A Framework for
Actionable
Gamification
A Framework for
Actionable
Gamification
Guild Leader: Yu-kai Chou
Early Pioneer of Gamification for 11 years
Parter at the Enterprise Gamification
Consultancy
Original creator of the Octalysis Framework
Regular Keynote Speaker/Lecturer at Stanford
University, TEDx, Accenture, SxSW
Rated a Top 3 Gamification Guru by
Leaderboarded
ExerciseThink about ONE game you enjoyed playing:
Farmville? Candy Crush? Angry Birds?
Starcraft? WoW? DOTA? Halo? LoL?
Poker? Golf? Majong? Crossword Puzzle? Sudoku?
Think about what made that game
fun/enjoyable
Exercise
We’ll come back to this later.
The MagicKids nowadays have bad work
ethics?
No Discipline?
The MagicWaking up behind parents’ back 3AM in the
morning to level up = AMAZING work ethics
The MagicIn Role-Playing Games (RPG), Leveling up often
involves killing the same monsters in the same
stage over and over again for hours or weeks
The MagicGamers call this “grinding.”
It’s Fun & Addicting.
The MagicIn the real world, this is called Grunt
Work. It’s Boring & Torturous.
The MagicIf games can get kids to voluntarily do hours of
secret grunt work, it can get anyone engaged
to anything
The Magic
If it is well designed
“Human-Focused
Design”• As opposed to “Function Focused Design”
• System that is designed to optimize for the
motivations and feelings of the human inside
• ...instead of assuming the people within are
robots that will complete the task
vs
“Human-Focused
Design”• Gaming industry = first to master Human-Focused
Design
• Games have spent decades/centuries mastering how
to engage people without a mandated purpose
• Now we are learning from games, hence
“Gamification”
vs
90+ Gamification
Case Studies with
ROI Stats
http://bit.ly/gameROI
Outside Reading
Every truth passes through 3 stages before it is
recognized:
The Schopenhauer
Truth Hype Cycle
Every truth passes through 3 stages before it is
recognized:
I.First, it is ridiculed.
II.Second, it is violently opposed.
III.Third, it is regarded as self-evident.
The Schopenhauer
Truth Hype Cycle
The Schopenhauer
Truth Hype Cycle
Also, I’m a smart guy!
Every truth passes through 3 stages before it is
recognized:
I.First, it is ridiculed.
II.Second, it is violently opposed.
III.Third, it is regarded as self-evident.
History LessonMany Years Ago A Few Years Ago Now
History LessonMany Years Ago A Few Years Ago Now
DUH! Every
organization needs a
Talent Strategy!
This Website thing is a
fad...where’s the ROI?
Who needs a Website?
It’s a distraction to
business!
Just fad-chasing
enthusiasts and
conferences talk about
Websites...
History LessonMany Years Ago A Few Years Ago Now
DUH! Every
organization needs a
Website Strategy!
This Social thing is a
fad...where’s the ROI?
Who needs Social
Media?
It’s a distraction to our
employees!
Just fad-chasing
enthusiasts and
conferences talk about
Social Media...
DUH! Every
organization needs a
Talent Strategy!
This Website thing is a
fad...where’s the ROI?
Who needs a Website?
It’s a distraction to
business!
Just fad-chasing
enthusiasts and
conferences talk about
Websites...
History LessonMany Years Ago A Few Years Ago Now
DUH! Every
organization needs a
Talent Strategy!
This Website thing is a
fad...where’s the ROI?
Who needs a Website?
It’s a distraction to
business!
Just fad-chasing
enthusiasts and
conferences talk about
Websites...
DUH! Every
organization needs a
Website Strategy!
This Social thing is a
fad...where’s the ROI?
Who needs Social
Media?
It’s a distraction to our
employees!
Just fad-chasing
enthusiasts and
conferences talk about
Social Media...
DUH! Every
organization needs a
Social Strategy!
This Gamification thing
is a fad...where’s the
ROI?
Who needs
Gamification?
It’s a distraction to our
employees!
Just fad-chasing
enthusiasts and
conferences talk about
Gamification...
