Game theory is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Especially considering an upcoming app we recently launched ( tripwow ).

Here is a great video about the topic and some take aways:

- Good game design keep the users in the “Flow’, hovering between boredom and anxiety.

- The most powerful reenforcement schedule is to reward users without them knowing 100% how they got the reward ( think “slot machine” ).

- 5 foundational elements to game mechanics:

#1 - Collecting ( Collecting badges, points, trading cards, twitter followers, etc )

- “The power of completing a set. Think: “Your profile is 40% complete”

#2 - Points

3 types:

1) Game points, points you achieve by playing

2) social points, points others give you ( comments, ratings, etc )

3) Redeemable points: Loyalty programs, redeemable within the system, give community a sense that they are accomplishing something.

Leaderboards:

- Express what’s valued in your system ( # of comments? # of uploads? most active members? )

Levels:

- Drives behavoir and gives sense of accomplishment

#3 Feedback:

- Stats & data about progress

- Gives sense of progress, is fun,

Social feedback:

- Getting “friended”, retweeted

#4 Exchanges:

- Think: Turned based games ( Chess )

- Swapping goods ( World of Warcraft )

- Gifting ( reciprocity )

#5 Customizations

- Customizing: Characters, profiles, templates

- Adds stickiness to the system. More customization = harder to leave.