Game-Based Marketing – Gabe Zichermann & Joselin Linder

October 22, 2012

Devon Sampson Business, Motivational Psychology , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Funware is a design philosophy that helps us mesh games with marketing.” (29)

“Everything can be made more fun.”

“Game mechanics are levers used to drive user behavior.”

“Passive games are different from active games in that most players don’t even realize a game is being played.” (43)

“Points provide the basic underpinning of scorekeeping, and social networking sites provide a unique opportunity to drive scoring behavior.”

“Rules, whether obvious or not, are essential both for maintaining order and for effective Funware design.”
 

Success is much less interesting if it’s not social and others don’t see you win.

 
“Social networks provide an unparalleled opportunity to market using game mechanics.” (62)

“Leaderboards are often the best initial Funware mechanics to use as they are cost-effective and easy for users to understand.”

“Even simple leaderboards like the ‘friend count’ on Facebook can have a profound effect on user behavior.”

“Point systems let you incentivize many behaviors and fine-tune the value of actions and cost of rewards at will.” (89)
 

Badges and their conspicuous display are an essential mechanism for conveying and reinforcing user success.

 
“Levels and status are powerful tools for creating loyalty and driving user behavior.”

“Although prizes generate a lot of PR buzz, they don’t deliver lasting loyalty in and of themselves.” (110)

“Frequent flyer ‘games’ are among the most successful and popular loyalty programs.” (139)

“Points in [frequent flyer programs] are often used to encourage incremental elevations in expenditure.”

“The virtual goods market is growing rapidly from a $5.5 billion level in 2009.”
 

Even noncompetitive people will compete in competitive situations. (159)

 
A major consideration in game design is the type of player the game is supposed to attract. In the context of Funware, there are five main player types:

  • Achievers

    • Driven by a desire to meet goals and gain status and points. They prefer a game that is winnable, although playing well may be more important than finally winning. Perhaps most importantly, they desire praise and recognition, and so do not like games that only attract other achievers.

  • Socializers

    • Want to meet and interact with other people in their game. They prefer cooperative to competitive play, and generally have long lists of friends and contacts.

  • Explorers

    • Like nothing better than digging through a complex environment and uncovering new challenges and tasks. They are most likely to set their own goals, and so do not need a game with extensive leveling systems or objectives.

  • Killers

    • Are competitive and love beating other players or showing off their power. Games must be winnable to attract killers, and they prefer it if the odds are stacked in their favor.
     
     

    Brands that implement games early will be at a distinct advantage over latecomers.

     

    Generation G is the most technologically savvy, competitive, and socially networked. (180)

     

    Kids who grow up on games are going to expect gamelike experiences in all aspects of their lives.

    The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman (Working With Others)

    October 12, 2012

    Devon Sampson Business, Human Psychology, Motivational Psychology, Social Dynamics , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment


    Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived…Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

    -Abraham Lincoln

     
    “The major benefit of self-education when working with others is knowing what skill looks like.” (276)

    Avoid bloated committees – keep your teams “elite and surgical.”

    “Effective communication can only occur when both parties feel safe. As soon as people start to feel unimportant or threatened in a conversation, they start ‘stonewalling,’ shutting down communication. The threatened party may continue to interact, but mentally and emotionally, they’ve withdrawn from the conversation.” (280)
     

    Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

    -General George S. Patton

     
    “Micromanaging isn’t simply annoying – it’s extremely inefficient. Not only does spelling out every single detail make people feel less important, it actually impairs their effectiveness. No set of instructions, no matter how detailed, is capable of covering every contingency. When something inevitably changes, micromanagement fails.” (284)

    “Commander’s intent is a much better method of delegating tasks: whenever you assign a task to someone, tell them why it must be done. The more your agent understands the purpose behind your actions, the better they’ll be able to respond appropriately when the situation changes.”

    “When you communicate the intent behind your plans, you allow the people you work with to intelligently respond to changes as they happen.

    “The best way to eliminate Bystander Apathy in project management is to ensure that all tasks have single, clear owners and deadlines.” (286)
     

    The way to get on in the world is to make people believe it’s to their advantage to help you.