Global MovementGartner predicts 70% of Fortune 500 will
use Gamification by 2014
Except...Gartner also predicts 80% of the gamified
apps will fail due to bad design
Agencies and individuals claim to be
experts at whatever is the new “Buzzword”
The Cause
The CauseEveryone focuses on PBLs (Points,
Badges & Leaderboards)
The CauseSimilar to “Social Media Marketing” 4 years
ago
The CauseSimilar to “Social Media Marketing” 4 years
ago
Real SMM is not simply creating a Twitter
Profile and Facebook Page
The CauseBeginning with “game mechanics”
instead of the Core Drives
Bad Game Designer
We need swords...where can they go? Oh yes,
monsters. Of course! We need cows! And friends that
can fertilize crops!
+ + + =????
Bad Game Designer
We need swords...where can they go? Oh yes,
monsters. Of course! We need cows! And friends that
can fertilize crops!
+ + + =????
++
+ +
Bad Game Designer
+ + + =????
A game can have all the right “game
elements” but still be stupid/boring.
We need swords...where can they go? Oh yes,
monsters. Of course! We need cows! And friends that
can fertilize crops!
++
+ +
Bad Game Designer
+ + + =????
In fact, ALL games have “game
elements” but most games suck and
are boring.
We need swords...where can they go? Oh yes,
monsters. Of course! We need cows! And friends that
can fertilize crops!
++
+ +
Bad Game Designer
+ + + =????
It’s naive to think that once you plug game
mechanics into your company, it will be
successful
We need swords...where can they go? Oh yes,
monsters. Of course! We need cows! And friends that
can fertilize crops!
++
+ +
Bad Game Designer
+ + + =????
Only a few well-designed games
achieve the status of Winning &
Addicting
We need swords...where can they go? Oh yes,
monsters. Of course! We need cows! And friends that
can fertilize crops!
++
+ +
Good Game
DesignerHow do I want my users to...
Good Game
DesignerHow do I want my users to FEEL?
Inspired? Proud? Scared?
Good Game
Designer
Hmm, Okay. What game elements do I
need in order to accomplish that goal?
? ? ? ?
How do I want my users to FEEL?
Inspired? Proud? Scared?
Good Gamification
does not start with
Game Elements
but starts with our
Core Drives
The Basics of
Octalysis Gamification
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
-Narrative
-Elitism
-Humanity Hero
-Higher Meaning
-Beginners Luck
-Free Lunch
-Destiny Child
-CoCreator
-Points
-Badges (Achievement Symbols)
-Fixed Action Rewards
-Leaderboard
-Progress Bar
-Quest Lists
-Win Prize
-High-Five
-Crowning
-LevelUp Symphony
-Aura Effect
-Step-by-Step Tutorial
-Boss Fights
-Milestone Unlock
-Evergreen Mechanics
-General’s Carrot
-Real-Time Control
-Chain Combos
-Instant feedback
-Boosters
-Blank Fills
-Voluntary Autonomy
-Choice Perception
-Virtual Goods
-Build from Scratch
-Collection Set
-Avatar
-Earned Lunch
-Learning Curve
-Protection
-Recruitment
-Monitoring
-Bragging
-Water Cooler
-Thank-You Economy
-Mentorship
-Social Prod
-Friending
-Social Treasure/Gifting
-SeeSaw Bump
-Group Quest
-Touting
-Appointment Dynamics
-Fixed Intervals
-Dangling
-Prize Pacing
-Options Pacing
-Patient Feedback
-Count Down
-Throttles
-Moats
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuests
-Visual Storytelling
-Easter Eggs
-Random Rewards
-Obvious Wonder
-Rolling Rewards
-Mischief
-Sudden Rewards
-Oracle Effect
-Sunk-Cost Tragedy
-Progress Loss
-FOMO
-Evanescence Opportunity
-Status Quo Sloth
-Scarlet Letter
-Visual Grave
-Weep Tune
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Octalysi
s
Meaning
Epic Meaning & Calling
Octalysi
s
Accomplishment
Development &
Accomplishment
Octalysi
s
Empowerment
Empowerment of
Creativity & Feedback
Octalysi
s
Ow
ners
hip
Ownership &
Possession
Octalysi
s
Socia
l
InfluenceSocial
Influence &
Relatedness
Octalysi
sScarcity
Scarcity & Impatience
Octalysi
sUnpredictability
Unpredictability & Curiosity
Octalysi
sUnpredictability
Unpredictability & Curiosity
Skinner Box
