Gamification Unlocked:

“The idea of gamification is a simple one: to motivate and engage people by applying game design techniques and mechanics to non-game situations. Points, level progression, badges, achievements, power-ups, virtual currency, quests, puzzles, loss aversion- all of these game concepts are involved in this growing trend that spans areas from education and work to keeping fit and green actions to improve brand experience and loyalty schemes.

While the principle of gamification may be simple, effective execution is not, as people’s motivations and approaches vary so widely. The crudest forms of gamification, such as Foursquare-style badges and points based reward schemes have been subject to an intense backlash from marketers and game designers alike. They tell us...