
Marketing Technology
A Dummies Handbook To Gamification Software
By TechDogs Editorial Team

Share


Overview
This is precisely what Gamification Software makes possible! It’s a technology that businesses are increasingly using to motivate employees, incentivize customers and keep people coming back for whatever it is they’re selling. We promise not to reference Squid Games more than once (okay, maybe twice!) in this piece.
Hop on to explore what Gamification Software is and why your business might need it!
-01-(4).png.aspx)
Let’s be honest – we all love it when we receive praise or commendations. Even if it’s your pedometer app congratulating you for walking 3 miles or your health app notifying you that you’ve met the calorie-burning goals for the day. Isn’t it more likely that you will focus on your health after that?
Similarly, employees in any workforce are likely to improve in productivity and performance if they can gauge their performance and improvement. However, the question is – how? That’s where Gamification Software can be the best friend to every business. It is used to apply game mechanics to business tasks in order to boost engagement and enable successful end results. Think leaderboards, competitive tasks and scoreboards – for employees and customers alike!
Join us as we explore what Gamification Software is, how it evolved, how it works, its future and why your business output will improve with this tool!
What Is Gamification Software?
Gamification Software is any tool or technology that allows a business to apply game mechanics outside the context of gaming. Essentially, it rewards customers, employees, students and any other cohort of people for completing a task and/or working towards a goal. We are (deliberately) avoiding a reference to Squid Games here because, let’s face it, that road leads only to sadness.
Gamification is fun. It’s lighthearted. Gamification applies gaming elements to non-gaming business environments. It rewards people for achievements, for example, by incentivizing people when they complete various tasks that may result in higher sales or brand awareness. It also encourages healthy competition among employees in the workforce, delivering higher output.
Yet, it’s much more about playing a fun game (e.g., Plants versus Zombies) than it is about surviving a dystopian hellscape of Squid Games through brutal competition. Gamification is fun for the same reasons that playing games is fun — players are rewarded with goodies as they progress through the game. In Plants versus Zombies, players get new plants, more coins, expensive gems and increasingly challenging levels as they progress through the game (not to mention the wide variety of zombies!).
Gamification Software takes this concept — a mixture of rewards, suspense and increasing challenges — to businesses. Gamification Software supports an organization’s business goals and initiatives by incentivizing employees, customers and other “players” to complete established goals. We’ll get into the details of how the software works, including all the features soon.
First, a brief history of how it all started.
Gamification Software - A Brief History

Look, people have been playing games for centuries, so we’ll spare you an exhaustive history of gladiators and knights. Gamification, as it applied to modern-day incentives, started around the turn of the 20th century, with the Boy Scouts. Here’s the timeline, for the history nerds:
-
Early 1900s
The Boy Scouts of America, a youth organization that teaches leadership and life skills is founded. The Boy Scouts gamified learning by awarding merit badges for mastering a variety of skills and activities — hunting, fishing, swimming, hiking… you get the picture.
-
1970s
Charles A Coonradt (yes, that’s a real name!), creates The Game of Work, which uses gaming principles (specifically, sports) to incentivize productivity and teamwork among employees. This is an early example of how gamification is applied in a business setting. We must keep productivity high!
-
1980s
Gamification is used in one of the first marketing/rewards campaigns when American Airlines introduces its Frequent Flier program. The program rewards loyal customers with points they can apply to future flights, getting discounts, perks, and special treatment. This is the same decade where we saw a rise in video gaming and the concept of using gaming environments beyond computers and consoles.
-
1990s
A guy named Dr. Richard Bartle groups gaming personalities into four categories that become the foundation of modern Gamification Software. They are achievement, exploration, socialization and killing (not the violent kind – it simply means competitiveness!).
-
Early 2000s
Gamification, as we know it today, is invented. The term “Gamification” is officially coined by a software engineer named Nick Pelling. The US Army releases a game called America’s Army which uses gamification features as a recruitment tool and the first modern gamification platform, Bunchball, storms onto the scene in 2005. The tool is designed to increase website engagement by adding gaming features such as achievements and badges.
