Gamification

"Gamification" is the notion that the experience of playing games -- perhaps focusing on online and computer games -- including rewards and incentives (such as points, badges, achievement awards, virtual currency, and such), can infuse business and commerce (for purposes including marketing, customer engagement and retention, and product development), education and training, personal health care, government, etc. (See this decently thorough introduction in the Wikipedia.) 

Incentives in particular have been around for a long time -- think of frequent-flyer clubs. 

This article in The New York Times about gamification introduces its use in several different contexts. 

All the World’s a Game, and Business Is a Player 

By NICK WINGFIELD 

Published: December 23, 2012 

Congratulations. Reading the first paragraph of this article has earned you a badge. 

If this made-up award makes you feel good about yourself, then you are on your way to understanding gamification, a business trend — some would say fad — that aims to infuse otherwise mundane activities with the excitement and instant feedback of video games.

social.oglivy.com

Many businesses are using these game tricks to try to get people hooked on their products and services — and it is working, thanks to smartphones and the Internet. 

Buying a cup of coffee? Foursquare, the social networking app that helped popularize the gamification idea, gives people virtual badges for checking in at a local cafe or restaurant. 

Conserving energy? More than 75 utilities have begun using a service from a company called Opower that awards badges to customers when they reduce their energy consumption. Customers can compare their progress with their neighbors’ and broadcast their achievements on Facebook. 

"I’m not going to lie — I hate those online game apps on Facebook. I delete them," said Brett Little, who works for an environmental nonprofit group in Grand Rapids, Mich., and has been known to share his energy-saving progress online. "This one I really enjoy."

Article continues at link.