1. Hello Everyone. Welcome to this month’s webinar, looking at gamification and the future of
play in our mobile, tech enabled world, where everything can become a game; impactingplay in our mobile, tech enabled world, where everything can become a game; impacting
how we engage with brands, media and ourselves.
We are going to focus on three areas today:
Firstly, we are going to start with an overview of how digital gaming is evolving by taking a
look at immersive content and how this will shape the consumer approach to media and
gaming moving forward.
Then we will look at a few key consumer trends which are impacting play and customer
engagement. Things which are shaping consumer expectations across their lives as they
engage with the world around them – with implications for gaming, but ideas which can be
applied across sectors.
And lastly we will look at the consumer as Story Seeker.
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2. We live in a new, immersive world that will change how consumers see their environment and
behave within it. These new immersive technologies will begin having their greatest impact withbehave within it. These new immersive technologies will begin having their greatest impact with
gaming, before moving across sectors. And particularly impacting media. Now, there are different
mediums for immersive engagement – the two main ways that you will have heard of by now, VR
(Virtual Reality) and AR (augmented reality).
During the past year VR technology has finally emerged in real, tangible ways into the consumer
marketplace. With brands such as Sony and Samsung paving the way for this new, completely
immersive and 360 degree viewing experiences.
There has been a lot of talk already about VR, but we have really only just begun a journey into the
possibilities of what the future of VR can do and how this will shape media, play and gaming over
the next 5, 10 years and more. The tools of immersion building are being sharpened by relentless
tech innovation. New services – from VR to holographic interfaces – collectively hint at what might
lie ahead – a future where real life experiences can be convincingly imitated and where story telling
brands can magically transport us into specially-crafted spaces where the user is actively present in
a new or different reality
2

3. There has been a lot of talk already about VR, but we have really only just begun a journey
into the possibilities of what the future of VR can do and how this will shape media, playinto the possibilities of what the future of VR can do and how this will shape media, play
and gaming over the next 5, 10 years and more. The tools of immersion building are being
sharpened by relentless tech innovation. New services – from VR to holographic interfaces
– collectively hint at what might lie ahead – a future where real life experiences can be
convincingly imitated and where story telling brands can magically transport us into
specially-crafted spaces where the user is actively present in a new or different reality
The full immersion ability of VR literally transports us, not just in the faux physical, but
emotionally as well, with some experiments in VR being used to generate empathy in
others.
AR, as you may know, builds on our current world, thus offering digital layering and
connection as we are mobile and on the move. An interaction that can be seamlessly
placed in the consumer’s view without additional tech hardware.
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4. And while everyday us of both these technologies remains niche (with AR having been used popularly in
Snapchat filters or for the Yelp Monocle feature), these technologies could upend the current ‘passive’ mediaSnapchat filters or for the Yelp Monocle feature), these technologies could upend the current ‘passive’ media
experience. Brands are provided with a new creative outlet with which to engage consumers in product
launches or exploratory or promotional videos, much the way gaming engages consumers into participation
and play.
Again, VR and AR continue to currently have a heavy focus on gaming. With Oculus launching a number of
compatible games and promising more by the end of 2016, along with launching 30 games to be used with its
Oculus Touch controller to allow for natural gestures and movements while in game.
This type of next generation immersion holds potentially disruptive implications for many areas of life – for
how we learn design, communicate, preview products and purchase – all areas in which in the future hold
potential to be done completely digitally, immersed in different spaces without needing to travel from place
to place. But it is perhaps the media experience which today remains largely passive, that could be most
impacted by the new levels of immersion and interactivity promised here. We expect a world to arrive in
which the physical and emotional distance that separates the consumer is dramatically reduced. In 5 years
time, we might expect to see the arrival of media from the consumer’s POV, with multiple ways to watch and
engage content and this technology expands beyond gaming.
Consumers are largely unaware of the potential of new VR / AR interfaces. But among consumers there is
strong interest in VR. And although only a small proportion have actually used this technology, the appetite
and curiosity is there and is the important factory, especially as more consumer applications for this
technology becomes available. Gamers will be the early adopters, but soon many will see these devices as
platforms to experience and play in new media experiences, communication and collaboration. Full
Immersion will feel like play and fun as it takes us to new places, taking part in a variety of engaging
experiences as VR allows for greater interactivity.
