Why Gamification Doesn’t Work

You’re Treating Symptoms, Not Solving Problems

Gamified products only produce short term benefits. Think about it. How long have you ever continuously played a game? A couple days? A week? A month? What about half a year? It’s doubtful that you get that far. You’re bound to lose interest at some point… Games and game mechanics don’t serve a long lasting purpose except to entertain in the short run. That’s why they ultimately don’t work.

This becomes dangerous in the business world because people have come to think they can use game mechanics as a bandage. It’s a way for marketing companies to push “innovative” platforms to drive engagement or referrals. That may work for brief spurts of time, but it’s ultimately a lazy man’s way out of tackling underlying problems. People will lose interest and you’ll be stuck with the same problems that plagued you in the first place.

We need our customers to give us more referrals. Sales reps aren’t making enough dials. Not enough people are engaged at work. We need to create more social buzz. We don’t have enough word of mouth….

The list of symptoms goes on and on, and same with the proliferation of SaaS platforms that act as a bandaid and not a solution.

You don’t have a “we don’t have enough game mechanics problem!”

If you did, then yes, add game mechanics. What you have are; customer experience issues, an unmotivated sales team, uninspiring marketing collateral that people simply don’t find valuable enough to share, or product problem that doesn’t solve real problems and delight customers.

Do you really think you have a points, badges, and gaming problem? I doubt so…

Treating symptoms and ignoring the root cause is dangerous. For example, if you’re taking medication to reduce the effects of high altitude sickness — you might feel better, but you might also die. You won’t realize the increase in pressure building in your brain — because you no longer feel the pain or symptoms. The only way to solve that problem is to go to a lower altitude or acclimatize much slower. If you mask something for short term benefits, the lack of solving the underlying problem will likely cause you greater harm in the long run.

What problem are you really solving for?

Don’t gamify for short term benefits. Think about your problem. Solve for a real solution. Don’t be lazy.