How consequences can positively motivate you and those around you

A lot of time is spent on how and what rewards should be implemented in a game or gamified experience. But as you know the reward isn’t what motivates us. It’s the anticipation of something occurring that motivates us. And that can either be a reward or a consequence.

The problem with that is that too many people read consequence and think of something unwanted. But a consequence is simply the other side of the coin when we’re talking about outcomes; Rewards — Consequences.

If you have a reward, you should also have a consequence, and either need not be tangible but can be as simple as changing a level of skill, mastery or peace of mind in the person overcoming the challenge that leads to the promised outcome. That is where the motivation arises, as the anticipation of achieving something or learning something and then trying again to achieve it is an incredibly strong driver.

Being aware of consequences

What often happens though, especially in the workplace, is that individuals are oblivious or not made aware of consequences. In those cases, it can take quite some time before people become fully aware and fully understand what the consequences are. This tends to occur when they are not properly explained or if the environment doesn’t…