Gamepocalypse Now

Yumemiru

2012-02-12T19:06:00.002-05:00

New Remtertainment app lets you control your dreams. Hope you like Japanese dreams, cuz that's all they have right now. Article about it here in gizmag. Hurry up, Pepsi! I want to dream of soft drinks. Thanks to Joe Velikovsky for the tip!

Brush Monkey

2012-02-07T22:28:00.002-05:00

A toothbrush that gives you points? Ridiculous. Trust Brian Krejcarek to do it right.

Visual Studio Acheivements

2012-01-22T19:41:00.001-05:00

Let's say you have to use Microsoft Visual Studio (sorry). Why not make it "better" with badges and achievements! Won't you be proud when you've earned them all? Your code is already bloated and full of obscure and questionable practices, so why not at least get rewarded for that? Read all about it here. Thanks to Scott Landsman and Juan Serrallonga for the tip!

Games for Animal Tongues

2011-12-15T11:30:00.002-05:00

I've often thought about making games for cats... but I never thought of this.

*UPDATE*

Frogs play too -- watch til the end... :)

Behavior Recycling

2011-12-14T00:27:00.000-05:00

A nice article about "behavior recycling" by @goguma. Labortainment is my new favorite word.

A Triumph for Foldit!

2011-09-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

Dedicated readers will remember my post about Foldit about a year ago. Today they have a real triumph to announce! AIDS researchers have been trying for ten years to understand the folding pattern of an enzyme from a retrovirus found in rhesus monkeys, in the belief that understanding that might give broader insight into how to stop other retroviruses. Top scientists couldn't do it. Supercomputers couldn't do it. But a couple dozen videogame players did it in ten days.

Electronic Sensor Tattoos

2011-08-15T12:49:00.000-04:00

Researchers at University of Illinois have developed a kind of temporary tattoo that can sense electrical signals in the body. They are using for medical purposes, but I think I smell a game controller! They've already tried putting one on the throat, and analyzing signals to see if they can see what words you are saying. Full article here.

Aloha to Akoha

2011-08-01T22:33:00.001-04:00

Ahoka? Akoha? I never could get the name right. Doesn't matter now. These guys were some of the first on the gamification bandwagon, starting up in 2008. It was an interesting idea, giving trading cards to people as a way to encourage acts of kindness. It sounded good in theory, anyway. I received a few from students, and was always too embarrassed to pass them on. Why would I pass on an obligation? As far as I was concerned, the cards might as well have been +10 Guilt cards. Someone told me a story once that they got a "take a friend out for coffee" card, and so they did. At the coffee, they gave the friend the card, and explained the system. The friend was apparently incensed: "I thought you wanted to go for coffee because we were friends -- turns out you're just playing some damn game." Ah, the perils of extrinisic reward systems. As Randy Pausch often said, "You can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs." Aloha, Akoha. Your experiment was noble and brave. May you receive a +Infinity in that big Internet in the sky, and may we all learn from your example.

Here's the complete text from their farewell letter:

Akoha will be shutting down on August 15th 2011

Dear Akoha Community Member,

We're writing today to tell you the unfortunate news that after 3 years of operationAkoha.com will be closing its doors on August 15th 2011. Please note that you will be able to sign-in and play missions up until that date.

In the fall of 2007 we set out to create a new type of community to highlight fun, real-world activities that would help people explore and enjoy life to the fullest. From all the amazing missions that the Akoha community has played over the past 3 years we feel comfortable in saying that we were able to reach that goal.

Unfortunately and despite our best efforts, we weren't able to generate enough revenue to cover our expenses so we're left with no other choice but to close the site.

We'd like to thank all the dedicated Akoha team members who have contributed their energy and talents to the project and also to our investors for the support that they have shown us over the past few years.

And finally, we'd like to thank you, our incredible community members, for being part of this journey with us. We have been delighted, inspired and moved by all the wonderful missions you have played. We hope Akoha has brought a little additional enjoyment and satisfaction to your lives.

For those who would like to save a pdf archive of all your Akoha activity please see below for instructions.

Thanks again for being part of this incredible journey with us!

Yours,
The Akoha Team

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Comic

2011-06-24T16:33:00.001-04:00

The popular Internet comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal paints a picture of the coming Gamepocalypse. Thanks to Justin Devore for the tip!

Blu Networked Cigarettes

2011-05-11T21:09:00.000-04:00

Do you like inhaling nicotine vapor... but hate doing it alone? Well, thanks to disposable computing, now you don't have to! Buy a pack of Blu nicovaporettes, and it will light up and vibrate when you are nearby someone else who has a pack! It's not a game yet, but give it five seconds. NYT article here. Thanks to Oscar Ramirez for the (filter) tip! (Wait... these things don't have filters... do they? I miss when vice was lo-tech.)