-
Late 2000s
Gamification rolls into our everyday lives. For example, the website Chore Wars incentivized people for doing chores using a fantasy theme. Marketers begin using gamification to promote their stuff and generate buzz. Social gamification tools like Foursquare started awarding badges based on various achievements such as checking into the same location more times than anyone else. BigDoor, a gamification platform, is founded in 2009 and gamifies the customer loyalty space.
Today, gamification has exploded thanks (in part) to the popularity of Pokémon Go, an app that incentives people by awarding badges and capturing rare Pokémon characters based on visiting real-life locations. Social apps such as Snapchat use gamification to increase engagement (and usage!) with gamified features such as “Streaks” which count how many consecutive days two users send each other messages or “snaps.”
Now, let’s move on to the next level and see how it all works!
How Does Gamification Software Work?
Gamification Software works by bundling a suite of features into one platform that allows businesses to apply video game concepts to various business uses. Wow, that’s a mouthful! (We get three points for overcomplicating a simple concept.) Let’s try this again in TechDogs’ style: Gamification Software boosts engagement by making tasks fun, rewarding and somewhat addictive. That’s 10 points to us!
The most popular features of Gamification Software which help it do this include:
-
Progress Tracking
Whether it’s badges, a progress bar, or a virtual goal-o-meter, progress tracking helps customers to incentivize tracking their progress towards a specific goal. When they’re closer to the next goal, it encourages them to “game” further.
-
Rewards, Rewards And Rewards
Doling out rewards in the form of badges, points and achievement levels (e.g., cool new plants that help kill zombies) is an important feature of any Gamification Software. Rewards keep people engaged and coming back for more — this is as true for zombie-slaying games as it is for loyal customers.
-
In-app Money
One of the things we love about Plants vs. Zombies is that we can earn gold and gems for completing various challenges. In-app currencies, treasures, coins, gold — or whatever the developers call it — is an inherently important feature of Gamification Software.
-
Leaderboards
If you can’t track your progress, it ain’t gamification! A key feature of Gamification Software is the leaderboard which gives users a way to track progress, show successes and keep them motivated to keep playing to rank higher.
-
Games (Duh!)
Gamification Software typically includes the ability to create actual games, challenges and activities from scratch. Game features allow businesses to incorporate real games into the gamification process — quizzes, scavenger hunts and contests encourage healthy competition for a range of business initiatives such as sales training, online learning and team performance evaluations.
Why Do We Need Gamification Software?

Businesses of all types and stripes benefit from Gamification Software because it improves engagement. It makes learners more effective and is openly embraced by younger generations (let’s face it, whose kid hasn’t grown up playing video games?) while making rote tasks much more fun.
Gamification is a powerful way to keep people engaged and motivated. Rewards programs that gamify shopping experiences help foster customer loyalty, increase sales and improve customer experience.
One study found that 54% of new hires are highly productive when gamified onboarding is used.
Gamification’s impact on employee engagement and productivity is huge, with 90%of employees more productive when companies use gamification. It also makes workers more loyal to a company, with 70% of employees likely to stay at a company for 3 or more years when tasks are gamified.
Gamification helps employees monitor their performance and gives them swift feedback on their accomplishments. With goals and tasks that are easy to follow, gamification makes mundane and rote tasks more interesting.
That’s not all - gamification is no slacker when it comes to marketing and sales activities, with over 90%of marketers saying they love using gamification as a tactic. They plan to keep using it too, which brings us to what’s next for gamification. (If you’ve read this far, good work! You get a TechDogs badge of achievement!)
The Future Of Gamification Software
Globally, the gamification market is expected to reach nearly $31 billion by 2025, up from $9.1 billion in 2020. That’s a lot of merit badges, folks! North America, which sports the world’s largest number of mobile internet and smartphone users, will drive this growth, although Europe, Africa and Latin America are all expected to get in on the fun.
