ABSTRACT

The business world has begun to embrace the idea to help it find new and compelling ways to engage with its customers, its staff and other stakeholders. Gamification advocates claim it offers the potential for businesses to gain competitive advantage, deepen relationships with customers and retain their custom for longer. Gamification can potentially be applied to any industry and almost anything to create fun and engaging experiences, converting users into players. The main goals of gamification, according to Gartner, are increased user interaction, the stimulation of innovative thinking and the generation of new ideas. Anyone who feels that computer or other 'online' games, particularly of the 'shoot 'em up' variety, are just a colossal waste of time may have a particularly hard time swallowing the potential of gamification as an effective business engagement technique. This DoShort argues that gamification has much potential as a new method for engaging people – staff, stakeholders, consumers, customers and clients – in environmental action.