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Loss & Avoidance
Right
BrainLeft
Brain Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Right
BrainLeft
Brain Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Extrinsic (tendency) Intrinsic (tendency)
White Hat Gamification
Black Hat Gamification
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
White Hat Gamification
Black Hat Gamification
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
White Hat Gamification
Black Hat Gamification
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Self-Submission to Black Hat Gamification
Just because it’s called Black Hat
doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
-Narrative
-Elitism
-Humanity Hero
-Higher Meaning
-Beginners Luck
-Free Lunch
-Destiny Child
-CoCreator
-Points
-Badges (Achievement Symbols)
-Fixed Action Rewards
-Leaderboard
-Progress Bar
-Quest Lists
-Win Prize
-High-Five
-Crowning
-LevelUp Symphony
-Aura Effect
-Step-by-Step Tutorial
-Boss Fights
-Milestone Unlock
-Evergreen Mechanics
-General’s Carrot
-Real-Time Control
-Chain Combos
-Instant feedback
-Boosters
-Blank Fills
-Voluntary Autonomy
-Choice Perception
-Virtual Goods
-Build from Scratch
-Collection Set
-Avatar
-Earned Lunch
-Learning Curve
-Protection
-Recruitment
-Monitoring
-Bragging
-Water Cooler
-Thank-You Economy
-Mentorship
-Social Prod
-Friending
-Social Treasure/Gifting
-SeeSaw Bump
-Group Quest
-Touting
-Appointment Dynamics
-Fixed Intervals
-Dangling
-Prize Pacing
-Options Pacing
-Patient Feedback
-Count Down
-Throttles
-Moats
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuests
-Visual Storytelling
-Easter Eggs
-Random Rewards
-Obvious Wonder
-Rolling Rewards
-Mischief
-Sudden Rewards
-Oracle Effect
-Sunk-Cost Tragedy
-Progress Loss
-FOMO
-Evanescence Opportunity
-Status Quo Sloth
-Scarlet Letter
-Visual Grave
-Weep Tune
-Sharing whatever you want
-TONS of Facebook games
-Instant feedback of friends “liking”
-Friend Invites
-Conformity
-Social Prod
-Social Treasure
Group Quests
-Touting
-Envy
-Completed Profile
-More friends
-Increased likes and comments
-Aura Effect
-Build from Scratch
-Photos/Profiles
-Friends
-Memories
-Protection
-Recruitment
-Earned lunch
-Monitoring
-Inner Circles
Note: (Early
Facebook has
HIGH scarcity
score with
certain
universities only)
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuests
-Refreshing Content
-Suspense
-Scarlet Letter
-Sunk Cost Tragedy
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Octalysis Score: 448
-Elitism
-Staying in touch with friends
-Stalking
Social
Influence
Octalysi
s
-No higher meaning besides being a farmer
-Allows the ability to “paint” with
your farm
-Leaderboard
-Group Farming
-Free Social Gifts
-Neighbors
-Farm getting Bigger & Better
-Difficult badges for sorts of crops
-Reward Loops
-Ownership of Farm
-Virtual Goods
-Appointment Dynamics
-Milestone Unlock
-Real-money Only Crops
-Free Social Gifts
-Season-based Gifts
-Waiting for what’s next in the game
-Avoid plants withering
-Avoid losing opportunities
-Avoid Sunk-Cost Tragedy
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Octalysis Score: 414
Octalysi
s
-Saving the world of “Sanctuary”
-Diablo II Legacy
-Help others
-Massive Skill Combinations
-Different challenges each stage
-Multiplayer Game
-Friend gear and hours
-Mentoring
-Leveling Up
-Plot line
-4 Difficulties
-Skills
-Gear
-Characters
-Items
-Auction House
-Item Drops
-Skill Sets
-Storyline
-Item Drops
-Randomized Maps
-Randomized Elites
-Repetitive Plot
-Item Durability
-Bottleneck
-Avoid Sunk-Cost Tragedy
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Octaylsis Score: 284
-Microblogging Wave-Character Limit
-Witty/valuable content
-Friends on Twitter
-Followers
-Responses
-Companionship
-Thank You Economy
-Follower Gain
-Retweets
-Responses
-Unique Information
-Followers
-Information
-Fail Whale
-Character Limit
-Follower Count
-Interesting Tweets
-Surprising content
-Will someone respond?
