For a well know company we had helped in achieving Green Office using SharePoint gamification concept where objective was: minimize use natural resources and in turn reduce working expenses for these services. This article highlights implementing gamification using SharePoint and possible practical scenarios in business world.

1. Gamification concept:
Gamification is use of game elements and game design techniques in non-game context with
governance mechanism to achieve business objectives and goal.
1. Game Element refers to:
 Progression: Active status of participant in context with challenge
 Levels: What level participant has reached in the challenge or contest
 Points: What is score or the participant in the contest?
 Rewards: What are the rewards the participant has received on the basis of performance or
participation?
 Quests: primary goals expected to achieve in the contest
 Post/Reply: A message that is created by user or generated by system
 Conversation: Is grouping of post and replies against the post.
 Avatars: Graphical representation of the participant in the gaming showing the intent or
mood
 Social Graphs: Other active participants contesting in the game.
 Badges: Badge received after attaining the goal on the basis of defined criteria
 Likes: Support to Post or replies
 Activities: Any activity of post , reply, or support against conversation
2. Game Design Techniques:
Game design techniques are essentially preparing footprint lookalike game to non-gaming environment
to achieve defined objective other than gaming success.
3. Non Game Context:
Objective that is expected to be achieved other than success in the game.
4. Governance mechanism: A policy or defined mechanism to govern and rate the performance of
contestants.
Support for Gamification using SharePoint:
SharePoint provides:
1. All gaming elements listed above.
2. Governing mechanism to define challenges as per business objectives
a. Example: Consider an example where Objective is to make the knowledge repository
most popular. I will put a challenge where user who visits, read, post new article or
comment on article will be rewarded using score, rewards, badges, luncheon with
Director, gifts etc.
3. Platform to design, develop and launch the challenge as a game
4. Web parts which display the elements with search and sort facility
5. Collaboration and community tools to log in to the contest and face challenges

2. Technology Components available in SharePoint 2013:
SharePoint 2013 provides excellent architecture for Gamification using microblogging structure:
[Image Source: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj219700(v=office.15).aspx]
Here is how to Plan for Gamification using SharePoint 2013:
1. Define a business objectives which is to be achieved
2. Identify relevant participants as target audience
3. Determine governance criteria which includes regulation of post, replies and overall
conversation, time frame, reward criteria and rewards
4. On the basis of objective, target participants and governance criteria decide site type. Example
Community site, project site or team site etc.

3. 5. Use microblogging feature which allows Avatar, posting and replying, likes, badges, score etc
6. Use SharePoint document file management feature which allows user to upload and share files
to provide more details
7. SharePoint 2013 is HTML 5 and CSS 3 compliant, so users with different Smartphone devices,
tablets and computer can participate.
8. In case of larger audience Community site can provide new membership, what is new as part of
site or member activity feed, rewards, badges, score to encourage participation
9. Site Aggregation feature allows to get appropriate site data at one place. This in turn help in
processing the data for further decision making which can be rewards to participants, or reports
based on data analysis.
Practical example of Gamification:
For a well know company we had helped in achieving Green Office where objective was: minimize use
natural resources and in turn reduce working expenses for these services. Example is stationary for
printing, power saving by putting monitor on sleep mode, minimum use of server resource and
mailboxes which in turn reduces e-waste and precious time in managing resources.

4. Scenarios where we can use Gamification:
As motto behind game is throwing challenge for participants to achieve targets and get rewarded as per
the performance. In industrial and corporate world challenge is combined with business objectives.
Some of examples of Gamification are as follows:
1. Building castle to defend from enemy: The idea is help achieve close cooperation between
teams which will aid planning, design, conceptualize new ideas etc.
2. Preparing for King’s visit: The theme is how will you plan and execute the cleanliness drive
which ensures that where ever King visits, He sees beautiful neat and hygienic surrounding. Very
useful at places like shop floor in factories or common amenities for public.
3. Stress buster: Team is allowed to create own roof top farm, plant seeds, grow crops and use
hygienic food. But the objective of this game is to distress executives while doing this process.
4. Sindabad’s visits: Objective is to showcase different tourist spots combined with adventure
sports. This entices the participants to visit those places benefitting tourism.
5. My first cycle trip to school: Here kids are allowed to take e-bicycle to school. He has to pass
through the traffic safely by following traffic rules. Objective is to make aware and understand
traffic rules for kid and school going student before they take actual ride.
Milind Kumthekar is in IT for last 23 years. He is solution architect and technical consultant with
SpadeWorx Software Services. For any further details mail him at Milind.kumthekar@spadeworx.com