ShelvAR

2011-04-24T13:19:00.001-04:00

Alphabetizing books on a shelf can be a very soothing activity. But when some cretin gets books out of place, it can be years before anyone notices. Enter ShelvAR -- the system that gives instant videogame feedback about the placement of every book in the library! Thanks to Mk Haley for the tip.

Shadow Government

2011-04-23T11:44:00.000-04:00

Crawling out of the flophouse
I saw the mayor stealing my junk
I doth protest, citizens arrest!
Now my body's in his trunk.
Where's the Shadow Government when you need it?
-TMBG

Here it is! It's here! Playmatics has teamed with the Millenium Institute to create Shadow Government, a game based off of real world economics, sustainability, and other data that will allow players to play the whole world as a game. TechCrunch article here.

Playmatics is super smart -- but like Dr. Evil found out, conquering the world with $1M is a lot harder than it used to be!

Manipulating the Planet for the Sake of a Good Game

2011-04-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

A new article from Popular Science about geoengineering projects to help facilitate sporting events. Remote controlled clouds, weather control, and (seriously) monkey guards, all brought to bear to make games more enjoyable.

IntoNow and Pepsi

2011-04-20T19:54:00.000-04:00

That's right! Whenever an ad comes on for Pepsi Max, the first 50,000 people who tag it using the IntoNow app get a free Pepsi Max! Check out the Mashable article, and enjoy this deliciously aspartame rich, double-caffeinated introduction to the televised portion of the Gamepocalypse! Special thanks to Matthew Copeland for the tip!

World of World of Warcraft World under construction!

2011-03-21T20:15:00.000-04:00

In my Visions of the Gamepocalypse talk last year, I predicted the coming of a LARPing theme park which I jokingly called World of World of Warcraft World (WoWoWW). And it looks like something of the sort seems to be happening! A park in China called "Joyland" will have a mix of Warcraft and Starcraft elements. When it will open is unclear. What is clear, though, is that a major amusement park BASED ON A VIDEOGAME is being built right now. Two tickets to the Gamepocalypse, please!

A Toothbrush Moment

2011-03-08T21:21:00.001-05:00

This year at GDC, just one year after I delivered my famous "toothbrush talk", Brian Krejcarek has now presented me with a functioning Green Goose points-giving toothbrush! There was some dispute over whose idea it really was...

Actually, that's just us trying out the toy swords he has on the same system! +5 points for toothbrushing, +5 points for eviscerating your enemies. Neat! Thanks to Floyd Mueller for the photos! :)

Green Goose

2011-02-26T17:19:00.000-05:00

Points for toothbrushing? That's crazy talk!

What I love about Green Goose is how incredibly flexible the system is. And Brian Krejcarek is super smart!

Greenopolis and Oceanopolis

2011-02-16T16:23:00.000-05:00

Waste Managment (you know, the garbage truck company) owns a company called Greenopolis (a recycling company) that has launched a Facebook game called Oceanopolis. It's, you know, a game about recycling. But here's the part where they drive their hybrid car into the Gamepocalypse: If you do real world recycling at Greenopolis recycling kiosks, you earn points for Oceanopolis, which you can then cash in for real life pizzas from Domino's, which generates pizza box waste to be hauled away by Waste Management! See? You recycle, and everyone gets richer! Except you.

Ten bonus Gamepocalypse points if you can say "Greenopolis Gamepocalypse" five times fast.

Games to Prevent Suicide

2011-01-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

Kognito Interactive has created a game that lets teachers practice identifying students at-risk for suicide. Their studies have shown that teachers who have played the game are more likely to identify at-risk students and intervene on their behalf. I strongly suspect the success of this system is likely to greatly increase the amount of training simulations that involve interviewing virtual characters. Thanks to Fiona McDevitt of Kognito for the tip!

Videogame Bus Stops

2011-01-30T14:44:00.001-05:00

Let's say you are waiting for a bus, and don't have a smartphone. Or a DS. Or a book. And, further, let's say that you don't mind touching a public touch screen at a San Francisco bus stop. In that case, does Yahoo have a great surprise for you! Not only are they instrumenting twenty bus stops with videogames, but the neighborhood with the highest scoring bus stop will get a free block party! Thanks to Zach Coe for the tip!

Seriously, though. WEAR GLOVES.

