gamification

Gamification is the application of game theory concepts and techniques to non-game activities. Game theory is a branch of mathematics that seeks to understand why an individual makes a particular decision and how the decisions made by one individual affect others.

Download this free guide

Your Free Dreamforce Conference Coverage Guide 2018

Whether you made it to Dreamforce 2018 or missed it, we created this conference coverage guide to help keep you up-to-date on the major news, case studies, trends and cloud updates impacting the Salesforce user community.

Start Download

• Corporate E-mail Address:

  You forgot to provide an Email Address.

  This email address doesn’t appear to be valid.

  This email address is already registered. Please login.

  You have exceeded the maximum character limit.

  Please provide a Corporate E-mail Address.

• • I agree to TechTarget’s Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and the transfer of my information to the United States for processing to provide me with relevant information as described in our Privacy Policy.

  Please check the box if you want to proceed.

• • I agree to my information being processed by TechTarget and its Partners to contact me via phone, email, or other means regarding information relevant to my professional interests. I may unsubscribe at any time.

  Please check the box if you want to proceed.

By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent.

Although the word “game” is used in everyday speech, it can be difficult to formally define. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a game is “an activity engaged in for diversion or amusement.” In other words, a game is fun.  A second entry for the word, however, explains that a game can also be “a procedure or strategy for gaining an end.” 

Generally speaking, the overreaching goal of gamification is to engage the participant with an activity he finds fun in order to influence his behavior.  

In marketing, a gamification initiative might address the cognitive and emotional aspects of game theory as well as the social ones by including a system of rules for participants to explore through active experimentation and discovery, awarding points or badges for levels of participation, displaying leaderboard scores to encourage competition and offering prizes so that participants have a chance to win something of value.

See also: social CRM, coalition loyalty program,  social media marketing, mobile marketing