According to the study Gamification Market by Solution, According to Markets and Markets, forecasts for the growth of gamification in the enterprise and other areas of application suggest that this sector will grow from $1.65 million in global turnover in 2015 to $11.10 million by 2020. What is the reason for this extraordinary increase in gamification?
The explanation lies in the ability of this technique to enhancing interest and motivation of the participants and thus to better ensure the correct learning process.. In fact, according to the work of Michael Lobardo and Robert W. Eichinger, adults acquire knowledge under the 70-20-10 rule, i.e. 10% of their development occurs through traditional training initiatives; 20% is obtained through social interaction (feedback, observation, advice, coaching...); and, finally, 70% of learning is generated by one's own experience.
It is here that the gamification in the company, as a method for improving skills through games and situation simulations.
According to Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham, authors of Gamification by Design, gamification consists of “a process related to player thinking and gaming techniques to engage users and solve problems”.
In the same vein, Karl. M. Kapp, in The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education defines this learning technique as “the use of mechanisms, aesthetics, and the use of thinking to engaging people, prompting action, promoting learning and solving problems”.
In short, it is about “applying game strategies (thoughts and mechanics) in non-game contexts, outside of games, in order to make people adopt certain behaviours».», as explained by José Luis Ramírez in Gamification. Game mechanics in your personal and professional life.
Its use in business, therefore, is expanding in the corporate context as one of the key trends in business management, thanks to the ability of this methodology to involve employees, managers or customers. in a fun way in the improvement of the company. This is why it is not only used in human capital training actions, but it is also common to see it in the areas of sales, recruitment, customer relations, communication and branding.
The power of gamification in business is based on the attitude it awakens in users. As Jesús Díaz and Yolanda Troyano explain in The potential of gamification applied to the field of education, in gamification “the elements of games, such as incentives, winnings, points..., are used to obtain a desired behaviour on the part of the player”.
Thus, through this methodology, it is possible to harnesses the innate spirit of playfulness and competition to encourage participation and involvement. in the different game dynamics, leading to the following benefits:
There are many different ways to apply the gamification technique in the company, and the following are some of them can be carried out in different areas, as mentioned above, and through different channels (specialised platforms and applications, teambuiling activities, group dynamics, etc.).
As examples of successful gamification, The Post Office saved around 70% of the cost of an overhaul of its website by applying gamification. in its workforce. It proposed a game: employees had to find faults and make suggestions for improving the site within 13 days, with 700 gifts being awarded to the best ones. The initiative gathered more than 50,000 proposals. On the other hand, in Domino's Pizza, gamification used to build customer loyalty and improve sales by creating a mobile app, Pizza Hero, where users could create their own pizza. And in Spain, BBVA boosted the digitisation of its customers through the Game BBVA app.
However, Virginia Gaitán, in her article Gamification: fun learning, The mechanical techniques most commonly used:
To materialise all these rewards, companies have at their disposal Gift vouchers, 100% is a convenient, versatile, practical and customisable gift card that adapts to the needs of the company at all times, allowing gamification to be rewarded both as part of the incentive plan for employees and in customer loyalty or corporate marketing campaigns.