Biotic Games

2011-01-24T09:26:00.002-05:00

Ingmar Riedel-Kruse at Stanford has created a series of videogames which involve controlling REAL paramecia with electricity and chemicals, to make them part of simple arcade games. Why? Other than the pure joy of cruelty, "Riedel-Kruse says his larger ambition is to find ways to make the games useful, perhaps in the context of science education, or even as tools for crowd-sourced research projects." The link has several videos that must be seen to be believed. I predict games that involve all the things living in the finger grease on your iPhone. Thanks to Scott Landsman for the tip!

Gamification Summit

2011-01-16T15:29:00.000-05:00

The first Gamification Summit is this week. It's already sold out, however, you can still register to view streams of the talks. Lots of interesting speakers -- a great place to hear about the many experiments that are taking place in an attempt to accelerate the coming of the Gamepocalypse. Wish I could go!

Favimon

2011-01-05T13:42:00.000-05:00

Hilarious idea! Battle corporate "favicons" against each other... from any website you choose! "Disney.com uses dysfunction against schellgames.com for two points of damage!" (Yeesh, that has actually happened) Anyway ... I think that Favimon is a sign of things to come! Thanks to Justin DeVore for the tip!

Zamzee

2010-12-29T13:08:00.000-05:00

Zamzee is another system (not unlike S2H) that gives out prizes for physical activity. I hope you can get candy from it. Or at least, a stick.

Disney Patents Interactive Cakes

2010-12-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

Now you can have your cake and play it, too! I'm stoked that some of my former students, (Bei Yang and Modupe Adeleye) are on the inventor's list! And of course, so is their mentor, the nefarious Dr. Evil himself, Mark Mine. I knew he'd find his way into the Gamepocalypse sooner or later! Thanks to Mk Haley for the tip!

Word Lens

2010-12-17T15:29:00.000-05:00

Augmented Reality + Language Translation + Magic!
There's a game in here somewhere! Who will find it first?

The Gamification of ... Everything?

2010-12-15T21:00:00.000-05:00

Margaret Wallace, CEO of Playmatics, made a nice article out of a recent talk she gave.

Speed Camera Lottery

2010-12-09T20:16:00.001-05:00

A new creation from the previously mentioned Fun Theory (sponsored by VW) -- get free lottery tickets for driving the speed limit! Thanks to Kyle Gray and Francisco Souki for the pointers!

Gamasutra: Jesse Schell Speaks

2010-12-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

A more newsworthy headline would be "Jesse Schell shuts up", since that seems to happen so rarely nowadays. Christian Nutt (real name) interviewed me in a delightful cafe in Montreal, and then transcribed what I said verbatim, which makes me sound kind of like a moron, but it is certainly true to life.

The Email Game

2010-12-03T18:09:00.001-05:00

A company called Baydin has created a plugin that lets you make a game of keeping your inbox empty. Read an article about it here, and sign up for the beta here. Thanks to Carlos Shin for the tip! Wait... inboxes can be empty?

How Videogames are Infiltrating -- and Improving -- Every Part of Our Lives

2010-12-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

This Fast Company article is actually called "Everyone's a Player" in the print edition of the Dec/Jan. Adam sure did his homework on this one -- lots of new gamification stuff in there -- and this may officially be the creepiest picture of me ever, and that's saying something!

Zynga now accepts American Express Reward Points!

2010-11-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

Why not celebrate the 100th post of Gamepocalypse Now with a wedding between the real and virtual worlds? Zynga and American Express are connecting their currencies! Do you have American Express points you don't know what to do with? Now you can spend them on virtual cows you won't know what to do with! Dean Takahashi has all the details here.

A big Gamepocalypse Now set of best wishes to the happy couple! I'm sure we'll soon hear the patter of little feet! Horrifying, horrifying, little feet.

Gamification Needs to Level Up -- Here's How

2010-11-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

A high level article talking about pros and cons of attempted gamification. Thanks to Amy Jo Kim for the tip!

David Rowan's Gamification Report

2010-11-26T18:28:00.000-05:00

David Rowan has prepared a report for NESTA (UK's National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) about Gamification. It contains a nice overview and some good examples. Wired UK feature here, and actual report here.

TSA's Playful Tweets

2010-11-25T22:59:00.000-05:00

You know how I'm always saying that communication in the world is getting more playful? Error messages, bank advertisements, I mean, sometimes that's nice, but sometimes, it goes too far. I mean, the only thing kids are going to have left to rebel against is stupidity. Gah! What if that's the plan??

Old Navy in-game virtual store

2010-11-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

Old Navy has put a link to their online store in a virtual store, partly as a promotion for their real store... uh... nope, I'm lost. Anyway, you can read more about it here, and you can try it out in Crowdstar's It Girl game on Facebook.