    -Jean de la Bruyere, seventeenth-century essayist

     
    “Convergence is the tendency of group members to become more alike over time…Convergence also means that groups have a tendency to police themselves. The norms of a group work like gravity – if they are violated, others will exert an influence on the rebel to bring them back in line.” (291)

    “The best testimonials don’t necessarily contain superlatives: amazing, best, life-changing, and revolutionary have been so overused that people expect them and discount their expectations accordingly. The most effective testimonials tend to follow this format: ‘I was interested in this offer, but skeptical. I decided to purchase anyway, and I’m very pleased with the end result.’

    “The reason this format is more effective than a litany of people gushing about your offer is that it more closely matches how your prospects are feeling: interested but uncertain.” (294-5)

    “People have an inherent tendency to comply with Authority figures. This tendency begins in childhood – we wouldn’t survive for very long if we didn’t obey our parents most of the time. As we grow up, we’re socialized to respect and obey other Authority figures: teachers, police officers, government officials, and clergy. As a result, when an Authority figure asks us to do something, we’re very likely to comply – even if the request isn’t appropriate or doesn’t make sense.” (295)

    “Developing a strong reputation in a certain area confers the benefits of Authority.” (296)

    “Obtaining small commitments makes it more likely people will choose to act consistently with them later.” (298)

    “By compensating their salespeople on a salary basis and giving generous bonuses based on long-term performance, (Norm) Brodsky and (Bo) Burlingham encouraged (their salespeople) to focus on making profitable sales versus sales at any cost.” (299)

    “In the case of conflict, Perceptual Controls win over incentives every time.” (300)

    “The best way to avoid Modal Bias [the assumption that our idea or approach is best] is to use inhibition to temporarily suspend judgment. Part of the value of understanding cognitive biases is the knowledge that you’re not immune to them, and simply knowing they exist doesn’t make them any less influential. Modal Bias is automatic – we have to use willpower to overcome it.” (301)
     

    High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.

    -Charles Kettering

     
    “In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie recommends ‘Giving others a great reputation to live up to.’ ” (302)

    “The Pygmalion Effect [the tendency of our expectations of others to become self-fulfilling prophecies] also features a paradox: having high expectations of people will produce better results, but it also increases the probability that you’ll be disappointed. The Expectation Effect means that our perception of the quality of someone’s work is a function of our original expectations.” (302)

    “If you’re doing a formal assessment of someone’s performance, remember to judge performance objectively and quantitatively as much as possible.”

    Josh Kaufman’s summary of management

    Motivational Quotes from Robert Greene’s “The 33 Strategies of War”

    September 30, 2012

    Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology , , , , , Leave a comment

    Here’s a few of my favorite quotes from “The 33 Strategies of War”. I may do a full summary in addition to this if and when I ever finish the entire book, and not just the few chapters I thought (correctly) would be motivational.
     

    A sense of urgency comes from a powerful connection to the present.

     

    Leaving the past for unknown terrain is like death, and feeling this finality will snap you back to life.

     

    Life has more meaning in the face of death. The risks you keep taking, the challenges you keep overcoming, are like symbolic deaths that sharpen your appreciation of life.

     

    The more you want the prize, the more you must compensate by examining what it will take.

     

    In order to avoid wasted effort and failed battles, start every mission by examining your real means rather than simply your desired ends.

     

    If your opponents are never sure what messing with you will cost, they will not want to find out.

     

    Instead of trying to dominate the other side’s every move, work to define the nature of the relationship itself.

    The 48 Laws of Power (Law #28: Enter Action with Boldness)

    May 22, 2012

    Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology, Social Dynamics , , , , , , Leave a comment

    “If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.” (227, Judgment)

    “In seduction, hesitation is fatal – it makes your victims conscious of your intentions. The bold move crowns seduction with triumph: It leaves no time for reflection.” (228)

    “Although we may disguise our timidity as a concern for others, a desire not to hurt or offend them, in fact it is the opposite – we are really self-absorbed, worried about ourselves and how others will perceive us. Boldness, on the other hand, is outer-directed, and often makes people feel more at ease, since it is less self-conscious and less repressed.” (233)

    “Boldness directs attention outward and keeps the illusion alive.”

    “Audacity separates you from the herd. Boldness gives you presence and makes you seem larger than life. The timid fade into the wallpaper, the bold draw attention, and what draws attention draws power.” (228-229)
     

    We cannot keep our eyes off the audacious – we cannot wait to see their next bold move.

