Gamification is a term that has sprung up fairly recently, though it only serves to label a trend which has been growing in popularity for years. One of the largest networks to get on board with this movement, Gamify, has become incredibly popular lately and has just launched a site that acts as a central hub for all of its gamification-related webspaces. The point of this network, and Gamify as a whole, is to support and spread awareness of what gamification is.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, let me take a step back and explain. If you have ever been on a site that tracks the progress of your profile building with something akin to an experience bar, or gotten frequent flyer points from your credit card company for using that card to make purchases, you are gamifying your life experiences. Basically, companies take tasks performed outside of videogames and add motivators like achievement levels, redeemable points, progress bars or leaderboards to encourage continued participation.
Not everyone is happy with this new trend mixing life with certain aspects found in videogames, and there are some persuasive arguments against gamification, but there are also those who are using this new trend to educate and promote awareness of issues that matter in today’s society. Gamify is one of those groups who sees potential in gamification, and is working hard to spread the word about an idea that is becoming more mainstream.
