In this presentation I made at Gamification Europe I question the validity of talking about whether a project is a success or failure. My question to practitioners is whether they are making a material difference. I use systems thinking as a foundation of thinking about systemic change the unintended consequences of gamification.

1. Enterprise Gamification Design:
Success or Failure: Are you making a
difference?
Gamification Europe
November 2017
Marigo Raftopoulos PhD
0

2. 1
First we play!

3. 2
The rules:
• Form teams
• Build the tallest freestanding structure
• Only use the material provided in the envelope
• You have 10 minutes – GO!!

4. 3
What patterns of behaviour
emerged?

5. 4
The mental models at play…
• Form teams – production line team workgroups
• Build a freestanding structure – production target
• Use only material provided – resource scarcity
• Gameplay – competition or co-operation? Behaviour?
• You have 10 minutes – time bound production target
=> Command & Control, Military-Industrial Complex

6. 5
It’s all about
System Types
• Structure drives behaviour and outcomes
• Observable patterns over time
• Oscillations, instability (and blame)

7. 6
The truth about games
1. Systems driven affordances rule
2. Interplay of context and design elements
3. Intentions of the game (imbedded values)
4. System conform persuasion – limits agency
5. Limits to creativity and innovation
6. Unintended consequences

8. 7
• We react to ‘events’ most
of the time
• The illusion of control
• Cause and effect are not
closely related (despite
what you think)
• Structure influences
behaviour
• Leverage comes in new ways
of thinking (mental models)
You are here
The Systems Iceberg
Source: http://aea365.org/blog/systems-in-eval-tig-jan-noga-on-speaking-systems-with-non-systems-folks/
How far down
are you drilling?

9. 8
Proceduralism in Persuasive
Games (& Gamification)
Symbol
Manipulation
Information
Asymmetry
Imbedded
Values
Game Rules
Bias
What system types are we creating?
What messages are we conveying?

10. 9
Are we really
making a
difference?

11. 10
Success or failure?
I have three stories for you to think about:
1. Disruptive technology in insurance?
2. Personalisation of supermarket shopping?
3. Teaching a 6 year old how to be a hero?

12. 11
All design processes have
the same underlying
principles –
gamification design is no
different
Solving wicked
problems

13. • All systems design processes have the same
underlying principles.
• Success is differentiated by its application
and the co-creation skill of the designer. 12
Seven Steps:
1. Systems model
2. Objectives
3. Empathy (Personas)
4. Creative problem solving
5. Technology
6. Gamefulness
7. Prototyping
Gamification Design Framework

14. 13
Miss-steps of any of these
elements will yield some sort of
project ‘failure’.
These are all operational or
strategic failures. These are
easy to deal with.
Systemic failures are different
all together.
Capability Framework
21 Keys to Capability Building

15. 14
Operational
Design
Technology
Implementation
Types of gamification failure
Strategic
Problem
Solution
Communication
Systemic
Structure
Mental Models
Legacy

16. 15
The Big Picture
(Systems Thinking)

17. 16
A bad system beats
a good person
every time.

18. 17
MIT System
Dynamics
“The Beer
Game”

19. 18
The Beer Game
• Jay Forrester, MIT 1960
• Business simulation: teams of 4-8
players, workflow in 4 stages
(manufacturer, distributor,
supplier, retailer)
• Negative feedback loops & time
delays create oscillations in
inventory
• The design of the game (system)
will determine the outcome
• The system and ‘rules of the
game’ drives behaviour

20. 19
Patterns of
behaviour
& the
illusion of
control

21. 20
• The psychological effects of perceived power
• The system and ‘rules of the game’ drives behaviour
• The design of the game (system) will determine the outcome

22. 21
Drivers of human behaviour are complex
& are shaped by systemic structures
Emotion
(Plutchik)
Desire
(Reiss)
Values
(Schwartz)
Culture
(Hofstede)

23. 22
• Finding: When placed in the same system, people,
however different, tend to produce similar predictable
results.
• Conclusion: The system causes its own behaviour.
• Ask: What systemic drivers are causing the patterns of
behaviour?
Structure Influences Behaviour

24. 23
Data-Driven Gamification –
success or failure?
• Data-mining and algorithms to personalise the user
experience – or are we dumbing down life?
• Neurotechnology decoding and manipulating human cognition
• Ethical consequences:
• Privacy
• Consent
• Identity
• Agency

25. Next time someone asks you build a tower made of
plastic and hot air – ask them:
24
• What is the nature of the
system we are designing for?
• What are the consequences?
• How might we do this
differently?
• Most importantly. . .

26. 25
How are you making
a difference?

27. 26
Thank you!
marigo@strategicinnovationlab.com
http://strategicinnovationlab.com
Twitter: @marigo

28. Strategic Gamification Design
If you want to design like a pro, this program is for you
Strategic Gamification Design for Leaders Program
Contact: marigo@strategicinnovationlab.com