Gamification of the blockchain and businesses using blockchain technology is increasing. I saw it as a good way to reinforce educational credentials. Like with all new technologies someone will have found a way of making it a game or gamelike. I am thinking Cryptokitties, which can be bought and traded on the Ethereum platform and if I am not wrong were the first blockchain game or at least the first one that went viral. The gameplay is simple, you buy cats, breed them, collect them and sell them.
However, the requests we have seen coming in from blockchain related business and the kind of gamification they want to create is actually pushing the boat out a lot further with more virtual economy linked to tangible and intangible benefits.
The blockchain is a technology where multiple parties confirm a transaction instead of just one (your bank for example) and create smart contracts building trust along the way. I wrote about game companies using blockchain to raise funds for their next release and creating tokens that also enhanced your gameplay.
We receive regular enquiries now to assist companies with gamification of their blockchain venture. I read their whitepapers and speak to the project leaders to understand their thinking. The gamification requests, in fact, are typically top notch and thought through, linking it to the likes and motivation of their target markets, for now, is a bit hit and miss. Some understand their target audience well and know what will drive them, others just want to develop what they see as great individually.
I have seen membership organisations, verifying membership activity with tokens. Ideas for a fantasy super league, where the top players receive a percentage of the value in the virtual economy for sharing knowledge and skill, a bit like subscriptions on Twitch for example. And then the earning of tokens for positive behaviour in the membership organisation.
I like the blockchain technology for collaborative efforts to achieve something and seeing growth on the chain in a more visual display. The use of tokens (virtual currency created on blockchain) can function in a similar fashion as point systems or collectables in regular games.
My fear for the technology at the moments is that end-users are still a bit wary of using it. It is the privilege of a group of tech-savvy early adopters and I see the vast majority of people not yet ready to adopt this technology.
I hope that gamification efforts can increase adoption and increase participation, part of that is making it enticing to engage and easy to set-up. After that engaging on what truly is of interest to the target audience will remain key as is the case already with most membership or passion focused businesses.
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