Gamification is serious business

Whoever decided their employees should play games at work? Back in the 90s I had college suite mates who never saw second semester because they spent the bulk of their first semester playing video games. They never got much done because they never seemed to focus on work.

Yet today we see Fortune 100 companies demanding that we dedicate more of our IT time building games for their employees rather than reports on their programs.

So how do games and productivity go hand in hand? Let's start with a point of clarification—we're not talking about games here. Games are a way to pass the time at the cabin when it's too cold to jump in the lake.

We're talking about the power of game-based mechanics in the design of recognition and incentive tools that drive people enthusiastically to the work-based activities that strengthen your business.

And it's serious business. At last look we identified more than 670 gamification companies, and predictions suggest the global gamification market will grow at a rate of over 30% during the forecast period 2019-2025 and will be valued more than $32 billion by 2025.

But does gamification work?

Gamification is serious business because it delivers serious results. According to Daniel Pink's book Drive, it’s important for individuals to feel autonomy over their work, mastery over the concepts they apply every day and a purpose for getting the job done. Pink states that gamification can make employees feel connected with each of these concepts individually or any combination of them.

And in November of 2019, TalentLMS updated an ongoing study on gamification by canvassing almost 900 respondents to determine the impact of Gamification on productivity, motivation and employee engagement. TalentLMS's 2019 Gamification at Work survey found:

• Employees say gamification makes them feel more productive (89%) and happier (88%) at work
• 87% said gamification provided a sense of belonging and purpose in the workplace
• 33% would like more game-like features in their employee training software
• 89% believe they'd be more productive if their work was more gamified
• 78% of the respondents say that gamification in the recruiting process would make a company more desirable

The study not only validated the positive impact of a gamification strategy on the workforce, but also identified the most common features in a gamification suite. It said:

• 71% mention badges as the most common gamification element
• 59% say they're granted points by an app or software at work
• 56% are awarded virtual or physical rewards for accomplishments
• 51% put leaderboards fourth
• 47% work with levels

Like those results? We can help.

We all know a day at work isn't all fun and games…but a part of it can be. We offer a full suite of gamified applications for Encore, our ISO-certified Enterprise Engagement platform, that we can put to work for you today. From game structures like collection, chance, ranking and learning, to features like badging, eCards, Spin & Win, Learn & Earn, leaderboards and much more, we're poised to amp up the performance of your teams.

Today the technoid teams at Augeo are busy enhancing our gamification package with input from industry experts and clients who know their teams and what it takes to improve their performance. Look for more after the first of the year, and we’ll keep you posted.

For us, gamification is serious business and we're having fun with it.