Gamification for Growth Hackers : Thought Process

25th March 2020

A beautiful morning and three days into the nationwide lockdown.

I got up at 7:30 AM and saw a notification on my phone that two buildings had been abandoned in my city due to fire.

I felt terrible because I was the mayor of the city in the game SimCity.

It was my responsibility to keep the citizens safe.

This is how I realized the real power of Gamification.

What is Gamification?

Simply put, Gamification is the act of making something game-like.

Today, we can see it in every aspect of our lives. Be it education, work, marketing, scientific research, and more –

For instance, A platform for GMAT tests increased the participation of students by 370% using Gamification.

And then 70% of the major employers are already using gamification to enhance performance and training at their companies according to Engagement Software Association.

Also In 2011, Gamification led to a breakthrough in HIV research. Gamers playing a protein-folding game called Foldit have helped unlock the structure of an AIDS-related enzyme within three weeks that the scientists could not do for a decade.

And the list goes on.

Growth Hacker’s Approach

In the last few years, gamification has become a really hot topic among entrepreneurs, growth hackers, marketers, and product managers.

As a result, a lot of them have reached out to me and asked for help in applying gamification to their product.

Hence, I decided to write this article.

My goal here is to explain the thought process required and also help you to avoid common pitfalls of gamification.

So, let’s get started.

Creating a good gamified experience is much more than simply implementing game mechanics like points, badges, and leaderboards in the product.

They aren’t compelling unless you are improving along some personally meaningful dimensions.