A game layer presentation given at #sxgsw. Based on slides from Seth Priebatsch's keynote at SXSW and others.

1. The Game Layer
@jschweitz77
@kat_b_fisher
@mixaster
#gswgamelayer

2. Q&A
• Just tweet questions to #gswgamelayer and
we will tackle them after the presentation!
• Don’t make fun of me, I know all of you and
where you sit

3. The game layer...
• Uses game mechanics that are effective at
motivating people in the virtual world to
motivate people in the real world
• Is brand new, it’s still under construction
• Seeks to influence where we go, what we
do, how we do it, why we do it, etc.
• Has the opportunity to be much more

4. Game Dynamics
• Status • Structured Exchanges
• Incentives • Reputation/Ranking
• Disincentives • Poking
• Challenges • Inclusive/Exclusive
Ownership
• Progression
• Level Up • Communal Gameplay
• Free Lunch • Communal Discovery
• Gifting • Countdown
• And many more

5. Is it powerful?
• "World of Warcraft" players have spent
5.93 million years playing and solving
problems in their virtual environment
• Can we focus that kind of power on big
problems?
• Blissful Productivity - people work hard for
something when it’s fun

6. Books, Brownies, and
Bono

7. School
School is a game?

8. School is an Almost Ideal Gaming
Ecosystem
• Motivated Players • Levels
• Challenges • Appointment
Dynamics
• Rewards
• Rules • Countdowns
• Allies • Incentives/
Disincentives
• Enemies • Etc
Is it poorly designed?

9. School Problems and Fixes
Problem Solution
Engagement Progression Dynamic
Grading is Broken
Status & Levels
Moral Hazard of Gameplay
Cheating Social Fabric of
Misapplied Disincentives Gameplay
Ruins Game Integrity Player Trust

10. Grades Fail as Rewards

11. Grades Fail as Rewards
Status Quo
• Grades are simply levels
• Valedictorians, percentiles, honor students are statuses

12. Grades Fail as Rewards
Status Quo
• Grades are simply levels
• Valedictorians, percentiles, honor students are statuses
Problem
• You can lose the game!
• Failing (progressing negatively) is a constant possibility
• Shouldn’t ever be able to “level down”
• A to C or B to C is BAD

13. Grades Fail as Rewards
Status Quo
• Grades are simply levels
• Valedictorians, percentiles, honor students are statuses
Problem
• You can lose the game!
• Failing (progressing negatively) is a constant possibility
• Shouldn’t ever be able to “level down”
• A to C or B to C is BAD
Solution
• Re-implement grades as a progression dynamic
• XP++, not a weighted dynamic
• Focus on the positive end goal, not the negative

14. Grades (status) => Levels (progression)
• Decrease direct correlation of action to
reward
• Focus on final goal, not interim rewards
(letter grades)
• Increase engagement levels in school

15. Cheating
• We’re currently fighting it with a game
dynamic, but it’s being implemented in a
bad way
• The misapplied disincentive is not on
cheating, it’s on getting caught

16. People at Princeton Don’t Cheat
But they do play quidditch

17. No Oversight = No Cheating?

18. No Oversight = No Cheating?
Princeton changed the game
• Write the honor code
• Complicity is a crime

19. No Oversight = No Cheating?
Princeton changed the game
• Write the honor code
• Complicity is a crime
“Social fabric of gameplay”
400 cases/year => 2 cases/year

20. Girl Scouts

21. Girl Scouts
Status + Incentives + Progression + Demonic Children = Cookies

22. American Express

23. American Express
Status + Incentives + Progression + Exclusive Ownership = Bono

24. Pants, patches, and
points

25. Gap & Facebook
• 10000 Free pairs of jeans, 25000 people

26. Gap & Facebook
• 10000 Free pairs of jeans, 25000 people
Rewards + Free Lunch + Communal Discovery = Pants

27. Groupon

28. Groupon
Free Lunch + Countdowns + Communal Gameplay = Rash

29. SCVNGR

30. SCVNGR

31. SCVNGR con Pollo
Buffalo Wild Wings Locations
Visits Challenges
200000
150000
100000
Rewards launched
50000
0
12/6/2010 1/6/2011 2/6/2011 3/6/2011

32. SCVNGR con Pollo
Buffalo Wild Wings Locations
Visits Challenges
200000
150000
100000
Rewards launched
50000
0
12/6/2010 1/6/2011 2/6/2011 3/6/2011
Communal Gameplay + Challenges + Rewards > Vowels (wtf)

33. Whrrl

34. Whrrl
Inclusive Membership + Level Up + Rewards > Vowels (again?!)

35. Level Up

36. Level Up
Free Lunch + Communal Gameplay + Incentives + Progression +
Countdown = Drunk

37. Playmoolah.com

38. Playmoolah.com
Challenges + Level Up + Incentives + Education > College Kids in Credit Trouble

39. Daily Feats

40. Daily Feats

41. Daily Feats
Incentives + Challenges + Communal Gameplay = Online Girl Scouts

42. Thanks
Kiip @bretrose

43. Accidental Kitteh Find

44. Accidental Kitteh Find
Kittehs + Funny + Communal Discovery = Cheezburgers

45. Is there money in this?
Raised Valuation
$120m
$90m
$60m
$30m
$0m
Foursquare SCVNGR MyTown ShopKick Whrrl Gowalla

46. Is there money in this?
Raised Valuation
$120m
$90m
$60m
$30m
$0m
Foursquare SCVNGR MyTown ShopKick Whrrl Gowalla
Facebook = $50 billion

47. How can we apply this
to healthcare?
• We have tons of opportunity in a dry,
boring space
• Think about ways to use the game layer
when brainstorming for your clients
• Start gaming!

48. Who should we follow?
• Seth Priebatsch @sethpriebatsch
• Jesse Schell @jesseschell
• Jane McGonigal @avantgame
• Gabe Zichermann @gzicherm

49. Q&A / Discussion