The introduction of gamification has been unstoppable in recent years. However, it has gone unnoticed by many people. No doubt, gamification is present in such varied fields as learning, banking, energy or health, but what is most important is that according to a recent article of the IEEE [1] about 85% of activities in our lives will include aspects inherent to games by 2020. In other words, we are gradually witnessing the gamification of our life, the definitive game.

This constant change has been noticed by many companies that have applied gamification techniques, whether consciously or unconsciously [2]. In this way, many businesses have seen their client numbers or performance impacted, and are investing tremendous amounts of money in this technology so that they will not lag behind, to position themselves and compete in better conditions in the near future. This is the case, for example, of AT&T, which has just invested $3.8 million in a start-up dedicated to gamification [3]. Furthermore, a report on how gamification is radically changing our way of doing business [4] concludes that according to analysts, about 25% of business processes will have been redesigned by 2015 and a business volume of $2.8 billion will be reached in 2016.

 

This process is starting to become visible across social settings as well. From this perspective, the recent documentary “How videogames changed the world” [5] analyzes the history of videogames through the most representative ones, to consider their contributions and impact on this culture, up to the present date, reaching the same conclusion: the new games revolution is the gamification of our lives.

 

Within this trend, deftly identified by its director, Charlie Brooker, little by little the goals of competitiveness and leisure in our life increasingly focus on obtaining more friends or followers in our social networks, in achieving the highest number of referenced or reblogged contents, or even competing when visiting the most places or restaurants. Definitely, popularity, social success or success at the workplace is increasingly becoming more like a game, using more subtle or more obvious methods, depending on the occasion, as is easy to appreciate by paying attention to the techniques used by sites like Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare.

However, the gamification process is not a bed of roses. Many thorny and dangerous issues await along the road to gamification. Incorrect gamification may be accused of being immoral and as exploitation of workers. It is also common to criticize its use as a mode for distracting those involved, more focused on the mechanisms of the game than on the gamified tasks themselves. Others simply consider gamification a passing trend that will, like so many others, end up losing momentum and disappearing [4]. Certainly, there is a major issue as regards ethics and the associated risks that requires attention to using gamification properly, but the truth is, to date, gamification is increasingly present and gradually, without our even being aware of it, more and more aspects of our lives will be gamified. Knowing how to capture and exploit this trend may entail a vital differentiation for a company.

References:

[1] “In 2020, Everything Will Be a Game” http://technologyadvice.com/gamification/blog/in-2020-everything-will-be-a-game/

[2] “Putting the fun in functiona”  http://www.slideshare.net/amyjokim/putting-the-fun-in-functiona

[3] “AT&T invest $3.8m in gamification” http://www.ltmdigest.com/?p=746

[4] “The Engagement Economy - How gamification is reshaping businesses“ http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Insights/Browse-by-Content-Type/deloitte-review/c7cee86d96498310VgnVCM1000001956f00aRCRD.htm   

[5] “How videogames changed the world” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Videogames_Changed_the_World, http://www.channel4.com/programmes/charlie-brooker-videogames-changed-the-world

[6] “How Video Games Are Infiltrating--and Improving--Every Part of Our Lives” http://www.fastcompany.com/1702209/how-video-games-are-infiltrating-and-improving-every-part-our-lives