Options for a Gamification CMS

Gamification is everywhere and it’s getting more entangled in everyday activities (even in places that I feel will do more harm than good, but that’s a different post). Not too long ago I was engaged in a project that focused on bringing the core ideas of gaming into the social web. This is gamification in action.

Looking into the world of games and online social interaction brought forth a bunch of content management systems (CMS) that reward people’s use of a website using gamification. All of the companies below look to be focused on two things: turning site visitors into consumers and for internal company use to help HR.

Here’s a roundup of gamified CMS:

Badgeville
Founded in 2010 and they seem to be getting a lot of big corporate clients, their analytics programs look to be the most well-rounded of these CMS.

Bunchball
Arguably the first on the gamified CMS bandwagon they use a backbone called Nitro that can be plugged into an existing site.

BigDoor
If you’re running a smaller website and want to bring gamificaion into it then of all the CMS listed here, you should definitely check out BigDoor. They’re focused on making gamification more accessible to smaller companies.

Gamify
This company came up a lot in my research and to me they don’t seem to be all that great (I can’t name what it is exactly but they come across as not that legit).

More

You can use these gamification CMS for more than just projects driven for profit, indeed MeYou Health is an online community filled with social well being challenges.

Kiip is not a CMS but is related to some of the ideas brought forth by the companies listed above, they give out points for playing games on your mobile. With these Kiip points people can then get free tea-world things:

Kiip: An Introduction from kiip on Vimeo.



May 23rd, 2012 by Adam

ZED.TO: An Immersive Narrative Experience

ZED.TO – an immersive biotech adventure from Trevor Haldenby on Vimeo.

ZED.TO is a really cool project that is exploring the boundaries of modern entertainment by simulating the destruction of the world over eight months. They’re in the middle of their IndieGoGO campaign and just announced that they’ve added some more treats to people who fund them.

This project looks to be inspired by everything from interactive theatre to alternate reality games to the concept of gamification.

From their project description:

ZED.TO is an attempt to make theatre more relevant in the age of digital media. We want to use the tools of interaction and immersion to turn audiences into participants, and bring them into the story.

Immersive theatre has been around for years, but we feel that particularly in Toronto, its potential has not been fully realized. Unlike most other immersive productions, ZED.TO lets you have influence on the story. You’ll have the ability to make moral decisions that affect the story and events in real-time. Read this post on our blog for a more thorough discussion of our motivations.

ZED.TO Official site
ZED.TO on IndieGoGo



March 8th, 2012 by Adam

Places to Explore for Brands in the Mobile Space

The Microsoft tag blog has posted seven areas that brands should explore in the mobile space. Most of the points are the standard area that people working in mobile look at (augmented reality and location-specific stuff) but one point brought up is one I don’t normally think about.

Compliance/CRM Gaming

A major concern in the pharma/health industry is compliance of product usage. A common reaction from marketers is to set up voluntary email or text reminders. But what tends to happen over time is the consumer becomes annoyed by standard messaging that merely reminds them they’re deficient. Not a mood any brand wants to be associated with. What if the industry could move consumers from a feeling of “I’m different” to “I’m special” using games?

Bayer introduced the Didget blood glucose meter that plugs into a Nintendo DS and rewards kids with games for consistent testing. So, when a 14-year-old boy who’s recently discovered he’s diabetic experiences feelings of inadequacy and even daily compliance refusal sets in, a brand stepped in to make him feel exclusive. Think how your brand can use gaming to keep your loyal customers over-time.

Consumer response: “I’ll stay loyal knowing that with repeat usage or purchases of products I’m getting more than just the product.”

Using mobile devices to keep in contact with your consumers isn’t new itself, but attaching it to a larger experience beyond the traditional brand is. The gamification process will likely be problematic for most brands, but anything is possible right?



November 10th, 2011 by Adam
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