Man, I can't believe Clara Bow sold out like that.

Everything is Intelligent

2010-11-18T22:22:00.000-05:00

A cute comic about the downside of disposable computing. Thanks to Drew Davidson for the tip! This one is relevant, too.

Crowdflower

2010-11-17T22:38:00.001-05:00

So -- Crowdflower is a labor on demand crowdsourcing service. What does that have to do with the Gamepocalypse? Check out this article about how you can perform crowdsourced tasks and get farmcash in exchange! Thanks to Bobby Schaetzle for the tip!

Mobile Phones to Diagnose STDs

2010-11-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

I have wanted to pee on my phone many times, but now there's a good reason! The race to make a game out of it is on! Thanks to Steven Ramirez for the link -- I swear that's all he gave me.

Can't Play, Won't Play

2010-11-14T22:11:00.001-05:00

Great Post from Margaret Robertson about the ugly trends of so-called gamification. Thanks to Geoffrey Chew for the tip!

The Future of Virtual Characters

2010-11-13T19:15:00.001-05:00

Unite 2010 / Keynote - Part B from Unity3D on Vimeo.
I was part of the keynote at Unite 2010. It was a super fun conference -- David, Brett, and Christian made all kinds of cool announcements! I think Brett's scarf made him nervous. Skip to minute 6 to hear my talk. I tried to make an edit that was just me, but my edits all came out blurry. Christian Nutt was kind enough to put a good summary of my talk on Gamasutra, if you like reading better than listening.

Kinect

2010-11-05T10:11:00.001-04:00

Kinect is here, baby! And as usual, Penny Arcade sums up the situation nicely. Everyone's been talking about the gesture stuff, but no one's been talking about the voice commands. I continue to believe that voice commands, that is, having a dialog with inanimate objects, will become a distinguishing mark of the twenty-teens. Yeah, you heard right -- I'm calling this decade the twenty-teens. Hey Kinect -- stop looking at me.

iKlip

2010-11-05T09:34:00.000-04:00

Want to put your iPad on a mic stand because somehow you are turning your musicianship into a game? Now you can! Thanks to Mk Haley for the tip!

The AppDroid Apocalypse

2010-11-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

Great post from Steve Peterson about a different kind of Gamepocalypse. Hard to argue with, and he doesn't even mention cloud gaming. Thanks to David Shaver for the tip!

True Ventures Poster

2010-11-03T05:25:00.000-04:00

I did a talk recently about "keys to gamification" at the True Ventures camp (slides visible here), and Sheryl Nigro was kind enough to make a poster of it while I was there.

Pawned

2010-10-27T23:41:00.000-04:00

Another amazing presentation from Sebastian Deterding, something of a sequel to his also amazing Just Add Points talk. I wonder how much longer before people start to get it..?

My Gamerscore is 1,650, and I've Never Felt Better

2010-10-23T23:32:00.001-04:00

An opinion piece from Matt Helgeson at Game Informer. Click picture to enlarge, or read this web friendly version that Matt put up.

Gamestop PowerUp Rewards Pro

2010-10-23T22:28:00.001-04:00

Yo dawg! I put a game in your game store so you could play a game that lets you win games while you're buying games!

This program gets a special award from me for its use of the word "Pro." Apparently, "Gamestop PowerUp Rewards" wasn't enough... if you spend $14.99 you are part of "Gamestop PowerUp Rewards Pro," which, apparently is SO rewarding, I can quit my job!

EA + Dr. Pepper

2010-10-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

How did I miss this?? All this year, if you buy Dr. Pepper, you get codes you can use to get free virtual items in all kinds of different EA Games ... it's kind of complicated, as you can see in the FAQ, but, there it is!

Mojo

2010-10-09T20:11:00.000-04:00

Want to give people badges for visiting your website? Try Mojo!

SwagBucks

2010-10-04T22:51:00.001-04:00

Earn virtual cash for surfing the web, taking surveys, spamming your friends, and promoting SwagBucks! It's like green stamps that you get for wasting your time! You're gonna waste your time anyway, you're on the Internet. Might as well earn this cat makeup set for only 299 SwagBucks.Thanks to Sierra Cook for the tip! Meow!

Reporter's Roundtable

2010-10-04T08:48:00.000-04:00

CNET Reporter's Roundtable did an interview about Gamification with Dru Wynings of Reputely, David Feinleib of Mohr Davidow Ventures, and Gabe Zichermann, author of the book Game Based Marketing. Has some great points, and is a great overview of the concept.

