Games in business: don’t just play, make your own!

November 15, 2022

We have discussed the benefits of gamification in previous articles, including in our Board Game Project blog. Play is a critical component of brain health - from building analytical skills to improving memory and learning new information. 

Games can also be a phenomenal tool for communicating, relieving stress, building and strengthening relationships and even increasing productivity in the workplace. Moreover, after the pandemic, face-to-face games are needed more than ever, and can be a tool for bringing people together in hybrid work and learning environments.  For companies, playing games can be a great step to strengthen organizational culture, as well as increase team productivity. The key is to find the right game for your workplace. 

After experimenting with different games and seeing the positive benefits of gaming, you might consider developing your own unique game that reflects your business and helps strengthen your organization, both internally and among clients, business partners and other stakeholders. Here are some ideas for getting started in this briefing paper.

First, think about what kind of game would be most appropriate for the company’s goals, employees and customers. For B2C businesses, it might be helpful to design a game that not only helps your customer, but also reminds them about the value of the company’s product or service. For B2B businesses, companies might develop games that are played by teams in order to encourage collaboration and communication.

Remember, a game doesn’t have to be complex in order to be engaging and effective. A number of gamified strategies can be used by companies to engage with customers. For example, games in which customers set their own targets can be used by bigger companies to not only improve the product or service but reward customers for positive consumption habits. 

In the financial sector, rather than earning points for money spent, which can lead to over-spending and indebtedness, banks can design games that reward customers for staying within a proposed budget or meeting a savings goal. In the culture sector, one great example of gamification is through the Goodreads Annual Reading Challenge, which encourages readers to set a target number of books for the year, helping them keep track of goals, proposing connections that share the same interests and providing tips for meeting goals.

In the automobile sector, rather than encouraging drivers to purchase new cars, manufacturers can help drivers obtain rewards to staying within a set mileage limit or by registering a certain number of rides shared. In the energy sector, rather than encouraging the complete divestment of oil and gas, companies can develop games to incentivize and reward customers to help them control consumption of petrol and electricity through applications that promote energy sharing between customers, and ensure that energy does not go to waste.

Games can also be used to enhance the customer’s experience and build loyalty. In the food space, rather than focusing only on the relationship between the business and the customer, restaurants, bars and cafés can create games that encourage customers to interact and make the overall experience more engaging. In the education sector, teachers and coaches might want to create games that help students practice techniques learned in a fun and interactive way, but also add include quizzes and competitions with peers. In each case, the games can be designed to incentivize players to return through winning prizes, gift certificates or discounts.

Equally, games can also be used by employees as tools for training and improving performance, including rewards for hitting certain targets. In the sales and business development function, games can be used to help simplify complex processes in sales or client relationship management. Games can also be used to help employees learn about the company's products, or help sales teams practice their pitches.

In the human resources function, a game might be used as a team-building exercise or as a way to increase productivity during meetings.  Games can also be used to help new employees learn about the company's culture, or as a way to reward employees for completing certain tasks. In the training and knowledge management function, learning games can be used to help employees remember core company information and processes. In addition, depending on the function of the business, games can also be introduced into the company's core strategy, by allowing employees to participate in competitions, incubators and innovation labs.

For bigger companies, games can simply be proposed as a way to strengthen company culture. Instead of queuing in silence, why not gamify the cafeteria or elevator experience? This can also be a way to bring colleagues together a fun idea that will put a smile on their face... undoubtedly more fun than making small talk.

Once you have decided to make a game, it is important to focus on game design. What kind of game mechanics would work best? There are many different types of games, from simple dice games to card games to more complex board games. 

The important thing is to keep the game mechanics simple enough that anyone can play, but not so simple that people lose interest. A good game design should also take into account the company's goals and objectives, as well as the target audience. Below are a few key elements to consider when designing a game:

• The player's journey: what is the goal of the game? What does the player need to do to win? For example, if the goal is to teach the player about a product or service, the player might need to collect certain items or achieve a certain level of understanding through quizzes in order to win.

• The game mechanics: what are the rules of the game? For example, if it is a card game, how many cards does each player start with? What are the different types of cards and what do they do?

• The game economy: what are the stakes of the game? What can the player win or lose? For example, if the game is being used as a loyalty program, the player might earn points that can be redeemed for prizes.

• The user interface: how will the game be played? Will it be a physical game or a digital game? If it is a digital game, what platform will it be played on? How will the player navigate the game?

• The game environment: where will the game be played? For example, will it be online or offline? If offline, will it be in a physical space like an office or store, or will it be a virtual space like a computer game?

• The game characters: who will be playing the game? Are there any special requirements for them? Can it be played anonymously? Can other customers and employees see each player's performance in real time?

Keep in mind that your games will probably evolve over time. A question-and-answer or trivia card game can be transformed at a later stage into a board game that involves more elements of strategy and chance. Games can begin between specific teams or functions, and then be combined into a company-wide game at some point. Another idea is to create a hybrid game that incorporates good face-to-face elements with some measure of virtual gaming.

When designing a game, it is also important to consider the user experience. What would make the game more fun for the player? How can you make sure that the game is challenging but not too difficult? What kind of feedback will the player need in order to understand how well they are doing?

In general, it is a good idea to start small and then gradually increase the scale of the game as you get feedback from employees and customers. It is also important to have a clear plan for how you will measure the success of the game.  What are the goals that you want to achieve?  For example, if you want to increase customer loyalty, you will need to track how many people are playing the game and how long they play for.

Games can be a great way to improve employee engagement or customer loyalty, but only if they are designed well. With a little bit of thought and planning, you can create a game that will be enjoyable for everyone involved... and VIVACE can help!

CPM