NEW DELHI: We live in an economy stimulated by adrenaline — engaging and sparking our senses with almost everything we do. Whether it is scrolling through curated videos on Instagram, watching an Indian Premier League (IPL) match with bated breath or live chatting with fellow fans of ‘Mirzapur’.
In this day and age, where attention spans are short, it becomes necessary to have the right consumer engagement strategies in place. So it’s up to brands and content providers to quickly get their message across while evoking a response from the viewers that keeps them coming back for more.
Data Is Everything
Games do that job much better and with ease. They get you engaged with it in an active way that provides constant adrenaline rush. Due to this very nature of games, content providers came up with the idea of integrating gaming mechanics with their content in order to engage audiences better.
One of the critical aspects of gaming is that it provides a two-way interaction channel between the user and the game. Not only the game is influencing the users, but the users, too, are influencing the game with their every action. This engagement affects the game because these algorithms are all built to recognise, learn and respond to any engagement by the users.
Everything is data at this point. These algorithms have created a world where users, especially the younger generation, are no longer interested in linear content consumption. Users now are consuming what they want to, and the algorithmic-driven content providers just facilitate the same by giving suggestions based on users’ history, patterns, interests and much more.
Promises and Perils
The big opportunity in gamification is that most content, be it sports, news, TV or non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles, they are very linear experiences, and have no engaging meta-experiences around them. As Matt Bailey, Founder & CEO, GameOn, says, “This creates a less-than-exciting experience for fans which results in low engagement, retention and monetisation for the content owners and the stakeholders. Fans want to play, they want to influence the content they are consuming, and don’t want to be just passive viewers, especially the gen Z and Millenials.”
Gamification has emerged as a pivotal tool in implementing consumer engagement strategies that can solve the consumer acquisition and retention challenges of a company. Gamifying the shopping experience, watching sports, news, reality shows or any type of content allows you to connect with anyone, anywhere and enjoy a moment of connection over a game.
In addition to that, it also connects the users with rights owners. “A large part of our viewers consume our content on linear TV. With gamification, we can try to make their experience seamless. Say, as a person is singing on a reality show, viewers can tap on their face and cast their vote for their favourite singer. This can help us keep our audience engaged and keep getting them back to our platform” says Divya Janardhana, Product Manager (Head Gamification), Zee Entertainment.
While we know that gamification can play an important role in creating a serious level of engagement, it is also necessary to note the challenges it faces. Rahul Bhardwaaj, Co-founder & COO, Junglee Games, points out that ‘overgamification’ can be a huge ‘turn off’ for users.
“If you gamify too much you will end up creating a sect of users who will only be interested in playing the game, eventually alienating other users. In fact, gamifying too much can complicate your product and distract users from the main task,” says Rahul. (ANI/Mediawire)