Gamification

http://gamification.co/

This video was my second exposure to the concept of gamification, after reading Jane McGonnigal's "Reality is Broken." The more I hear, and the more I think about the more convinced I am in the power of gamification. It is such an inspired idea to design the world around us to take advantage of the motivating power of games. For example, the video explains the Ford "EcoGuide" built into the dash of Ford hybrids, featuring a vine which grows when the car is driven in a way that conserves gasoline and shrinks when it is driven more aggressively.

The video also discusses a game called "Speed Camera Lottery," in which speed cameras do not only detect speeders and send them tickets, they also keep track of drivers who pass going under the speed limit. Speeders receive tickets, while everyone else is entered into a lottery to win the ticket fees. The psychology of games, as well as the partial reinforcement effect combine to make this method highly effective, dropping the average speed by 20% in areas where such speed cameras are installed. I was very intrigued by this concept because it so clearly shows what effective tools product and system design can be for social engineering.