I know many will look at the title of this piece and ask what in
the world is gamification? It may sound like a back to the future term to most,
but in actuality it is leading us to an energy efficient future and I will explain how.
Before we go any deeper I would like to give you the technical definition of gamification. The definition reads as, "the
application of typical elements of game playing (e.g., point scoring,
competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically
as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or
service."[i]
But that sounds way too formal to me. So in my own words I think of it as
making learning to make changes fun!
Now that I have covered what gamification is lets dive deeper into
how and why I am talking about it in the first place. SAVING ENERGY!
Gamification is becoming a growing tool for many to create
positive behavior changes in others. The reason why this type of thing works is
human brains are wired to enjoy challenges, positive feedback and social
bonding.[ii] We all enjoy stepping
away from reality after long busy days at work, right? Well why don’t we make
that step away from reality better ourselves and our environment.
One such example of an exemplary game that has modified energy
behavior is Energy Chickens. Sure this game sounds like a kid’s game, but its actually an online office game. This online game gave players a virtual pet that they were to keep
alive by making energy conservation changes within your office. Researchers who
developed the game set a baseline plug load five weeks prior to launching the
game. During the game office workers would log into the game and make a pledge
to reduce energy consumption by 15%. Then each player would receive 5 virtual
chickens to take care of. Each of those 5 chickens corresponded to one of their
work appliances.
If players were to unplug, turn off and or reduce their appliances
energy use their chickens would thrive and even lay eggs. While on the other
hand if players did not improve their energy usage their chickens were knocking on death’s door as you can see in the picture below. The eggs that were laid by the healthy chickens during
the game were used as currency at the virtual general store.Players were able to buy certain supplies to keep their chicken farms going. Besides knowing
how their energy usage was doing by just looking at their chickens players were
given graphs that charted their energy usage as well. Players were also able to
see how the rest of their coworkers were doing on saving energy and turn it
into a friendly office competition.
Results of this game are what truly show that it was a success.
Researchers found that there was a 13% plug load reduction while the game was
being played. Researchers also noticed that even on non-work days there was a
23% plug load reduction. And the final and most important part of it all the
behavior modification results. Players stated that after playing the game they
are more energy conscious at home and in the office. To me that sounds like a
success in its self-right there.
These type of thing make many of us realize what bad energy habits we actually have. Though we do not want to be pointed out as an energy looser I think we need to be smacked around with reality of our habits. And more than
anything I think gamification is helping to stir up the conversation around behavior
modifications in energy. There are many games on the market right now that are free that can help you to change some of your energy habits. Take a look online or even on your app store and see what works best for you.
Become an energy saver!
[i] “Gamification”,
Feb., 25, 2015, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/gamification
[ii]
“Gamified Energy Efficiency Programs”, Feb., 25, 2015, http://www.aceee.org/sites/default/files/publications/researchreports/b1501.pdf
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