To find out more about gamification, I contacted Eko Nugroho, CEO of Kummara Group, a company that focuses on serious gaming, game-based learning, and gamification in general. Eko explained, basically, gamification is the use of game elements in fields other than games, from education, workplaces, to the military.

The game elements used in gamification are also not always the same. In Shopee’s case, they included the full game in their app. However, gamification doesn’t always have to be that way. Implementing gamification can be as simple as using a points system or installing a leaderboard in the application.

One of the reasons why the application of gamification is not always optimal is because there are still many people who have the wrong thoughts about gamification. Eko revealed, there are still many people who think that gamification is simply a system of points or badges. “Using a point or badge system is indeed gamification. But, gamification is more than that,” said Eko. “Gamification must be well designed.”

Another reason why the use of gamification is sometimes not optimal is because sometimes people who want to implement gamification want to implement it quickly. In fact, gamification can only be optimal if it is implemented properly. “For example, Hybrid readers are people aged 18-30 years. Suddenly, Hybrid adds a gamification feature, but the UI / UX is old school. Yes, gamification will not be maximal, “said Eko.

Then, how do you determine whether the application of gamification is optimal? According to Eko, whether gamification is optimal or not depends on whether the objectives of the gamification itself are successfully achieved. Another benchmark is whether gamification can provide a better experience for consumers. “In the application, if the gamification feature makes users interested in using a try, that means the gamification is going well,” he said.

In the long run, optimized gamification features can foster consumer loyalty. An example that Eko gave is the frequent flyers system used by airlines. In that system, the more often a person uses certain airline services, the higher the class and the better the service he gets. At first, a person may use one airline because they need to. However, over time, he will be reluctant to use other airlines because the service he gets is already very good.

• Full article (Bahasa Indonesia): https://hybrid.co.id/post/gamifikasi
• Photo by Deposit Photos