Gabe Zichermann - Gamification by Design: Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile Apps

Copyright 2011 GabrielZ, Inc.

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We want to recognize the game-design writing and work of key thinkers, including Jesse Schells The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses (Morgan Kaufmann), Jon Radoffs Game On (Wiley), and Ralph Kosters A Theory of Fun for Game Design (Paraglyph Press). We are also lucky to have been able to access and distill the insights of Sebastian Deterding, Susan Bonds, Jane McGonigal, Amy Jo Kim, Ian Bogost, Nick Fortugno, Nicole Lazzaro, Rajat Paharia, Kris Duggan, Keith Smith, and Tim Chang. And a special thanks to the folks at Badgeville who sponsored , providing insight into their groundbreaking product, as well as practical coding and design tips that can be used in any implementation.

Wed also like to recognize the efforts of Jeff Lopez, Danyell Thillet, and Joselin Linder, who each contributed in their own way by helping us research, refine, and produce this work. And, of course, to the OReilly Media team, including Mary Treseler, Sara Peyton, Kirk Walter, Keith (Steve) Thompson, and Betsy Waliszewski.

Gabe would like to thank his mother, father, (not-evil) stepdad, sister, and brother (why say in-law?), without whose support none of this would have been possible. Also, thanks to Veronica Cseke and the Fraizingers (Mary, Izzy, Rochelle, Shoshanna, and Elliot)proof that family need not always be related by blood. And extra special thanks to Jason Evege, one of the most driven and inspirational people hes ever met.

Christopher would like to thank his family, especially his mother and father, for their limitless patience and encouragement of a child who would never stop asking questionsand then debating the answers. And special thanks to Pablo Lpez Yez, for always supporting and encouraging an adult who hasnt changed all that much.

New York City, 2011

Summer. At dusk, children run between trees and fireflies, shouting through laughter and squealing, Youre it!

Math class is ending. A cheer erupts as the teacher tells her students to put their books away. She splits the class into teams. In twos, they approach the chalkboard and face off for the love of numbers and grade-school honor.

Its Saturday night. A roomful of suburban mothers are playing Mahjong. As the tiles click and scores get recorded, they laugh, complain, and bond.

It is no wonder that the simple idea of a game can induce some of lifes strongest and most satisfying memories. After childhood, games were relegated to the fringes of our livesthe downtime, the fun between the drudgery of work, the opposite of real life.

But the tides are turning. Games have begun to influence our lives every day. They affect everything from how we vacation to how we train for marathons, learn a new language, and manage our finances. What we once called play at the periphery of our lives is quickly becoming the way we interact. Games are the future of work, fun is the new responsible, and the movement that is leading the way is gamification.