
I made this post because in the past 1-2 days, my education platform Octalysis Prime suddenly got close to a thousand new sign-ups from emails that look very similar, but they were all using unique and valid credit cards.
It seems like someone stole hundreds of credit card information and purchased premium accounts on my platform.
Since they went through the traditional routes with valid credit cards, we couldn’t block them without blocking valid customers (but we added enough friction to the process it finally stopped, hurting our true customers that want to pay). Not sure why the attackers would do this but perhaps an attack to get us removed as fraud?
Sure enough, the transactions were red flagged by our payment processor and the funds were frozen. We are still scrambling to manually refund everyone, but now even refunding is frozen by our processor for some reason.
And now I’m getting messages of people being angry that their cards are being charged and threatening to report this to their banks as fraud.
If you are someone that got charged $50 from Chou Force International
First of all, yes this is a fraudulent charge. Even though we at Chou Force did not cause it, I am sorry that you have to go through this too. First of all, please disable your Credit/Debit Card because it is obviously compromised.
Second of all, don’t worry – I will use all my power to make sure you get your money back. Once the Payment Processor (Braintree owned by PayPal) clears everything and frees the account we will refund it back.
If you are dealing with these frustrations, feel free to reach out to me directly at HitMeUp.ai/yukai
I hope this will be over soon and everyone can get their money back.
The Allure of the Leveling System (Game Design Technique #85)
The Leveling System stands as a linchpin in the game design sphere, renowned for its intricate architecture yet perceivably seamless integration into a game’s narrative. When we venture into the complexities of this system, it essentially operates as a structured pathway where users, through their endeavors and activities within the game, accumulate experience points or status points, progressively reaching milestones that signal their growth and achievement.
This system finds its foundation in a few pivotal elements. Firstly, it aims to craft a rich, nuanced experience at various stages: the Onboarding phase, the Scaffolding phase, and the Endgame phase (Note: not in the Discovery Phase because the user hasn’t started leveling yet). This careful segmentation allows for a curated journey, where players are introduced to the game’s elements gradually, fostering a sense of discovery and growth.
Under the Octalysis framework, this process resonates strongly with Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment, which is essentially the motivation stemming from a player’s desire to grow, to improve, and to overcome challenges. Furthermore, this system ingeniously integrates elements of Scarcity and Impatience (Core Drive 6), where certain features and functionalities are withheld initially, only to be unveiled as the player advances, adding layers of anticipation and excitement.
Another utility of Leveling is connected to Social Influence and Relatedness (Core Drive 5). The status accrued as players level up grants them recognition in the gaming community, fostering a competitive yet collaborative environment. Moreover, this system intertwines with Ownership and Possession (Core Drive 4), as players are rewarded with better equipment, gear, or rewards as they progress, enhancing their stake and attachment to the game.
In this ecosystem, a principle to underline is the sunk cost fallacy (within Core Drive 8: Loss & Avoidance), a psychological phenomenon where individuals continue an endeavor owing to the invested resources, thus fostering consistency and commitment.
The leveling system, therefore, stands as a dynamic tool in the game designer’s repertoire, promoting a sense of achievement, fostering community engagement, and retaining players through carefully orchestrated experiences.
A quintessential example can be found in games like Noctis, where players progressively unlock new powers, nurturing a sense of empowerment and fostering creativity (Core Drive 3), which fuels engagement and retains interest over time.
The League Rank System (Game Design Technique #101)
As we shift our focus to the League Rank system, we find a different but equally compelling dynamic at play. This system, although less prevalent in the gamified platforms, carries the potential to transform the social arena, offering a vibrant, competitive, and yet equal playing field.
The League Rank system operates by categorizing users into various leagues – be it diamond, gold, platinum, or bronze. Within these leagues, individuals or teams compete, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie (Core Drive 5). The brilliance of this system lies in its ability to level the playing field, offering each player, irrespective of their ranking, an opportunity to excel in their respective leagues. When players are matched up with others of their own skill, the activities feel more balanced and enjoyable for both sides.
By doing so, it mitigates the potential demoralization that might occur in a single leaderboard system, where only one person is the winner, leaving thousands in the wake of defeat. Instead, it creates micro-communities where everyone has a chance to be on top, fostering a healthy competitive spirit and maintaining engagement.
This system echoes the principles of “urgent optimism,” a concept outlined by Jane McGonigal. It fosters a space where players are constantly nudged by both urgency and optimism (Core Drive 6 & 2), a belief that victory is within reach, fueling continuous engagement and participation.
Furthermore, League Ranks are predominantly performance-driven, aligning with the Core Drive 2: Development & Accomplishment. Players, through their skill and performance, have the potential to ascend leagues, an achievement that motivates the users to brag about their rise to greatness.
For instance, achieving a high rank in games like Starcraft II becomes a badge of honor, a testimony to one’s skill and dedication. This not only promotes a sense of accomplishment but also fosters community engagement and recognition, pillars upon which the League Rank system is built.
Moreover, this system fosters balance in team competitions, ensuring teams are pitted against each other based on their respective League Rankings, promoting fairness and competitiveness.
Applying Leveling Systems and League Ranks in Gamification
As gamification designers stand at the crossroads, the choice between a Leveling System and a League Rank System or even a hybrid of both depends largely on the intricacies of their gamified platform. Each system carries its unique strengths and can potentially revolutionize the gaming experience.
But the quintessential aspect lies in understanding the underpinning mechanics of each system, and how they align with the Octalysis Framework’s 8 Core Drives. This deeper understanding allows designers to craft experiences that are not only engaging but also resonate with the intrinsic motivations of the players.
Thus, as we stand at the frontier of game design, it becomes imperative to dive deeper, to explore, and to harness the potentials of these systems, fostering gaming environments that are engaging, dynamic, and profoundly immersive.
If you have been glued to a Leveling or League Rank System, inside or outside a game, would love to see you share your example and why was it so engaging so everyone can learn from it.
This post is a high-level introduction to Octalysis, The Gamification Framework I created Octalysis is a powerful Gamification Framework created after extensive research and study for over 19 years.
Gamification, a design approach centered around human motivation, takes elements from games and applies them to real-world activities. Octalysis emphasizes “Human-Focused Design” instead of mere functionality, optimizing human motivation and engagement within a system.
The framework comprises 8 Core Drives represented by an octagon shape, including Epic Meaning & Calling, Development & Accomplishment, Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback, Ownership & Possession, Social Influence & Relatedness, Scarcity & Impatience, Unpredictability & Curiosity, and Loss & Avoidance. By understanding and implementing these Core Drives, designers can create engaging experiences that cater to intrinsic motivators and promote positive user experiences.
What is Gamification?
Gamification is a design that places the most emphasis on human motivation in the process. In essence, it is Human-Focused Design (as opposed to “function-focused design”).
Gamification is the craft of deriving all the fun and engaging elements found in games and applying them to real-world or productive activities. This process is what I call “Human-Focused Design,” as opposed to “Function-Focused Design.” It’s a design process that optimizes human motivation in a system, as opposed to pure efficiency.