Page 48 - index

GAMIFICATION

Let the games G AMES HAVE ENTERTAINED
begin – but and inspired humans since
time immemorial, with
marketers are archaeologists unearthing bones they
slow out of the say were used as gaming tools during
starting blocks the Neolithic era around 10 200BC.

The world’s obsession with mobile game Pokémon Go, According to anthropologists, games
which attracted millions of players within days of release, has were integral to the evolution of social
heightened the attention given to gamification. Penny Haw looks interaction and, as Dutch historian
at what the technique may, or may not, mean for marketing. Johan Huizinga wrote in his book
Homo Ludens (Playing Man), provided
the foundation for intricate human
undertakings such as language, law,
art, philosophy and war.

Although the kinds of games people
play these days are very different from
the games of yore, gaming has arguably
never been more popular. With the
number of gamers worldwide nearing
2-billion, digital video games achieved
record sales last year and, by August this
year, analysts were pegging Pokémon
Go’s active daily user base at 21-million.

A report recently released by
online market research company,
ReportsnReports claims the global
gamification market is set to grow from
US$1,65-billion in 2015 to US$11,1-
billion by 2020.

WHY THIS RAPID GROWTH?

The strong growth of social media,
propelled by the increased use of
sophisticated Web-connected mobile
devices, is a primary driver of the
gamification market as consumers
are increasingly using social media
networks to connect with brands. This
encourages businesses to, in turn, use
online marketing techniques such as
gamification to engage with customers.

Indeed, companies are increasingly
adopting gamification technologies
and solutions not only to increase
engagement, sales and loyalty among
consumers, but also to incentivise their
own sales and marketing teams.

“Gaming has never been more popular
because almost everyone has a mobile

46 strategicmarketing October 2016 – January 2017