In relation to the techniques necessary to obtain the desired results in a game there are two different aspects to take into consideration: game mechanics and dynamics.
The former are to all intents and purposes the tools of the trade used to create the gaming infrastructure while the latter represent the human needs and desires rooted in everyone and which can be satisfied by exploiting the game mechanics.
The mechanics have been evolving a lot in recent years, hand in hand with the recent innovations brought by game design studies.
The basic mechanics, however, are made up of simple concepts, used to ensure an irresistible experience for the user/player, capable of increasing interest, encouraging participation and commitment.
The basic game mechanics are points, levels, challenges, virtual goods and leaderboards.
Each mechanic is closely linked and satisfies a specific game dynamic, while also influencing others to a lesser extent. The dynamics involved in gamification are reward, status, achieving a result, self-expression and competition.
Let’s explore each mechanic in detail, associated with the corresponding dynamics.
Points/Credits – Reward: Collecting points is a very powerful mechanic as it can motivate people. Even if there is no real value associated with the points, users continue to accumulate them and they can also be divided into different categories, in order to push towards different types of interactions or particular behaviors. The points can then be exchanged to obtain rewards that give the user the feeling of investing their time and energy profitably, giving the idea of earning something.
Levels – State: levels represent a segmentation of the user base and reflect numerous real contexts: social, working and business environments are often based on different classes ordered in a hierarchical way.
Levels provide a system for introducing milestones that can be shared and highlighted in the user’s status. The underlying structure can however be based on points that everyone earns to level up, guaranteeing access to new content and new possibilities.
Challenges – Objectives: Challenges are the “missions” that users can undertake within the game. They provide a reason to continue participating and motivate users to achieve results in the form of trophies or achievements to unlock.
The true essence of the objectives, however, lies in the possibility of showing them to other users, with a structure that encourages comparison and pushes competition.
Virtual goods – Self-expression: the game economy built on the opportunity to obtain points cannot last long without something that users can purchase, earn and, in certain cases, consume. The presence of virtual goods can increase the interest of players who can buy or win a vast choice of objects, from clothing to weapons or skills, used to create their own identity in the social environment. In this way, for example, everyone can express themselves by personalizing their avatar and showing it to friends and colleagues.
Virtual goods can also be a good way to generate profit by offering the purchase of special items in exchange for real money.
Leaderboards – Competition: The basic implementation of leaderboards provides a method for breaking down and ordering user performances. A more careful implementation can ignite everyone’s competitive spirit, promoting interest and increasing the time a user spends within the game. The system can include multiple leaderboards (even one for each different activity), tracking every aspect so that anyone can compare their skills with those of others. Competition is closely related to the aspiration to become the best within one’s circle of friends and acquaintances.