While VR allows for the full immersion, AR could prove to be more applicable as it is easier to apply to
everyday situations in a seamless way. And again, while the stats shown here for those using AR apps is low,
this is data we collected before the Pokémon craze of this year. Consumers have now experienced a tangible,
fun interactive AR experience, which has cleared the path for more AR engagement, particularly for brands.
4

5. Here are some examples of how VR is being used in clever ways, beyond only gaming, to
engage and allow the consumer to interact. Here we see a blend of television sports mediaengage and allow the consumer to interact. Here we see a blend of television sports media
with VR viewing.
Founded in autumn 2015, San Francisco-based start-up LiveLike VR has created a virtual
reality stadium, where consumers can watch sports with friends located anywhere in the
world.
LiveLike utilizes existing 2D wide-angle camera technology that is already installed on many
devices, enabling broadcasters to enter the VR market quickly, without having to switch to
new camera technology, such as multi-camera rigs.
Users can customize their own VR suite and invite friends to watch the match together.
During the game, viewers are able to send instant messages, access different views of the
field and watch highlights, as well as pull up game stats, replays and player information.
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6. Opening in Utah in the summer of 2016, THE VOID is the world’s first virtual reality theme
park.park.
Visitors to the park are each given a virtual reality headset, a pair of gloves that track hands
in a 3D space and a vest that can give the sensation of being touched. This combination of
virtual reality devices allows users to experience exhilarating activities, but without the
perceived risk.
The website of the experience stated: "At The Void, you will walk into new dimensions and
experience worlds without limits. From fighting intergalactic wars on alien planets, to
casting spells in the darkest of dungeons, THE VOID presents the future of entertainment."
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7. Founded in 2015, LiveRoom is a free app which allows merchants to create a cloud-based
virtual showroom, supporting VR headsets like Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift.virtual showroom, supporting VR headsets like Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift.
Users download the free app, scan a QR code and gain access to a 3D model of products
they are considering buying. Consumers can then explore the product, virtually trying it out
in their own homes, thus minimizing returns.
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8. And of course. Pokémon Go. We just mentioned this, but as the most successful AR app to
date we couldn’t not include it in this webinar.date we couldn’t not include it in this webinar.
For those who haven’t yet played this game, you would have likely at least heard of it. It is a
location based augmented reality game. Players use their mobile device’s GPS capability to
locate capture and battle virtual creatures called Pokémon, who appear on the user’s
screen as if they were in the same real-world location as the player.
This game is interesting in a number of new ways – it encourages people to be active in the
real world and popularizing location based and augmented reality gaming. And local
businesses have not been shy in taking advantage of this game to lure customers in. Since
launch in July of this year, it has since become a global phenomenon and one of the most
used mobile apps, having been downloaded by more than 130 million people world wide. It
has also been heavily critized as a nuisance….
However, AR is immersing us in our current reality, rather than a separate one. There will
be a place for both in the future of gaming and in the future for brands, but within very
different contexts. The key being, we are in this new reality of immersive experiences and
the more technology improves and expands quality and ease of access, consumers will
expect greater levels of immersion and media tailored to them in these spaces from brands
and their environment.
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9. The consumers relationship with media content will be forever changed by these
technologies – with an increased expectation on being ‘in’ the media, engaging with it –technologies – with an increased expectation on being ‘in’ the media, engaging with it –
from live sports broadcasts and video gaming to the ads that accompany content – all this
will feel more intimate, specially choreographed for the solitary viewer. These new
technologies will offer consumers an intimate experience with a personalized point of view.
Advertisers can harness this to offer consumers truly credible, immersive experiences.
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10. With VR: the consumer’s relationship with media content – from live sports broadcasts and video
gaming to the ads that accompany content will feel more intimate, specially choreographed for thegaming to the ads that accompany content will feel more intimate, specially choreographed for the
solitary viewer. VR, is in its nature, a personal act, given it is solo focused.
Marketers have grown somewhat tired of hearing the words Big Data and personalization - like with
any other overused lingo, the power and commercial opportunity these terms hold gets lost in the
noise of less-than-perfect execution.
Will this lead to consumers expecting a personalized point of view in every media context? And
personalized messaging in these environments too?