     
    “Understand: If boldness is not natural, neither is timidity. It is an acquired habit, picked up out of a desire to avoid conflict. If timidity has taken hold of you, then, root it out. Your fears of the consequences of a bold action are way out of proportion to reality, and in fact the consequences of timidity are worse. Your value is lowered and you create a self-fulfilling cycle of doubt and disaster. Remember: The problems created by an audacious move can be disguised, even remedied, by more and greater audacity.” (234)

    “Boldness should never be the strategy behind all of your actions. It is a tactical instrument, to be used at the right moment. Plan and think ahead, and make the final element the bold move that will bring you success.” (235)

    “Timidity has no place in the realm of power; you will often benefit, however, by being able to feign it. At that point, of course, it is no longer timidity but an offensive weapon: You are luring people in with your show of shyness, all the better to pounce on them boldly later.”

    The Pinnacle of Motivation

    April 25, 2012

    Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology , , , , Leave a comment

    I am a diehard Vancouver Canucks fan.

    Last year, we made a run to the Stanley Cup finals behind mercurial goaltender Roberto Luongo. As legend has it, Luongo would take walks down the Vancouver seawall with a hoodie and headphones before all home playoff games.

    After cleaning out his locker following a first-round upset this year, Luongo revealed that he during these walks he listens to two main tracks: “Believe” by Eminem and a motivational speech titled “I am a Champion.” Intrigued, I decided to look up the latter and I was absolutely blown away. I watched it on Youtube about 15 minutes ago (11:30pm), and now I’m way too pumped up to go to sleep anytime soon.

    I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t share this with you.

    Enjoy.
     

    The War of Art (Part 2: Combating Resistance – Turning Pro)

    December 8, 2011

    Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology, Spirituality , , , , Leave a comment

    My notes from Part 2 of Steven Pressfield’s modern classic The War of Art.

     

    It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life.
    -Telamon of Arcadia

     

    “Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. ‘I write only when inspiration strikes,’ he replied. ‘Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’ clock sharp.’” (79)

    The Principle of Priority – you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and you must do what is important first.

    The first movie Steven Pressfield ever wrote was horrible and was a commercial failure. However, in retrospect Pressfield has an interesting perspective on it; “That was when I realized I had become a pro. I had not yet had a success. But I had had a real failure.” (87)

    Pressfield argues that being overly emotionally invested in your work is more characteristic of an amateur than a professional. Regardless of your enthusiasm for the project, Pressfield insists that an in-it-for-the-money mindset produces the professional attitude necessary to get things done: the “lunch pail-mentality”, the “hard-hat state of mind” that shows up no matter what and slugs it out day after day.

    “The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming out in each individual work.” (90)

    “(The professional) respects Resistance. He knows if he caves in today, no matter how plausible the pretext, he’ll be twice as likely to cave in tomorrow.” (95)

    “The professional knows that Resistance is like a telemarketer; if you so much as say hello, you’re finished. The pro doesn’t even pick up the phone. He stays at work.”

    “(The professional) understands that the field alters every day. His goal is not victory (success will come by itself when it wants to) but to handle himself, his insides, as sturdily and steadily as he can.” (97)

    “The student of the game knows that the levels of revelation that can unfold in gold, as in any art, are inexhaustible.” (100)

    “(A professional) does not identify with (their) instrument. It is simply what God gave her, what she has to work with. She assesses it coolly, impersonally, objectively.” (101)

    “We cannot let external criticism, even if it’s true, fortify our internal foe. That foe is strong enough already.” (102-3)

    “Humiliation, like rejection and criticism, is the external reflection of internal Resistance.” (104)

    In a situation where you are the recipient of some negative external force, Pressfield urges us to “maintain our sovereignty over the moment.” (107)

    The War of Art – Steven Pressfield (Part 1: Resistance – Defining the Enemy)

    December 4, 2011

    Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology, Spirituality , , , , , , Leave a comment

     

    The War of Art is one of the greatest self-help books of all-time. In it, Steven Pressfield characterizes the force within us that doesn’t want to get things done, the force that holds us back from reaching our potential, and gives it a name: Resistance. In Part One, Pressfield makes it his mission to explain just how deadly Resistance can be. Part Two elaborates on how we can defeat it. Part Three attempts to motivate us but gets far too spiritual and religious for my tastes. Nonetheless, despite my distaste for the final third of it, The War of Art’s first two parts contain so much motivational precision that it still ranks among the all-time great self-help books in my eyes.