OnStar + Facebook

2010-09-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

Onstar will soon offer a service that will read you your facebook updates while you drive. Read about it here on freep.com. Can spoken word "car gaming" be far behind?

Walk to School 2010

2010-09-23T11:02:00.001-04:00

WoW used to Stand for World of Warcraft -- now it stands for Walk once a Week! Karl Bunyan turned me on to this UK program that gives kids collectible badges for walking to school. The program is here, and Karl's thorough blog entry is here.

Map of the Decade

2010-09-16T09:31:00.002-04:00

Solving society's problems is now a game -- check it out at Map of the Decade. Thanks to Alex Pico for the tip!

GoalMafia

2010-08-31T02:28:00.000-04:00

Do you like EpicWin, but hate medieval fantasy? Check out GoalMafia. "GoalMafia: Execute Your Goals."

Earndit

2010-08-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

You've seen lots of "get rewards for exercising" programs by this time -- but Earndit is different -- it is a meta-system, that can pull data from many different systems. Will the Gamepocalypse feature a weird hierarchy of reward systems? Of course! When you use your credit card at the grocery store and get both frequent flier miles and gas points, you're already doing it! Why not get Nike points *and* Earndit points *and* Fitbug points *and* RunKeeper points *and* level up your pokemon *and* get points for whatever ends up sitting on top of Earndit at the same time?

The Game Layer on top of the World

2010-08-22T13:21:00.000-04:00

Cool talk from Seth Priebatsch about gamification mechanics. About 12 minutes.

Visions of the Gamepocalypse - video

2010-08-18T13:46:00.000-04:00

The video of my Visions of the Gamepocalypse talk is up -- nice editing job! There is almost two hours of goodness here, but click "Watch full program" if you want to see it separated out into chapters and everything. Want to play it like a drinking game? Drink every time I say "frickin'" or "awesome." Chug when I say "Frickin' Awesome."

SMBC Theater: MMO

2010-08-14T16:47:00.001-04:00

Haw! The Gamepocalypse, indeed!

Ultrinsic

2010-08-11T08:34:00.001-04:00

Intrinsic? Extrinsic? Ultrinsic! Want to place bets on what grades you'll get? Now you can! It might even be legal! Thanks to Ian Schreiber for the tip!

Foldit

2010-08-08T23:34:00.000-04:00

Foldit has been getting some good press recently. Want to play a game that might actually help real scientists? Do you like 3D representations of proteins? Do you like playing games where you are really not quite sure what you are doing? This might be for you! The creators have done a magnificent job at making an extremely peculiar activity seem somewhat intuitive through a great step-by-step playable tutorial.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Adrien Treuille, one of the creators, not too long ago, and he mentioned that a DNA game might be next... and then the Gamepocalypse will be in our genes!

Vive Virtual Health Coach

2010-08-07T00:29:00.001-04:00

Vive is a virtual health coach for your smartphone that gives you challenges, rewards, reminders, and tips. There's a lot of these, but this one seems to have pretty high production values, and is well thought through.

Virgin HealthMiles

2010-08-06T00:11:00.002-04:00

Virgin HealthMiles is a system that companies can purchase, that gives points and rewards to employees who exhibit healthy activities via digital pedometers. What can I say that this corporate website doesn't already say? Like:

Virgin HealthMiles’ Pay-for-Prevention™ model creates a culture of prevention that not only rewards the notion of personal responsibility in adopting the right behaviors, but aligns your company interests with those of your employees to drive down lifestyle-related health care and productivity costs. This approach demonstrates true proof of performance with validated activity and health data, enabling you to ensure rewards are earned for actual performance. Your company also benefits from real-time reporting, which details measurable improvements in the health of your workforce and the impact of your overall wellness strategy.

Thanks corporate website! But what rewards do my employees get?

Your employees will earn points – we call them HealthMiles – for increasing their daily activity and reaching key milestones. As their HealthMiles accumulate, they’ll proceed through a series of five predetermined levels. Every program is different, but if your organization would like to offer incentives to your employees, levels are the milestones at which cash incentives are awarded.

Do I have to give them cash?

Many organizations choose to implement our HealthCash system that allows employees to earn gift cards to major retailers, or cash to spend as they choose. If you’d prefer to offer health insurance premium discounts, HSA credits, something else or nothing at all, we’ll work with you to design a program that motivates your employees as effectively as possible and as you deem appropriate.

Am I doing this because I'm an awesome boss? No way! I'm doing it to save myself money! Check out the calculator on the front page that tells how much I'll save by manipulating my employees into good health!