Marketers have grown somewhat tired of hearing the words Big Data and personalization - like with
any other overused lingo, the power and commercial opportunity these terms hold gets lost in the
noise of less-than-perfect execution. Simply greeting the customer by name is already not enough.
While mass customization might once have been sufficient to help brands pique consumer interest,
tailoring a product in store will be, for many brands, a yesteryear story. The sensors and location-
sensitive targeting and communication of today, the anticipatory services of tomorrow, which are
eerily in tune with consumers’ need even before they are aware of it - they are spelling the death of
personalization and its re-birth as contextualization, a world of perfect precision.
Gaming creates a world for the consumer within their existing world. Changing the environment
with the consumer as they move through it, connecting them with friends, and tracking personal
stats and giving rewards for accomplishments – all things which can be transferred to the
consumer’s life in real time. As brands create worlds for the consumer within theirs.
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11. The premise is still very potent, however. The consumer quest for quantified relevance drives data
streams to swarm, pressuring brands to abandon the cookie-cutter approach. Catering tostreams to swarm, pressuring brands to abandon the cookie-cutter approach. Catering to
consumers as individuals, in everything from product design to marcoms, is now paramount. It is
meaningful, purposeful personalization, one which provides them with tangible benefits, that is
raising the bar and demanding brands move away from data-hoarding and towards generating true
insight.
The paths to success are different: for some brands, it will be the use of personal insight to help
consumers maximize by extending the right material incentives, for others it will be the tailoring of
services and products to offer ultimate convenience and perfectly tailored offerings.
Consumer understanding of their digital presence is more nuanced. With a distinction between
anonymity and privacy favoring more tailored marcoms online. Consumers will begin to look for
more meaningful advice and true individual insight.
An average of 20% of the population is willing to share their data to be given personal
recommendations from brands. A stat that has increased slightly over last year – something we
expect to continue trending upward as consumers see the benefit they receive from sharing their
data. It will remain a hesitant number while targeting is still improving, and consumers are wary of
over-notification and intrusion. But when consumers can clearly see that sharing information
benefits them (such as sharing their data to receive discounts – interest in this jumps up to a third
overall), they will be much more willing to happily share their data. However, as data sensitivities
vary between the more data sharing Millennials to more conservative Boomers, personalization
approaches will have to be even more personalized. Again, context
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12. For instance, being able to haggle for personalized pricing yields far more interested
individuals across the board. In gaming and media, this can allow brands to tailor price of inindividuals across the board. In gaming and media, this can allow brands to tailor price of in
game purchase based on the consumer’s behavior – recurring purchases, to their activity,
tailored to how and how often they play and how they engage with the brand. And
perhaps this means even greater flexibility with what consumers are allowed to pay with.
And this can engender loyalty when engagement can be altered to each person individually.
This is a trend which speaks to a central human need – the desire to receive personal
attention – thus, it cuts across demographics.
Consumers will return to buy, to play, to engage in order to achieve specific discounts or get
to that next level, to be able to negotiate based on their loyalty and get to the next level of
personal benefits.
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13. Here is a look at few ways in which context and emotion are being applied to Play
In March 2016, gaming studio Flying Mollusk began integrating the emotional-sensing
technology of Affectiva into one of their video games.
The A.I. technology software Affdex SDK is able to sense facial expressions of players in real
time, making the video game Nevermind more life-like and challenging. When players
show signs of emotional distress, the game increases in difficulty. Once stress levels have
gone down, the game becomes easier, helping players learn how to manage their anxiety
and stress.
Personalizing content through biometric readings of emotion is anew field with
experiments in how to relate this emotional understanding to create connection to the
consumer. In gaming, but also in retail contexts and educational contexts as well – what is
the best way to approach the consumer based on how they are feeling in the moment?
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14. Gameband Minecraft is the first Minecraft wearable that stores game progress and
therefore allows players to carry their game everywhere they go.therefore allows players to carry their game everywhere they go.
The wristband contains 8GB of storage, cloud backup capacity and a customizable 140-LED
digital display. After the first year, users will be charged a $10 annual fee for cloud storage.
As the first wearable that is specifically aimed at a younger demographic, the wristband is
also splash-proof. This allows you to play anywhere, and also customize your gameband to
your preferences. Create and share your own animations and images and keep track of all
your worlds.