    Note: page citations are from the digital copy of the book.

    _______________________________________________________________

    “Most have two lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” (16)

     

    The enemy is a very good teacher.
    -The Dalai Lama

     

    Any act that delays immediate gratification in favour of long-term prosperity will elicit Resistance.

    Resistance does not come from outside factors, it is generated and perpetrated from within.

    “Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify; seduce, bully, cajole. Resistance is protean. It will assume any form, it that’s what it takes to deceive you. It will reason with you like a lawyer or jam a nine-millimeter in your face like a stickup man. Resistance has no conscience. It will pledge anything to get a deal, then double-cross you as soon as your back is turned. If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.” (26)

    The more important an action is to our personal progression and evolution, the more Resistance it will elicit. This is not entirely bad – we can use Resistance as a compass towards what truly matters.

    Resistance obstructs movement only from a lower sphere to a higher sphere. So if you’re working with the Mother Teresa Foundation but you decide you want to become a telemarketer, Resistance will be nowhere to be found.

    Resistance is most powerful at the finish line. The danger is greatest once we approach the end. Knowing that we’re about to beat it, Resistance hits the panic button and hits us with everything it has a desperate last effort.

    When you start to overcome resistance, it will recruit allies – other people’s Resistances. These other people will try to sabotage you because your success becomes a reproach to them. (m3taphysics: They have no interest in being inspired because that would force them to face reality, which means facing their own shortcomings.)

    “The best and only thing that one artist can do for another is to serve as an example and an inspiration.” (37)

    Resistance distracts us with cheap, easy fixes like sex (sometimes manifesting as a preoccupation with sex). The barometer is how hollow you feel afterwards; the more empty you feel, the more likely it is that your real motivation was Resistance rather than love or even lust.

    “Creating soap opera drama in our lives is a symptom of Resistance.” (42)

    “Sometimes entire families participate unconsciously in a culture of self-dramatization. The kids fuel the tanks, the grown-ups arm the phasers. It’s more fun than a movie. And it works: Nobody gets a damn thing done.”

    “Sometimes, if we’re not conscious of our Resistance, we’ll pick as a mate someone who has or is successfully overcoming Resistance.” (46)

    “If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no Resistance.” (57)

    “Grandiose fantasies are a symptom of Resistance. They’re the sign of an amateur. The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes a by-product of work. The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not come, whatever they like.” (60)

    “Any support we get from persons of flesh and blood is like Monopoly money; it’s not legal tender in that sphere where we have to do our work. In fact, the more energy we spend stoking up on support from colleagues and loved ones, the weaker we become and the less capable of handling our business.” (68)

    “Seeking support from friends and family is like having people gathered around your deathbed.”

    “(When you have a powerful, inspiring dream or you experience any sort of motivational epiphany), don’t talk about it. Don’t dilute its power. The dream is for you. It’s between you and your muse. Shut up and use it.” (69)

    Resistance’s greatest weapon is rationalization.

    “But rationalization has its own sidekick. It’s the part of us that actually believes what rationalization is telling us.” (71)

     

    It’s one thing to lie to ourselves. It’s another thing to believe it.

     

    However, if Resistance couldn’t be beaten, there would be no great symphonies, no great plays such as Romeo and Juliet, and no great works of architecture like the Golden Gate Bridge.

    Rework – 37signals (Summary)

    November 30, 2011

    Devon Sampson Business, Motivational Psychology , , 2 Comments


     
    (Ed: You can now find more detailed notes about “Rework” in The Vault)
     

    Rework shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business. Read it and you’ll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don’t need outside investors, and why you’re better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think. You don’t need to be a workaholic. You don’t need to staff up. You don’t need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don’t even need an office. Those are all just excuses.

    What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way. You’ll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you.

    -Amazon.com description (excerpt)
     

    The “real world” that most people talk about when shooting down ambitious ideas isn’t a place, it’s an excuse.