Tooth Tunes

2010-08-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

This isn't a game, per se, but it is a weird way to make toothbrushing into entertainment. The idea is that you should brush your teeth until the song is over. I'm for anything that vibrates my jawbone. And, seriously, there is a Napoleon Dynamite edition.

The Fun Theory

2010-08-04T19:48:00.002-04:00

This cool website is all about taking ordinary things, making them more fun, and using that to improve people's behavior. Can fun experiences get people to stop littering? To stop speeding? To recycle? To clean their rooms? In the anecdotal tests shown here, it looks pretty effective -- but how much of it is novelty? Will the effect persist after several months?

It would be easier to take all this seriously if it weren't an ad for Volkswagen.

Game-based Marketing

2010-08-03T19:43:00.001-04:00

I wrote about this book on my other blog, but it is highly relevant to the Gamepocalypse, so I'm cross-posting it here.

Madgets

2010-08-03T09:27:00.002-04:00

The future of tabletop gaming just got cooler -- with Madgets! Thanks to Ryan Hipple for the link!

Marlboro Miles and Camel Cash

2010-08-02T17:46:00.000-04:00

These cigarette promotions are no longer offered, but they are worth studying. Were they cancelled because they weren't working, because people acclimated to them, or because they were working too well? Are new ones with better game mechanics in the offing?

GPS Detergent Boxes

2010-08-01T17:15:00.001-04:00

In a novel advertising campaign, some boxes of Brazilian detergent Omo will contain Lojack-like GPS devices, so the ad agency can show up at your house, and give you a prize. It gets big points for being effortless, and even more points for being creepy. Thanks to Tom Guarriello for the tip!

Visions of the Gamepocalypse - podcast

2010-07-31T17:35:00.001-04:00

I delivered my SALT (Seminars About Long-term Thinking) talk for the Long Now Foundation. I think it went well, though I ran a little long! It was super cool to be able to hang out with Stewart Brand, and Kevin Kelly, and all kinds of other incredibly smart people. You can download an iTunes version here, and an MP3 version here, and you can download the slides here if you want to follow along while you listen.

A video will be available soon, but you may need to be a member of the Foundation to see it. You know you want to join! I'll post when the video goes up. Video is up now!

The Data-Driven Life

2010-07-31T15:20:00.001-04:00

This excellent article about the psychology of self-measurement came out back in April, but I only got around to finishing it now. It is full of thoughtful discussion with people who self-measure, why they do it, and how it affects them. And on top of all that, it reinforces my belief that caffeine is a scam.

MoLo Rewards

2010-07-25T15:00:00.000-04:00

How does MoLo Rewards work? Attach an RFID tag to the back of your mobile phone, and poof! You can get rewards, coupons, deals, and participate in a treasure hunt! Rack up MoLo points, and cash them in with the loyalty catalog... Like, say, a 55 inch HDTV, for only 3,900,000 MoLo points! Hmm... let's see... a $10 Amazon gift card is 10,000 points... so each MoLo point is about a mil. Anyway, there are lots of companies trying to turn shopping into games -- but this RFID angle is certainly a new one! It certainly gets high marks for needing low effort for the consumer -- just tap your phone on the counter when you buy something. The Gamepocalypse just got one day closer!

Cash Gordon

2010-07-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

Here's a tale of a British political game that gave "action points" for helping to campaign -- and ended very, very badly.

Belgian Urinal Game

2010-07-23T20:52:00.000-04:00

Yeah, you go, "capital of Europe." Two Belgian guys have made a two-player urinal videogame that gives new meaning to the phrase "pissing contest." I know what you are thinking -- once again, women are ignored by a male-dominated industry. But don't worry, ladies -- the inventors say that a "specially designed paper cone" will let the ladies get in on the game. Don't say we never did anything for you, ladies.

And I know what you are thinking. Monzy invented this first. And you're right. But it took Belgium to make it two-player.

Akoha

2010-07-22T20:48:00.000-04:00

Akoha was way ahead of the crowd in the gamification of everything. Challenge yourself and your friends to get points for doing nice things. I'm always a little embarrassed. I mean, shouldn't I be doing nice things just to be nice?

America's Army

2010-07-21T20:42:00.000-04:00

An oldie, but a goodie. Your tax dollars at work making free videogames that recruit teenagers into the army. Cheaper than TV commercials, and much more effective at seducing recruits who actually stay with the army long term. It's win-win-win!

Gabe Zichermann Funifies Facebook

2010-07-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

and Fedex, and Amazon. Or at least he talks about how he would do it. I'll be honest. There's times I don't want fun. Like when my Fedex package is missing. And I hate the word "funware." But it's easy to pick at game designs -- much harder to make meaningful games of serious tasks that really work.

