Gamification is a trojan horse. Where did it come from and what's inside? Who will it help, who will it hurt? I give examples of 3 kinds of ways to "play" gamification, and 3 kinds of businesses that cater to the 3 kinds of players. Some implications about what real loyalty is, and how this new technology will change us as people and as businesses.

1. Welcome!
- @busterbenson

2. Welcome!
- @busterbenson

3. The house always wins.

4. The house game always wins.

5. healthmonth.com live healthier for fun

6. Say hello to the
Trojan Horse
of Gamification

7. Hi.
Say hello to the
Trojan Horse
of Gamification

8. 1 Where did it come from?
2 Who gains?
Are there any surprises
3 hidden inside?

9. What is Gamification, anyway?

10. Games

11. Games Life

15. If you...

16. If you... Then we...

17. If you... Then we...
You get...

18. If you... Then we...
You get... We get...

19. OR
Loyalty programs
on steroids?

20. OR
Loyalty programs
on steroids? Skinner Box?

21. Gamification’s Battlefield
Your
interests

22. Gamification’s Battlefield
Your The business’s
interests interests

23. Gamification’s Battlefield
Your The business’s
interests interests
please?
Visit them

24. Gamification’s Battlefield
Your The business’s
interests interests
please?
And they’ll give you free crap Visit them

25. Are you loyal to anyone who gives you free stuff?

26. Level 1
Gamification
Zombie
Are you loyal to anyone who gives you free stuff?

27. Let’s game the system.

28. Tumblarity.

29. Link farms.

30. Twitter trends.

31. Level 1
Zombie
Do you get even by gaming the system?

32. Level 1
Zombie
Level 2
Gaming
Pirate
Do you get even by gaming the system?

34. Why we do something
affects how well we do
that thing.

35. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Your rad
& unique
interests

36. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Your rad
& unique
interests

37. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Your rad
& unique
interests

38. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Tranquility
Your rad
& unique
interests

39. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
interests

40. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests

41. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality

42. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity

43. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy
Mastery
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity
Romance

44. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity
Romance

45. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity
Romance

46. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity
Romance

47. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity
Romance

48. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality
Physical Activity
Romance

49. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity
Romance

50. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance

51. What do you really want? - According to Steven Reiss
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

52. What motivates you? - According to Daniel Pink
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

53. What makes you happy? - According to Dan Gilbert
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

54. What do you think is fun?
- Aggregated from work by Jane McGonigal, Raph Koster, & Charlie Sheen
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

55. What happens during Level 1/2 style play?
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

56. What happens during Level 1/2 style play?
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

57. What happens during Level 1/2 style play?
Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

58. What happens during Level 1/2 style play?
Winning
Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your rad Social Contact
& unique
interests
Sensuality
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

59. The hidden cost of extrinsic motivation.

60. The hidden cost of extrinsic motivation.
1 Lower autonomy.

61. The hidden cost of extrinsic motivation.
1 Lower autonomy.
2 Sloppier, less creative work.

62. The hidden cost of extrinsic motivation.
1 Lower autonomy.
2 Sloppier, less creative work.
3 More likely to cheat or quit.

63. How to maintain autonomy
Your
interests

64. How to maintain autonomy
Your The business’s
interests interests

65. How to maintain autonomy
Your The business’s
interests interests
Play within this area

66. How to maintain autonomy
No fly zone
Your The business’s
interests interests
Play within this area

67. Level 1 Level 2
Zombie Pirate
Do you play the game by your own rules?

68. Level 1 Level 2
Zombie Pirate
Level 3
Ninja
Do you play the game by your own rules?

69. Zombie They use you
You Them
Pirate You use them
You Them
Ninja Mutual benefit
You Them

70. Foursquare Specials

71. Foursquare Specials
A
You like the challenge,
A
but hate coffee.

72. Foursquare Specials
B A
You like the challenge,
A
but hate coffee.
You like coffee, but fake
B
some checkins.

73. Foursquare Specials
B C A
You like the challenge,
A
but hate coffee.
You like coffee, but fake
B
some checkins.
You like the challenge,
C and you like coffee.

74. Mindsnacks iPhone App

75. Mindsnacks iPhone App
A
You play the game even
A though you hate French?

76. Mindsnacks iPhone App
B A
You play the game even
A though you hate French?
Arrggh... no incentive to
B game the system!

77. Mindsnacks iPhone App
B C A
You play the game even
A though you hate French?
Arrggh... no incentive to
B game the system!
You want to learn French,
C and you like games.

81. They gain nothing if you don’t
A like the service.
B C A
You gain nothing by trying to
B cheat
The only reason to play is if
C you both want to learn.

82. There is a conflict of interest at the heart of
Groupon’s gamification.

83. There is a conflict of interest at the heart of
Groupon’s gamification.

84. User
Loyalty
Player
autonomy

85. Will your business take advantage of users?

86. Shark
Business
Badge!
Will your business take advantage of users?

87. Will your business be gamed by users?

88. Squid
Business
Badge!
Will your business be gamed by users?

89. What will your business do to help users?
Autonomy Winning
Mastery! Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your users’ Social Contact
rad & unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

90. What will your business do to help users?
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting
Order Your users’ Social Contact
rad & unique
Meaning interests Power
Sensuality Status
Physical Activity! Family
Romance Honor

91. What will your business do to help users?
Autonomy Winning
Mastery Acceptance
Tranquility Collecting!
Order Your users’ Social Contact!
rad & unique
Meaning interests Power!
Sensuality Status!
Physical Activity Family
Romance Honor

92. Will you empower users?

93. Will you empower users?
Dolphin
Business
Badge!

94. 3 kinds of gamification businesses
Conflict of interest between
1 themselves and their users

95. 3 kinds of gamification businesses
Conflict of interest between
1 themselves and their users
2 Enables all user types

96. 3 kinds of gamification businesses
Conflict of interest between
1 themselves and their users
2 Enables all user types
Difficult or impossible to game,
3 because of aligned interests

97. Gamification is a
convivial technology.

98. Transactional Loyalty vs. Engaged Loyalty

101. Be mine.

102. Gamification’s
Dilemma Zombie
Pirate
Ninja

103. Thank you!
Me: busterbenson.com
Free game: bit.ly/game-always-wins
Slides: slideshare.net/busterbenson
Twitter: @busterbenson

104. Image Credits
Thank you for making your images
available for use and modification!
Trojan Horse by GoGap: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gogap/253649673/
Lego Carcasson by Cal Henderson: http://www.iamcal.com/lego-carcassonne/
Cow & Rainbow by Davichi: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davichi/363479293/
Friends in Photo Booth: http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=501226786185
Buttons by Chris In Plymouth: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisinplymouth/4560360783/
Money by Jolly UK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jollyuk/1989719848
Factory by Gilderic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilderic/4028494017
Game the System by StuckInCustoms: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/274450953/
Farmer Boy by StuckInCustoms: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/198735994/
Linkfarm Girl by Peasap: http://www.flickr.com/photos/peasap/1409590802/
Snow Leopard by Keith M Williams: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithmwilliams/4465380932/
Cupcakes of Catan by Quintanaroo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanaroo/sets/72157594450089446/with/339855681/
Angry Jack Black by Brian J Matis: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianjmatis/5115931003/
Fighting Tigers by Fpat: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fpat/4242800364/
Lego Vegas by M Liu 92: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mliu92/5341626259/
Convivial Technology by Stuck In Customs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/2945608377/
Store Keeper by Cibo Mahto: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cibomahto/2815757070/
Soccer Players by Hannah V: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannah_v/5459039782