Is ‘gamification’ just making bad processes palatable?
I don’t like the term ‘gamification’. Maybe I’ve missed the point, but if we have to turn something into a game doesn’t that suggest it’s not fit for purpose anyway?
Eight or nine years ago a man from Immersive Education introduced my colleagues and me to Kar2ouche. He explained it was the result of some Oxford University research into why children enjoyed computer games but not educational software. He finished by admitting that the findings stated the bleeding obvious: games are fun because the kids are in control. It was as simple as that.
He didn’t feel the need to call it ‘gamification’. To do so now is to suggest it’s a Cool New Thing: it’s not; it’s just common sense.
We know from the pain of public consultations that there’s little point involving people if they feel they have no stake in it. If the thing I’m expected to do isn’t relevant enough to engage me in the first place, why am I expected to do it at all? Bribing me might elicit some answers but it probably won’t encourage much meaningful engagement from me.
In other words, sugar-coating something might make it taste better but it doesn’t improve the process. For example, by turning voting into a game you might get more people to vote, but that doesn’t mean you’ve improved the democratic process. Those voters might still feel alienated after the election, meaning that next time you just have to be even more creative if you want them to turn out on polling day.
You don’t build a car from a cake recipe and ask someone to rectify it later. No: you make sure the processes and environment are optimum in the first place. Either that or you’ve decided already that you want a cake and not a car.
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You may be interested in this video from the San Francisco Creative Mornings: http://vimeo.com/35394885
Dom Barnes
Thanks Dom, this is good stuff. I’ve also been sent a couple of other interesting links:
Michael
“Eight or nine years ago a man from Immersive Education introduced my colleagues and me to Kar2ouche.”
Gosh. Flashbacks. BECTA / NESTA Futurelab days?
John Kirriemuir