“It would have been way easier, engineering-wise, to do something more normal, but we
wanted to make it cool, appealing and something that would add more value to our
customers,” explained Now Computing's Maye Mac-Swiney.
14

15. Gaming and play today now too have infiltrated our everyday actions and movements –
going beyond the game box or using it as time to kill while in some downtime, to actuallygoing beyond the game box or using it as time to kill while in some downtime, to actually
using play to change our habits and impact our lives in real ways. We now have the ability
to gamify life.
And this is what our trend challenge accepted speaks to, The gamification of EVERYTHING.
Facilitated by tracking apps, wearables and more, consumers are keen to turn the fresh
information they have about themselves and their habits into something meaningful. New
structures of motivation and reward are appearing across the consumer landscape which
exploit this data, aiding consumers in their attempts to achieve their goals.
Employing “carrot and stick” mechanisms, gamified systems attempt to create genuine
behavioral change. Rewards such as points, or simply the opportunity to share one’s
personal success online for all to see (and feel jealous of) are counterbalanced by the
threat of punishment for failure, inspiring users to play to win. Even if just against
themselves.
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16. The gamification of success can assist with all manner of ambitions - skill acquisition, health
transformations, money saving, productivity. consumers take advantage of tools which helptransformations, money saving, productivity. consumers take advantage of tools which help
them hack their way to victory. Those which break aspirations down into bite-size,
manageable tasks make goals more achievable, and allow users to see instant progress
(even if only on-screen). Behavior is constantly tracked, ensuring accountability.
Notifications, recommendations, and subtle nudges in the right direction motivate
consumers on their jour.ney to accomplishment. Key too is the fun factor, as dull tasks are
transformed into opportunities to triumph
And as consumers seek to add play to every area of their lives, this opens up brand
opportunities for points and rewards systems. Or badges for achievement of various levels
of engagement. Be it buying a product X number of times, or using a service – adding levels
of accomplishment can fuel the consumer’s internal competitor to continue to reach
greater levels of achievement.
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17. And with the rise of mobile, the use of gaming apps to is on the rise. Here you see a
forecast of use of gaming apps over the next several years.forecast of use of gaming apps over the next several years.
Games are a mix of fun with the added bonus of convenience while on the go. And while
most will be for pure fun and distraction, challenge accepted is at its best when it can be
tracked in the moment, on the go, utilized in spare moments to get to that next step or
next level.
And so, our mobile devices are the perfect place to put these games for our betterment.
Consumers want easier, more efficient ways to better themselves. Brands can position
themselves as lifehacking partners, employing existing expertise to help consumers achieve
their goals. With the challenge accepted mindset there exist opportunities for brands to
integrate fun challenges into everyday consumer actions. Friendly competition. Offering
rewards for participation. Games mechanics will spread outwards from financial services
and the health sector to feed into ever more wide ranging sectors, becoming an established
facet of some industries. It is in these micro moments, the between moments, that this
engagement can occur and when consumers are most willing to participate.
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18. And narrowing in on this trend a bit. We can see specific consumer interest in being
prompted to challenge from outside sources. Unsurprisingly, engagement and interest inprompted to challenge from outside sources. Unsurprisingly, engagement and interest in
highest among Millennials, but still a strong 20% among boomers.
In January 2014, Zwift launched a gamified cycling platform, which allowed consumers to
race, train and challenge friends to races and sprints using their own bike from the comfort
of their home or gym.
Users place their bikes on a trainer and connect it to the Zwift platform via a dongle, in
order to immerse themselves in a hyper-realistic environment via a computer screen of
their choice. In addition to the challenges fulfilled together with other users, the platform
displays a number of metrics, ie speed, work rate, distance etc., and adapts the intensity of
the training. Using a combination of both live riders or A.I. Bots, users can unlock
achievements and rewards
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19. You will see examples of this trend, playing for betterment, in plenty of sectors, but this is a
trend which most easily exists within Health and Wellbeing , finance and education sectorstrend which most easily exists within Health and Wellbeing , finance and education sectors
(with apps such as qapital and duo lingo and fitness trackers using gamification style
features). These challenge individuals to better their performance, attain a new skill, create
better habits…for their health and their finances
Cerebrum is a virtual reality game, which aims to improve cognitive skills. Using VR, the
game allows users to interact with environments, rather than simple smartphone or
desktop screens, thus challenging the brain in a different and more efficient way.