-Quick news
-Friend Loss
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
InfluenceOctalysis Score: 267
-Helping a weird monster solve problems
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Constantly looking for better combos
and planning boosters
“Sweet” “Delicious!”
Level tracks and “Boss Stages”
1-3 Stars
Defeating Chocolate
Quest to accumulate more
points and boosters
Social Treasure - Lives
See friend progress
Always waiting for the right
gems
Seeing levels ahead
Countdown timer/moves
Balancing Owl Gems
Unpredictable Gems
Random CombosAvoiding Loss
Fear of the chocolate
encroaching candy
Octalysis Score:
432
“You need a LinkedIn Account”
Finding that dream job you are passionate about
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Better ways to “dress up” your
profile and build reputation in
communities.
Progress Bar
“X People saw your profile”
Recommendations
Endorsements
Your life. Your Job.
Accumulating more
contacts.
Social Treasure -
Recommendations
Social Prodding -
Endorsements
X People saw my profile
Want to see her profile?
Upgrade to Premium!
Want to connect? Upgrade
to Premium!
Are recruiters Googling my
name and seeing my
profile?
How many people view my
profile?
Avoiding Loss of Career
Avoiding Bad Reputation
Octalysis Score:
294
Discovery Onboarding Scaffolding Endgame
Design for All 4 Phases
Level 2 Octalysis
Discovery Onboarding Scaffolding Endgame
Design for All 4 Phases
Level 2 Octalysis
Discovery OnboardingScaffoldin
g
Endgam
e
Achie
vers
Exp
lore
rsS
ocia
lizer
sK
illers
Discover
y
Onboardin
g
Scaffoldin
g
Endgam
e
Achie
ve
r
sE
xplo
rers
Socia
lize
rsK
ille
rs
The Game You Like
Now that you have learned the basics of the
8 Core Drives, think about which Core Drives
made the game you enjoy fun?
The 8 Core Drives
of Octalysis
Write Down a Problem
1.Something you want to improve
2.Needs to deal with human motivation
3.Could relate to your customers, clients,
employees, teammates, or yourself
1) Epic Meaning & CallingPart of something bigger than yourself
Elitism
Elitism
2) Development &
AccomplishmentFeeling Progress and Achievement
Nike+
Nike+
3) Empowerment of
Creativity & FeedbackThe creator inside of us
4) Ownership &
PossessionThe more you have, the more you
want
Customizing Your AvatarMakes you feel more ownership over it as your own
identity
Mcdonald’s Monopoly
Game
5) Social Influence &
RelatednessWhat others think can kill you
Game Technique
#22: Group Quests
Game Technique
#22: Group Quests
Mentorship
Mentorship
6) Scarcity & ImpatienceThe Grass On The Other Side
7) Unpredictability &
CuriosityWhat kills the cat
The Boy Is the Toy
8) Loss & AvoidanceThe threat is stronger than the
execution
©2011-2013 Mario Herger. All rights reserved. www.enterprise-gamification.com | www.gamificationcommunity.com 108
Gamification – Zombies Run!