Games for Security

2010-07-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

Games are creeping into every nook and cranny our lives -- so why not into security? Three researchers at NYU tackled the problem of "device pairing", that is, making sure that there is a secure connection between two wireless devices, by trying to make it more fun. Why? Well, device pairing is tricky, irritating, and boring (if you've ever tried to get your bluetooth headset working, you know what I mean), and their thinking was, if it's a game, maybe people will be more likely to do it.

There's some danger that the extra time a game takes might be more irritating than encouraging -- but if you're going to pair your devices, it might as well be fun!

You can download the pdf of Security Through Entertainment: Experiences Using a Memory Game for Secure Device Pairing here.

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

2010-07-18T20:20:00.000-04:00

This is going to sound dumb. But you know when you get the Sunday paper, and you want to find the Parade Magazine, or the coupons, or the comics, and you have to hunt through all those ad inserts to find what you want? That's really a game -- a kind of crummy game, but a game nonetheless. And I mention it because I think it is very much a good analogy for many of the future advergames we are going to see -- "hey, we have something you want -- just dig through these ads to get it!"

24 Hour Fitness New Member Rewards

2010-07-17T20:12:00.000-04:00

Want to work out? Want to get medals? Want to help 24 hour fitness achieve its marketing goals? Well, now you can do all that at once! Did I mention there are MEDALS?

Rideshare Online

2010-07-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

And if you don't live in Redmond, you can get points for carpooling with Rideshare Online. Hey, can Redmondians get points for both systems? Advantage, Redmond! Hey ladies, can I get a ride?

R-Trip

2010-07-15T20:01:00.000-04:00

Want to get points for taking the bus? Well, if you live in Redmond, check out R-Trip.

Healthseeker

2010-07-15T09:31:00.000-04:00

I just learned about Healthseeker from Ayogo through an article in Fast Company that Joe Pine, one of authors of Authenticity sent me. Enough links for you?

Healthseeker seems to be implemented very well. At the Game Horizon 2010 conference I talked about how games integrated with real life need to be:

1) Engaging
2) Effortless
3) Uncheatable
4) Not embarrassing

Healthseeker seems to have numbers 1 and 4 down okay, but 2 and 3 are pretty tough. Healthseeker's focus on social networking is a good way to reduce cheating, but still, making something like this effortless is really hard. And then there is the shame problem -- once you make a few bad moves, it makes you want to avoid the system, which is easy to avoid, since you have to put in effort to interact with it.

Time will tell if this is the right approach -- Healthseeker definitely seems like one of the stronger health/diet apps out there! The Gamepocalypse will make you STRONG!

Progress Wars

2010-07-14T19:57:00.000-04:00

Don't think that filling bars for the sake of filling bars is rewarding? You haven't tried Progress Wars.

It's a great way to fill bars.

You are a Tamagotchi

2010-07-13T19:53:00.000-04:00

A great summary article about many of the recent "health games" that work off our "data exhaust."

S2H

2010-07-12T19:47:00.000-04:00

S2H (Switch To Health) is a simple concept -- buy a (funky rubber) watch, and each time you do an hour of activity, it spits out a code. Type the code online, and earn actual prizes. I think this, like many reward systems, is challenged by the problem of acclimation. But try it out, and see what you think!

DevHub

2010-07-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

Lots of folks have been turning lots of things into games -- now making websites is a game at DevHub. Points, evolving "devatars", the whole "app as game" deal. Check the site here, and read a TechCrunch article about it here.

DevHub cofounder Mark Michael wrote me a nice note, saying my DICE talk helped inspire the implementation -- very flattering! Here's hoping it's a success, because, man, building websites is kinda boring.

Foursquare

2010-07-11T19:37:00.001-04:00

Everybody knows about Foursquare, but I'm putting it here for completeness. It it a game? Well, contesting for mayorship of a place is a kind of (boring) game. The question is whether this is just a novelty, or something that people will continue to want to do. Some say that adding a fantasy element will help -- but I'm pretty sure that Foursquare + Fantasy = Larping. So far, most of the real world games (boktai, treasure world, etc.) have been more trouble than they have been worth. Geocaching is different, though, I think because there is a real cache when you get there, not a virtual one. Why go through real space to get to a virtual treasure? I know lots of companies are jumping on the bandwagon -- but they did that for Second Life, too. Go on, Foursquare -- prove me wrong! Bring the Gamepocalypse!

The Willpower Paradox

2010-07-10T23:26:00.000-04:00

Here is a report about something startling. A psychological study that shows setting goals can be harmful to the goals themselves. I have a feeling this is deeply connected to the problems that things like Epic Win, Mindbloom, and Chore Wars face... I don't quite see how it all fits together yet, but more and more, I find this is the puzzle I want to solve most.