    When facing a difficult, overwhelming idea, ask yourself: “What can I do right now that’s good enough?” Not only does this inspire immediate action, it gets the ball rolling for you to do the bigger thing later on.

    The common problem that all the idiots have on “Kitchen Nightmares” is that there’s just too much stuff on their menus. When overhauling their restaurants, Gordon Ramsey always starts by cutting back.

    People use equipment as a crutch. But give Tiger Woods some old clubs and he’ll still crush you.

    Put out the necessities now, add the luxuries later.

    The best way to make something great is through iterations. Stop theorizing about what will work. Find out now.

    If we can’t accurately estimate projects that take 2 hours, how can we estimate projects that might take a year? The longer the project, the more magnified that planning errors become.

    There’s no such thing as a marketing division, because everything you do has to do with marketing.

    A great way to gain support is to position yourself as the anti-(business/industry).

    Focusing on the competition makes you more reactionary than visionary.

    “If I had listened to my customers, I would’ve gotten them a faster horse.” -Henry Ford

    Listen to feedback from your customers, but don’t write it down. If it’s really important, it’ll keep coming up and you won’t be able to forget it.

    Don’t hire someone if you don’t need them, no matter how good they appear.

    If employees are forced to constantly ask for permission, it creates a culture of non-thinking.

    Don’t scar on the first cut. Don’t create a policy because someone did something wrong once.

    Inspiration has an expiry date. SEIZE IT.

    Drive – Daniel Pink

    November 28, 2011

    Devon Sampson Business, Human Psychology, Motivational Psychology, Social Dynamics , , , , , Leave a comment

     

    “According to Pink (A Whole New Mind), everything we think we know about what motivates us is wrong. He pits the latest scientific discoveries about the mind against the outmoded wisdom that claims people can only be motivated by the hope of gain and the fear of loss. Pink cites a dizzying number of studies revealing that carrot and stick can actually significantly reduce the ability of workers to produce creative solutions to problems. What motivates us once our basic survival needs are met is the ability to grow and develop, to realize our fullest potential.”

    -Amazon.com description

     

    RSA Animate:

     

    “When money is used as an external reward for some activity, subjects lose intrinsic interest in the activity.”

    Human beings have an “inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore, and to learn.” But this third drive is more fragile than the other two; it needs the right environment to survive.

    “An algorithmic task is one in which you follow a set of established instructions down a single pathway to one conclusion. That is, there’s an algorithm for solving it. A heuristic task is the opposite. Precisely because no algorithm exists for it, you have to experiment with possibilities and devise a novel solution.”

    “The consulting firm McKinsey & Co. estimates that in the United States, only 30 percent of job growth now comes from algorithmic work, while 70 percent comes from heuristic work. A key reason: Routine work can be outsourced or automated; artistic, empathic, nonroutine work generally cannot.”

    “External rewards and punishments—both carrots and sticks—can work nicely for algorithmic tasks. But they can be devastating for heuristic ones.”

    Stuff like salary, etc., are called “baseline rewards” and are mandatory, otherwise they’ll just focus on the unfairness of their situation and they won’t be extrinsically or intrinsically motivated.

    “Rewards can perform a weird sort of behavioral alchemy: They can transform an interesting task into a drudge.”

    Functional fixedness = seeing an object in a certain problem as only having one function, instead of thinking outside the box and seeing that the object can have many functions.

    When your only motivation is intrinsic motivation, you’ll always reach your goal via ethical means. Extrinsic rewards encourage people to take shortcuts and act unethically (ie: sales quotas for Sears car repair people, Enron)

    “Using extrinsic rewards can cause the presence of such an award seem like the status quo, thus requiring larger awards to be offered to achieve the same effect. In this way, this phenomenon resembles addiction.”

    “The very presence of goals may lead employees to focus myopically on short-term gains and to lose sight of the potential devastating long-term effects on the organization.”

    CARROTS AND STICKS: The Seven Deadly Flaws
    1. They can extinguish intrinsic motivation.
    2. They can diminish performance.
    3. They can crush creativity.
    4. They can crowd out good behavior.
    5. They can encourage cheating, shortcuts, and unethical behavior.
    6. They can become addictive.
    7. They can foster short-term thinking.