10 Gamification Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Gamification is an incredible tool employed by a myriad of successful businesses. On the other hand, it’s also possible to find many examples of gamification failures. In this post, you will learn about the 10 gamification mistakes you should not make.

Here’s a list of the gamification pitfalls discussed in this blog post:

  1. Focusing on rewards instead of the desired outcome
  2. Hoping gamification will solve all your problems
  3. Ugly design
  4. Rewarding too often
  5. Neglecting dynamics
  6. Inadequate rewards
  7. Ignoring competitors’ mistakes
  8. Not randomizing your rewards
  9. Complicating things
  10. Having to start big

1. Focusing on rewards rather than on the desired outcome

First and most important gamification mistake.

Among other elements, rewards are one of the game mechanics that are widely used in gamification strategies. Who doesn’t like to be rewarded after all? 

Although, you should be aware that making rewards the focal point of your gamification strategy is not optimal. This practice can lead you directly to one of the many gamification pitfalls.

If you’re gamifying a certain aspect of your business, it means that you want to improve something about it. If the main focus is the reward, the users will only focus on it.

Rewards represent a type of extrinsic motivation.

Extrinsically motivated behaviors are linked to a separate outcome that encourages you to perform. You’re completing your tasks because there is something at the end. As opposed to intrinsic motivation which encourages us to do something because it fulfills our psychological needs and wants.

Extrinsic motivations are not vain. However, when they’re more important than the process, users will not focus on what you’re trying to communicate to them. Users might also get to the point of… cheating! Woah! 

To conclude, avoid making rewards the focal point of your gamification efforts. And whenever possible, try to appeal more to the intrinsic motivation of your users. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to include rewards that will further help the user in achieving their tasks. This way, you make users feel they’re acquiring more tools and skills to tackle their increasingly challenging tasks.

2. Hoping gamification will solve your problems

One of the gamification mistakes that many people make is thinking that gamification is the magic solution that will make all their problems disappear. 

Gamification is a tool to enrich your strategy. 

Of course, gamification is useful to rectify certain issues you may encounter like a certain lack of engagement on a certain level of your business. 

However, gamification will never be the solution to solve deeply rooted issues within your organization. If you have a problem with your organizational culture, for example, you will not be able to shift the culture by merely using gamification. It’s like having a lung infection and treating it with a tiny adhesive bandage on a finger. It just doesn’t make sense. 

Keep in mind that gamifying needs to enhance your business and not fix some major problems. Using gamification without deeply thinking about the strategy is a common gamification pitfall that many had to experience.

3. Ugly design

Do I really have to explain this one? 

It’s nice to gamify your office or user experience. But, one of the gamification mistakes we often see is the neglect of visuals and everything around them. You’re not only designing a gamified tool, but you should also be thinking about the experience it will generate. 

Think about the visuals, sounds, texts, and everything the user will encounter when engaging with your solution. If your users are not enjoying what you’re proposing, then all of your efforts are fruitless. It might even harm your brand. Did it never occur to you to come across an ill-designed website that made you feel you can’t trust the seller? 

At UP Digital, we think about visuals… a  lot. This is why we customize the products that we offer to match your branding style. Such as for one of our solutions for companies, Meet & Connect is totally personalized to match your expectations.

4. Rewarding too often 

You only played a game for five minutes and you already leveled up 25 times and received enough virtual money to buy whatever there was on the game’s store. How does that leave you? Bored? Unchallenged?

You might think that too many rewards would make users satisfied, but it’s really not the case. 

It’s simple. The more something is available, the less it’s valuable. Boom, economics! 

If you make this mistake, you’re diluting the value of the reward. The user will feel like their efforts were not significant. Watch out also for scarcity, it might make users frustrated for not receiving enough rewards for what they’re doing. It’s a matter of balance.

5. Neglecting the dynamics

Dynamics are an important part of your gamification.

They represent the range of emotions and behaviors your user goes through when interacting with you.

Because dynamics are not rooted in the technical aspect, it’s quite neglected. Meanwhile, they embody the social aspect of your gamification efforts. 

It’s crucial to have a greatly developed gamification system, but it’s also essential to keep in mind the context in which it will be used. Bonus point, you can take advantage of the social aspect by earning free advertising if users talk about it or share it on their social networks.

Dynamics can also serve as an awesome opportunity to reinforce social ties in groups. If you’re implementing gamification in the office, you can find ways to make colleagues closer to each other. 

6. Inadequate rewards

“Thank you for helping with moving my stuff to my new place, let me take you out for lunch!” 

“Thank you for saving humanity from the worst natural catastrophe, let me take you out for lunch!” 

Do you notice the difference? 

The first example makes sense.

But imagine saving humanity and only receiving lunch as a reward. Next time you’re going to be in that position,  you’re most likely going to let humanity vanish. 

If you do not offer effective rewards, users will not engage with you. 

A simple way to avoid this? Well, nothing better than clear communication. Just ask the users what rewards they see fit. You might receive answers offering you insights you have never thought of. 

7. Ignoring competitors’ mistakes

The internet allowed you to access this blog post. It also gives you the ability to read what other companies, including your competitors, are doing

Learning gamification mistakes and failures of other companies in various industries will teach you what not to replicate. Don’t waste your time and money. Thank me later!

Competitors’ research is an important part of business strategies. Make sure to leverage it.

8. Not randomizing your rewards

Depending on how you’re designing your gamification strategy, random rewards might be a great asset. Your users feel like they’re sitting under their Christmas tree waiting to open their new presents. 

The users will always be hooked on the next random reward they might receive. The element of surprise is incredibly powerful in retaining engagement. Although you don’t know what you’re receiving, you know for a certainty that you’re going to be surprised. The element of surprise itself becomes a reward.

Services offering subscription boxes such as My Little Box are inherently gamified. These services offer to send you boxes on a regular basis containing different objects including beauty products, clothing, etc. The catch? You don’t know what’s in the box. So, every time you receive a package, you feel like you have received a gift. 

9. Complicating things 

There is absolutely no need to make things complicated. Complexity does not reflect the awesome skills put into the development of your gamified experience. 

If a user feels lost or overwhelmed by the number of things they have to do, they will certainly opt out. 

Every decision the user makes should take them a step further in their actions. You certainly don’t want to face them with useless choices that will only lead them to decision fatigue

Keeping things simple will help you achieve your targets. Keep in mind, simple is not easy. Simplicity is hard to create, but will leave your users with a smooth experience.

10. Having to start big

I know, I know. There is a lot to know about gamification. The possibilities are endless, and the mechanics you can implement are various. 

It’s possible to feel a little paralyzed in front of all these paths you can take. Especially after learning about all these potential gamification mistakes you can make.

You don’t have to start big. You don’t have to implement everything at once. Actually, you should not implement every single gamification element.  

You can just think of something that would fit your business and start small. Think of it as testing the waters. And it’s okay to make mistakes, you will eventually learn from them. One step at a time, and you will achieve great things. 

You’re an expert now!

You know the common gamification mistakes to avoid when creating your strategy. Stay away from them and you’ll differentiate yourself from your competitors. To push your strategy further, learn how you can leverage gamification in marketing.