Thanks to Jesse Farmer for the tip.

Wishing Stars

2010-07-10T19:32:00.000-04:00

Disney's talked about doing this for years -- and in some ways, they kind of did it with their awesome Kim Possible game. But Greg Maletic has taken it much further with Wishing Stars! So, why not make your next visit to Disneyland into a game?

Mindbloom

2010-07-09T19:21:00.001-04:00

I love the idea of mindbloom. And the implementation is really cool. I like how it sends you an email every day as a reminder. But, you'll notice my tree is all brown and dead looking. The problem I find is that when I get a little behind, I become kind of ashamed, and it makes me not want to face up to my failure, which makes me want to stay away more. I'm told mindbloom works better if you have friends, so maybe I'm not the demographic. Check it out, though -- there is a lot of promise here.

Visions of the Gamepocalypse

2010-07-09T11:15:00.000-04:00

Want to hear me yak about the Gamepocalypse, all in person and stuff? I'll be in San Francisco on July 27th doing just that for the Long Now Foundation. Only ten bucks -- cheap! You can get tickets here.

Epic Win

2010-07-08T19:20:00.000-04:00

How is it that six weeks have gone by and I haven't made any gamepocalypse blog entries? Is the gamepocalypse not upon us? No, it totally is, I have a big stack of entries I should make. Do I not care? No, I care too much! That's the problem! I'm too concerned with truly digesting these many entries, and reporting on them fully. Well enough of that! Farewell, quality! Quantity, it's your turn! From here on out, I'll report on the gamepocalypse as fast as possible -- just not as thoroughly.

And with that, I give you... Epic Win.

Zynga / 7-11 Buy Earn Play!

2010-05-24T22:58:00.000-04:00

Get points in Farmville and Mafia Wars for buying Slurpees at 7-11! Drink in the delicious, delicious Gamepocalypse!

NBC Fan It

2010-05-23T20:01:00.000-04:00

Oh man. NBC has taken a giant leap forward into the Gamepocalypse! Go to NBC Fan It, and you can sign up to get NBC points for all kinds of things, like:

Watching trailers!
Following @NBCFanIt on twitter!
Playing trivia games about different NBC shows!
Linking all your social networks to NBC, so NBC can spam your friends!

And what do you do with NBC points? Well, you try to dominate the leaderboard! (Current leader as of this posting, Alejandro Pena with 4020 NBC Fan It points). The FAQ says you can use points to buy NBC schwag, too, but I couldn't figure out how to do that.

I'm sure it won't be long before you'll see this on your favorite NBC show: "Enter this code in the next five minutes for 500 bonus NBC Fan It points! Aren't you glad you're watching live TV?"

See? TV's no longer a waste of time! Hey, NBC, are retro points available for all those episodes of Saved by the Bell that I watched? I mean, you owe me something...

Future Tense Interview

2010-05-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

Another Gamepocalypse interview, this time with John Moe. 5 minutes. I don't think I said anything new -- but John Moe is cool!

The Pokewalker

2010-05-14T23:28:00.000-04:00

The new versions of Pokemon for the DS and DSi, "Heart Gold" and "Soul Silver", come with an interesting device: the Pokewalker. This is basically a pedometer with some special features. The idea is that when you are done playing Pokemon on your DS, you can keep the experience going by carrying the Pokewalker with you as you walk around. The pedometer feature will give you points, or "watts" the more you walk. In addition, you can have little battles, hunt for little items, and play a kind of slot machine game. The Pokewalker communicates with the DS cartridge via infrared communication, so you can upload your "watts" back to the cartridge, and also download different Pokemon into the pokewalker. In short, do you want to play Pokemon even when you aren't playing Pokemon? Like say, when you are walking to school? Or playing another game, like soccer or basketball? Here in the Gamepocalypse, you can!

Honey Nut Cheerios Augmented Reality

2010-04-26T10:50:00.001-04:00

Cereal Boxes are playing video games ahead of schedule, courtesy of Augmented Reality! Thanks to David Shaver for this link!

Critical Compilation

2010-04-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

Whoa -- David Carlton, who writes the blog Critical Distance, went through the trouble to round up the many thoughtful blog posts about my Beyond Facebook talk at DICE 2010, in a post called Critical Compilation. It's a great collection of the surprising amount of thoughtful discussion that talk engendered. I wish more of it were positive! But, as Lily Tomlin wisely said, "The human ability to communicate is based on a deep inner need to complain." I'm just glad people are thinking!