Why gamification? Because it engages users and makes them interact, because it can be measured and continuously improved, because it is an experience that involves users regardless of age, gender or tastes but also because it is innovative but evokes blissful memories. Why? Why not?
WHAT GAMIFICATION IS NOT
However, let’s get rid of some recurring misunderstandings. Game does not mean mere entertainment, let alone trivialization, and it is not to be interpreted as only and constant fun.
PLAY
So what does it mean to play? Try to go back to the time you were a child. Anxiety, excitement, passion, joy, excitement or (in a more technical word) arousal. Gamification does not just mean realizing a game, but also enhancing the essence of the game, the meaning of which is marked by millennia of studies. From the classical era we pass through the fascinating insights into logic, philosophy, pedagogy, up to the contemporary concept of game play. Through the power of technology, the charm of the story is transformed into real live and interactive art.
THE GAME 4.0
Gamification to create a spontaneous and engaging brand experience, capable of attracting and retaining, throughout hybrid journeys in a series of digital and physical touch points. Let’s take some examples:
- ‘Worlds’ in virtual reality, to transform brands or products into experiences in which the user can interact and discover content in new and exciting forms.
- Advanced product configurators, in virtual and augmented reality, through which the user can play with its object of desire, trying all the functions, and interacting in both virtual and physical contexts.
- Evolved installations that inspire and tell, transforming events and information flows into brand new languages.
- Events that transform cities and make them interactive, with users interacting through instantly accessible websites.
- Dialogue agents, animated characters using hybrid intelligence, or a fusion of artificial intelligence and human support, who create dialogues and stories with users, welcome and inspire them, to tell the many stories of a brand.
and, of course, games.
Solutions available via the web, through mobile and desktop, which come to life in fantastic worlds thanks to virtual reality. They also magically appear in users’ homes with augmented reality, and are declined into places, stores, squares and in every junction of the smart city.
BEHAVIORAL DATA DRIVEN
As if all of this is not enough, these solutions open up to very sophisticated analytical systems, which can potentially measure any micro experience even with biometric elements, easily turning into powerful CRM tools. A potential that leads to an evolved nurturing, based on the behavior of users who, engaged in new ways in experiences that become more engaging and interactive, spontaneously share their emotional and cognitive energy.
Andrea Bellezza
VP of Enterprise Strategy
Co-founder of OSC Innovation, having 15+ years of experience as Strategic Innovation Researcher and Consultant, and New Media Designer: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Robotics, IOT, AI. Innovation and Intuition are the key cross-cutting components of his professional development, exploited in a wide range of environments: technology and new media, international academic research and education. Proudly led the launch of the ‘augmented reality’ in Italy, making OSC Innovation the Italian leader since then. Teacher and coaching for italian and international universities and institutions.