Gamification is being embraced by all industries for multiple purposes, from marketing and sales to education and training, to onboarding and skills building. Woah, that’s a long list, although not exhaustive! Experts believe that 9 out of 10 major businesses are expected to use gamified techniques in the next 5 years. That means the future of Gamification Software is quite bright – 100 points to the software!
Conclusion
Gamification is already being leveraged in industries like Education, Retail and even Government processes. Its future looks bright for other industries including IT, Banking and Healthcare. Gamification is particularly helpful for keeping remote teams and employees engaged and productive. Who knows, maybe someone will incorporate slaying zombies into their gamification strategies. We would certainly play that game!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gamification Software?
Gamification Software refers to tools or technologies that apply game mechanics to non-gaming contexts, such as business tasks, to enhance engagement and achieve desired outcomes. It rewards participants, whether they are employees, customers, or students, for completing tasks or working toward specific goals. By incorporating elements like leaderboards, rewards, and progress tracking, Gamification Software makes tasks more enjoyable and encourages participation and competition, ultimately driving desired behaviors and outcomes.
How does Gamification Software work?
Gamification Software functions by integrating various features into a single platform that allows businesses to apply gaming principles to different aspects of their operations. These features include progress tracking, rewards systems, in-app currencies, leaderboards, and the ability to create and participate in games and challenges. By gamifying tasks and activities, businesses can incentivize desired behaviors, enhance engagement, and improve performance among employees, customers, or other target audiences.
Why do we need Gamification Software?
Gamification Software offers numerous benefits for businesses across industries. It improves engagement, making tasks more enjoyable and motivating participants to achieve their goals. In the workplace, gamification enhances employee productivity, fosters loyalty, and facilitates learning and skill development. For marketers, gamification drives customer loyalty, increases sales, and enhances the overall shopping experience. With its ability to make tasks more interesting and rewarding, Gamification Software has become an indispensable tool for businesses seeking to boost engagement and drive desired outcomes.
Enjoyed what you read? Great news – there’s a lot more to explore!
Dive into our content repository of the latest tech news, a diverse range of articles spanning introductory guides, product reviews, trends and more, along with engaging interviews, up-to-date AI blogs and hilarious tech memes!
Also explore our collection of branded insights via informative white papers, enlightening case studies, in-depth reports, educational videos and exciting events and webinars from leading global brands.
Head to the TechDogs homepage to Know Your World of technology today!
Disclaimer - Reference to any specific product, software or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by TechDogs nor should any data or content published be relied upon. The views expressed by TechDogs' members and guests are their own and their appearance on our site does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by TechDogs' Authors are those of the Authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of TechDogs or any of its officials. While we aim to provide valuable and helpful information, some content on TechDogs' site may not have been thoroughly reviewed for every detail or aspect. We encourage users to verify any information independently where necessary.
Tags:
Related Introductory Guides By TechDogs
The Detailed Guide To Renewable Energy Systems
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Everything You Need To Know About Electronic Health Record
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Backup Your Business With Enterprise Backup Solutions
By TechDogs Editorial Team
A Simple Guide To Manufacturing Execution Systems
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Why You Need Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Tools
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Let The Creativity Flow With Content Creation Platforms
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Everything You Need To Know About Integration Testing
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Integrate It Right With System Integration Software!
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Everything About The Payroll Management Software
By TechDogs Editorial Team
All About Enterprise Architecture Management Software
By TechDogs Editorial Team
A Beginner’s Guide To Competitive Intelligence Tools
By TechDogs Editorial Team
The What, Why And How Of Customer Analytics Solutions
By TechDogs Editorial Team
A Rookie's Guide To IT Operations Management Software
By TechDogs Editorial Team
All You Need To Learn About Server Virtualization Software
By TechDogs Editorial Team
Related News on Marketing Technology
Analog Devices Raises Quarterly Dividend By 7%
Wed, Feb 21, 2024
By Business Wire
AppLovin To Announce Third Quarter 2023 Results
Thu, Oct 5, 2023
By Business Wire
Join The Discussion