Playing Games for Social Benefit
For a few years now, we’ve been hearing the word “gamification” pop up in business, education and other fields. Very simply, “gamification” means using strategies and techniques found in games to solve problems.
It’s being used now for US Army recruiting; for helping people manage goals; for promoting literacy among children; and for customer engagement and building brand loyalty.
And, sometimes, it’s used to help nonprofits highlight issues specific to their missions. Starting with MTV’s Darfur is Dying game (read more on Wikipedia) in 2006, slowly more and more nonprofits are finding that these decidedly virtual-world games are opening up conversations about real-world problems.
Games for Empowerment
A screenshot taken while playing "Half the Sky" on Facebook.
Games like Half The Sky and The World Bank’s Evoke aim to empower players to make changes in their world—in-game and in real life.
Another example of this kind of game is the Peace Corps challenge. This fun web-based game is suitable for middle schoolers on up, and takes the player through a series of tasks in an African village. The player—taking the role of a Peace Corps volunteer—interviews people who live in the village, takes note of their problems and potential solutions to those problems, and attempts to navigate the etiquette of the village by giving the interviewers fruit and other gifts collected along the way. After interviewing the townspeople, the player “talks” to another Peace Corps volunteer, and then to the village chief, selecting one of the multiple-choice options for the best way to solve the problem.
Games for Learning
A screenshot taken while playing the Peace Corps challenge.
The above-mentioned games empower players, and also teach them—in a fun way—about some of the real-life challenges faced by communities around the world. In the Peace Corps game, players try to figure out why the village’s water is making people sick, and then decide how best to solve that problem. In Half the Sky, players are asked to play the role of women around the world who must make hard decisions about how to spend their resources wisely and make the best choices for their families.
This fall, another game will be released to help people learn about Alaska Native culture. Never Alone follows the journey of a young Inupiaq girl and her companion fox. Players will have a chance to experience traditional Inupiaq language and folklore while playing the game.
Games for Change
Awareness is a good result of gamification, but it’s not the only result. Many of the games available now also include unlockable goals that trigger donations from sponsoring organizations, or which encourage the player to donate.
When playing Half the Sky, users at the beginning are encouraged to “Help a Real Family Now,” and later in the game are given the chance to donate to causes that relate to the story in the game, such as immunizations.
Should Every Nonprofit Have a Game?
Of course, not every organization’s mission will lend itself as well to gamification—or actual video games—as the ones mentioned here. However, it’s probable that this shift toward ‘playable’ interfaces and goal-oriented interactions is going to endure, given how well it works in connection with social media and existing technology. We’re guessing that the Millennial generation is going to accept gamified outreach as the status quo going forward.
Even if your organization doesn’t lend itself to gamification at first glance, it’s worth taking a look at your outreach programs in relation to game play strategy. It could be a win for everyone.
Looking for more examples of gamification doing good? Check out these links:
- Gamification expert Yu-Kai Chou's article The Top 10 Social Gamification Examples that Will Literally Save the World
- Wild Apricot's post Social Games for Nonprofit Marketing
- Philanthropy.com's article Online Games Can Help