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Influence
Relatedness
Autonomy
Competence
Speed Camera
Lottery
Speed Camera
Lottery
-Narrative
-Elitism
-Humanity Hero
-Beginners Luck
-Free Lunch
-Chosen One
-Points
-Badges
-Fixed Action Rewards
-Leaderboard
-Progress Bar
-Quest Lists
-Win Prize
-High-Five
-Crowning
-LevelUp Symphony
-Aura Effect
-Juicy Feedback
-Boss Fights
-Milestone Unlock
-General’s Carrot
-Real-Time Control
-Chain Combos
-Instant feedback
-Boosters
-Blank Fills
-Step-by-Step Tutorial
-Virtual Goods
-Build from Scratch
-Collection Set
-Dangling
-Earned Lunch
-Learning Curve
-Protection
-Recruitment
-Monitoring
-Avatar
-Bragging
-Must Marketing
-Thank-You Economy
-Mentorship
-Social Prod
-Friend Invites
-Social Treasure/Gifting
-Envy
-Group Quest
-Touting
-Appointment Dynamics
-Fixed Intervals
-Prize Pacing
-Options Pacing
-Patient Feedback
-Count Down
-Throttles
-Moats
-Glowing Choice
-MiniQuest
-Visual Storytelling
-Easter Eggs
-Random Rewards
-Sudden Tips
-Rolling Rewards
-Mischief
-Sudden Rewards
-Suspense
Octalysi
s
Avoidance
Ownership
Empowerment
Meaning
Unpredictability
Accomplishment
Scarcity
Social
Pressure
-Sunk-Cost Tragedy
-Lost Progress
-Guilting
-Grounded
-Scarlet Letter
-Visual Grave
-Weep Tune
Applying Knowledge
Actionable Gamification:
Strategy Dashboard
Strategy Dashboard
1.Define: Business Metrics - Game Objective
2.Define: Users - Players
3.Define: Desired Actions - Win-State
4.Define: User Stats - Feedback
5.Define: Incentives - Drives
BUSINESS METRICS
1.END RESULTS OF WHAT YOU WANT TO
IMPROVE
2. IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
3.NEEDS TO BE QUANTIFIABLE
4.LEADS TO GAME OBJECTIVE
PROCESS
BUSINESS
METRICS
DEFINE USERS
1.DEMOGRAPHICS
2.WHAT MOTIVATES THEM
3.WHY ARE THEY DOING THE CURRENT
ACTIVITIES (8 CORE DRIVES)
4.WHAT ARE ANTI-CORE DRIVES?
(REASONS WHY THEY DON’T DO THE
DESIRED ACTIONS)
PROCESS
BUSINESS
METRICS
PLAYER
PROCESS
BUSINESS
METRICS
PLAYER
?
DEFINE DESIRED
ACTIONS
1.ALL THE LITTLE ACTIONS YOU WANT
USERS TO DO
2.CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
3.NO ACTION IS TOO TRIVIAL
4.LEADS TO WIN-STATES
PROCESS
BUSINESS
METRICS
WIN-STATE
PLAYER
DESIRED
ACTIONSRESULTS
DEFINE Feedback Stats
1.WHAT USERS USE TO KEEP TRACK OF
THEIR PROGRESS TOWARDS WIN-STATE
2.Examples: POINTS, LEVELS, STAGES,
TROPHIES, AVATARS
3.SHOULD REEMPHASIZE ON THE CORE
DRIVES
PROCESS
BUSINESS
METRICS
WIN-STATE
PLAYER
DESIRED
ACTIONSRESULTS
FEEDBACK
STATS
DEFINE INCENTIVES
1.Within your power, if you could give users
everything they want, what would it be?
2. “Within your power” is important to define
3. Rewards, 8 Core Drives, or SAPS
4.Strategically place them in different Win-
States
Reward Context
1.Fixed-Action Rewards: Earned Lunch
2.Random Rewards: Mystery Box
3.Sudden Rewards: Easter Egg
4.Rolling Rewards: Lottery
5.Social Treasure: Gifting
6.Prize Pacing: Collection Set
PROCESS
BUSINESS
METRICS
WIN-STATE
PLAYER
DESIRED
ACTIONSRESULTS
FEEDBACK
STATS
INCENTIVES
EMBEDDED
For the excellent understanding and application of
Gamification Core Drives and Motivation
Average Joey
is awarded this certificate in honor of achieving
THE OCTALYSIS FRAMEWORK - LEVEL ONE
standards and conditions for masteryYu-kai
Chou
Octalysis Certificate of Completion
Mario Herger Yu-kai Chou
Roman RackwitzMarigo Raftopoulos
Companies we have worked with
Thank You.
Truly.