Gamification is a key feature in lots of different types of technology that is implemented and used in order to attract customers, players and enthusiasts to a specific product. Even if you have never heard of gamification before, you will certainly have come across it.
Gamification is used in fitness apps and video games. It is used by marketing companies, news websites and a whole host of different businesses throughout the world. Gamification is driving lots of industries forward because of the level of interaction and satisfaction that it is giving to customers. It is intended to be fun and rewarding for customers of businesses and players of video games, this is why gamification has already become such an integral cog in the iGaming industry machine.
What is gamification?
Gamification focuses on making a typically monotonous task more entertaining. This is done through the use of gaming elements and is based on behavioural psychology techniques. Gamification in the hope that it will encourage internet surfers, app visitors and video gamers to enjoy and keep using a product. For example, health and fitness apps use gamification to ensure that workouts become more enjoyable for the user so that they can track their progress and their future aims in a fun and exciting way. In turn, this ensures that the user keeps coming back for more. Gamification is a win-win scenario because the user is satisfied by an entertaining app (or something similar) that is making something tedious more fun and the company behind the app or website is happy because they have a happy and (hopefully) loyal customer.
The iGaming industry
The iGaming industry is made up of different types of games that primarily revolve around gambling. Online casinos are a huge part of the iGaming industry and as a result of the revolution of the internet, the growth of the iGaming industry in recent years has been rapid. With an internet connection being barely an issue in today’s modern age, mobile users are constantly connected to the internet. Because of this, the iGaming industry is shifting its attention towards mobile phone-based platforms and apps in order to appeal to the attention of mobile phone users. The power of social media should not be underestimated though, with iGaming companies diverting their online marketing efforts towards the most widely used social media platforms in order to gain customers. The future of iGaming is certainly reliant on the affects of the mobile-internet era and gamification has become a huge part of this.
According to one study, the global iGaming market is expected to be worth over €45.5 billion by 2020. This figure is highly motivating to all iGaming companies within the sector and ensures that the competition within the industry stays at peak levels. High competition is good for consumers that are in and around the iGaming industry – gamblers – because it ensures that online casinos are battling each other in order to convince players that they should play with them. This means fantastic offers and bonuses are available to players. It also means that iGaming companies are constantly updating their games and technology in order to attract players, this is where gamification comes into the mix.
Gamification and iGaming
Gamification is a huge factor that iGaming industries have implemented into online casinos. Gamification significantly improves user experience (UX). UX is key to online casinos given the level of competition there is when it comes to attracting players. For example, widely considered one of the best online casinos in the UK, Playfrank is especially successful when it comes to gamification methods. As the project manager of the site discusses, PlayFrank collaborate with game designers and providers in order to create the best possible product for players and gamification is a key aspect to this.
“We add extra ‘layers’ to each game,” states PlayFrank casinos project manager in an interview with GameIndustry.
He goes on to explain that PlayFrank offers their players the option to ‘level up’ which becomes a game in itself – these are called ‘tracks.’ If you complete one ‘track’ then this opens a higher level. Players can go on ‘journeys’ where the tracks become increasingly elaborate and customized the more they play. There are several online casinos operating in the industry which also focus on gamification, MrGreen is one that is highly successful at this, as is LeoVegas. In such a highly competitive and demanding market, the online casinos are looking to find any edge possible over each other, so implementing gamification in order to enhance player experience has quickly become important.
But it’s not just gamification
Of course, there are other marketing techniques used by online casinos to market casino games to players. Trustworthiness is vital and transparency is key. With so many online casinos popping up within the industry, players are now more than ever turning to the safe and well-known online casino brands to play with. Online casinos with their own forums where players can chat and discuss with each other are also becoming more and more desirable. As aforementioned, social media is an important aspect that the iGaming industry is using to thrive on. Social media offers a global outreach at an unscalable level, it is not like advertising on a television channel which will always have an estimated audience number, social media allows marketers to reach users all over the world and it does not have to cost a penny, if you are skilled enough in sharing content effectively.
Gamification and beyond
The iGaming industry and technology in general are advancing at such eye watering levels, thus it is difficult to predict what the future holds for online gaming. But for now it is clear that top class user experience is vital for all online casinos and gamification is a key aspect of user experience.