The game is able to adapt, changing its parameters depending on the user’s performance,
courtesy of data intelligence. By constantly changing the difficulty, the game will better
challenge the brain.
And what is likely to happen across sectors is that customer loyalty platforms will arise as
branded games. Points a transferable virtual currency. Everybody likes to win.
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20. When we think of all of these together : Immersive content, personalized & contextual
engagement and the gamification of our lives, what we see is the consumer seeking andengagement and the gamification of our lives, what we see is the consumer seeking and
creating Story. They want to be part of a story, they also want to draw people, brands, into
theirs.
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21. When we think of all of these together : Immersive content, personalized & contextual
engagement and the gamification of our lives, what we see is the consumer seeking andengagement and the gamification of our lives, what we see is the consumer seeking and
creating Story. They want to be part of a story, they also want to draw people, brands, into
theirs.
The desire to collect stories underpins so many of our consumption choices: new
experiences are sought in order to build memories, identities, stores of social capital…
There are advancements in how we tell stories too, from visual to video to virtual reality -
the means we have for conveying narrative are becoming ever more immersive. And so we
seek more vibrant experiences to record and retell in these new mediums. Meanwhile, the
business of story-selling is thriving, with seemingly endless appetite for sequels, prequels
and endlessly serialized content, all enabled by increasingly constant, untethered access to
content as we travel, wait in line or before we go to sleep.
In this world, brands too are invited to craft stories in order to impress and attract the
attention of the story-seeking consumer. And those who can also provide experiences that
help us create our own status-boosting stories will naturally win.
Two shifts are pushing the value of stories ever higher.
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22. First, rising access to those items once seen as luxuries has encouraged many to place a
greater focus on the pursuit of experiences - whether in addition to, or in place of, moregreater focus on the pursuit of experiences - whether in addition to, or in place of, more
material-based forms of consumption.
Using these immersive technologies, play and gaming mechanics as VR as a medium
attempts to place people inside of stories rather than just observing them.
Brands can provide opportunities for more exploration, experience and enrichment. Brands
and media providers who can develop rich back stories for consumers to explore and
uncover or provide consumers with stories that they want to share across their networks,
will appeal.
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23. Second, social media has become a living journal and portfolio of our daily experiences.
Recording and sharing what we do has turned the world into a community of storytellers.Recording and sharing what we do has turned the world into a community of storytellers.
This naturally increases the demand for experiences to fuel our online story-platforms. Real
time sharing and streaming boosts the desire for mores experiences to share. And the
means to tell our own stories will only become more numerous and seamless.
For media in particular, a story-rich world places creative pressure on the traditional sector
of story-telling. From journalism to movies, the sector is grappling with new mediums to
tell stories in more vibrant ways. As social platforms have emerged, consumers have
become more accustomed to viewing and creating short form stories in a near-constant
stream. Opportunities for accessing media channels are also multiplying, spawning
behaviors such as binging and on-the-go viewing.
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24. A few examples of story being used and experimented with for engagement:
Story Studio was launched with the mission to determine how stories could be told with
VR. Founded in 2014, a few months after Facebook acquired Oculus, the project brings
developers and artists together to explore the new medium and discover how they can use
animation software and videogame tools to make cinematic films.
As part of the process creating Henry, a short animation released at Sundance festival
2015, developers hacked Unreal Engine, the game-making software, in order to be able to
create more cinematic sequences. All code is open-source, as the group hopes to inspire
others to explore VR as a story-telling medium.
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25. Recently, the BBC announced research into data-driven personalized viewing via a film
entitled “Visual Perceptive Media.”entitled “Visual Perceptive Media.”
Users who downloaded a dedicated app, indicated their media preferences, then answered
questions about their personality and demographics, viewed a personalized, data-based
film narrative.
The film itself was comprised of a number of individual objects/shots that were
reassembled according to the viewer’s indicated preferences. Two different viewers would
not see separate versions of the film but uniquely plotted narratives, eg some scenes are
re-ordered or omitted, color levels might differ, a score would meet the viewer’s music
preferences.
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26. So, how does this burgeoning consumer desire for immersive, personal content in a world
where we can make everything a game and create our own stories shape our consumptionwhere we can make everything a game and create our own stories shape our consumption
today?
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