“Funware”: Practical applications with a game-like sugar coating
Posted by Chris Dahlen on May 12th, 2008This article on VentureBeat just caught my attention. It’s a great summary of a design approach called “funware,” which Dean Takahashi defines as:
applications with game-like mechanics and game-like behavior that really aren’t traditional video games.
He’s summed up a trend where social networks, business apps, and even some fairly utilitarian (read: dull) websites try to engage users with game-like mechanics. His examples come from both directions - games that liven up social networking sites like Facebook, and applications such as eBay that use points systems, competition and collection to reward and incent their users. The industry experts Takahashi speaks with see big rewards in the proliferation of mini-games, Facebook games, and game-like applications in our everyday lives.
For example:
… One of the most telling interviews I did on this subject was with Bing Gordon’s on the day he announced he was joining Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as a partner. Gordon, the former chief creative officer of Electronic Arts, said, “What I’m excited about now is stuff that doesn’t fit in EA’s business definition. I am really excited about Facebook. iPhone. Leopard OS and iTunes. Amazon web services. I’m really excited about widget product design. Google mash-ups.”
Amy Jo Kim of Shufflebrain explored the same idea with this conference talk from ‘06, Putting the Fun in Functional. Kim identified five mechanics that are native to games but are addictive and engaging in business applications:
In her presentation, she uses MySpace as an example of a site that uses all five mechanics to keep users coming back.
And of course, this is a two way street: as gaming expands online, different vendors experiment with social networking, profiles, and media sharing. The XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3 store “friends” and reputation systems. Hackers turn deciphering captcha graphics into a game. Everyone, from entertainment to business, is pulling from the same bag of ideas - and competing for the same eyeballs and attention spans.
Tags: funware