Gamification of Thrones

Full disclosure, I have never watched an episode of Game of Thrones. Don't hold that against me.However, I have recently been thinking about gamification in online communities and whether or not it matters when it comes to engagement. And I have arrived at the conclusion that it depends. When done well, gamification strategies can help with onboarding, identifying leaders in your community, and strengthening good community behaviors among your members. When done poorly, you set your community members up for activity that drives a badge versus meaningful behavior which doesn’t help them get what they need out of the community. In this case, it’s like putting your community members in a hamster wheel – they’re going (and fast) but the destination isn’t clear at all.As associations think about ways in which they get the attention of their members, gamification strategies within your online community can certainly help. How you deploy those strategies is the key to prolonged engagement and whether or not the desired behavior from your members will continue. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about introducing gamification to fuel engagement.It’s not always a magic driver of activityHere’s the thing – you have to be keyed into your member’s motivation for participation before you can determine whether or not it’s going drive desired behavior. There are plenty of communities that don’t have gamification (leaderboards, badges, points, etc.) that see a high level of engagement with their members and that develop strong champion programs. Members are participating because they find value in the online community itself, not because of the fact that they got a badge or spot on the leaderboard to do so. That’s not to say you shouldn’t consider it at all, just that you have to understand whether or not it’s right for YOUR community.It can be a catalyst for connectionWhere I’ve seen gamification work really well in associations is around events and volunteer recognition. In the community that I manage, we have badges for event speakers and chapter members. The badges for event speakers are tied to specific events (i.e., speaker for PMXPO 2020) and helps community staff understand where we have specific expertise within the community among our members. It also allows other members to identify people who may be able to help them solve a problem or get answers to specific questions they need help with. The chapter badges help members find each other at the local level. If they are connecting in the online space, it makes it easier to drive local participation at a chapter meeting or event especially if someone has never visited their home chapter before.Don’t disconnect it from the total association experienceAs I mentioned above regarding gamification being a catalyst for connection, it’s a smart idea to tie it to holistic activity where possible, but it’s also great for things like onboarding, contributing special content, or earning a certification. Oftentimes associations opt for sending swag as part of those experiences, but aside from sharing it on social channels members can’t really show off an accomplishment that they may be really proud of with their colleagues. Providing special badges or labels for these members within the online community is a perfect way to allow them to display (and keep track of) their accomplishments and engagement. And make it shareable! If you’re using badges, bonus points if your members are able to share them on LinkedIn or other social channels. This not only gives your members the opportunity to brag a little, but also creates champions for your association.A word of caution…If you do choose to gamify your association online community, don’t make it too complicated. Every community has a secret sauce behind points or how members make it to the top on a leaderboard, but that sauce has to have a recipe that makes sense. It’s okay to ensure that you are making members work toward a goal, but it’s not okay to fill the formula with hollow activity (remember the hamster wheel reference at the beginning of this post?). When you’re not thoughtful about your gamification strategy, your community members don’t know what they’re working toward and you can damage trust among your community members versus fueling activity.A respected colleague in the community space once told me that no gamification is better than terrible gamification. I’m all for gamification if it makes sense for YOUR community, your members, and the overall community experience/culture. There are some that will tell you that it’s a must have in any community strategy, but I suggest that you listen to your community and determine if you will utilize it or not and to what extent. If you can’t tie it to member motivations, recognition, or if it’s overly complicated, leave it out.Does your community have a gamification strategy? How have you approached it? What’s working well and what would you adjust? Tell us in the comments below!