The Mechanics of Magic

Speaker: Christina Wodtke

The web world thinks of game design as the next silver bullet, and companies are slapping badges and progress bars over every annoying thing they wish users to do. But as users tire of everything looking like a game, “gamification” is starting to get discarded as just another fad.. Games have been core to human experience since ancient times, and the game industry now makes more than the movies industry. If we want to create amazing experiences for our users, there is plenty to learn beyond the tricks of Gamification. I’ve studied game design from the people who actually make games, such as Dan Cook (Triple Town), Mark Skaggs (Farmville), Amy Jo Kim (Rockband) and Erin Hoffman (Sims Edu) and it has transformed my design practice. Let me share what I have learned. Come and hear how mastery, mysteries and meaningful choices can make your site a pleasure for your users.

Take Aways

* When to use game mechanics, and when they’ll backfire

* How to make your personas more powerful with play-style

* Replace tutorials with more integrated and pleasurable teaching.

* Understand key game mechanics, how they work and how to use them

* Learn how to use the power of games appropriately to drive engagement and retention.

* Practical approaches you can use back in the office monday morning.