Enrich your Web3 projects with gamification

Firstly, you might be wondering exactly what Web3, or Web 3.0 actually is. It’s a term that’s getting a lot of traction in light of the perceived lack of privacy or control web users have over their own data. It has its proponents and its detractors, and runs on technology that’s not the easiest thing in the world to get your head around.

It’s theoretically the next phase of the world wide web. Web 1.0 roughly refers to the period from 1989 to 2004, and it consisted of a collection of static pages. Sometimes referred to as the “read-only web,” it lacked a lot of the interactivity we take for granted today.

From 2004 to the present, we have Web 2.0. Web 2.0 facilitated user-generated content (UGC), and has allowed the creation of communities, social media, and the development of ecommerce.

It’s important to note that Web 1.0 is a retronym, not an actual version of the web as its monika may suggest, and the term “Web 2.0” was coined in 1999 to describe what the world wide web would become. In fact, a lot of the functionalities that defined Web 2.0 were present in the later stages of Web 1.0, and in turn, we find ourselves discussing the next evolution of the world wide web. (We’re debatably already in it, but time will tell.)

Defining Web3

Web3 is the theoretical next iteration of the web. Where 1.0 consisted of static pages that could be passively consumed, and 2.0 saw it evolve into more of a global platform for interactions and sharing, the theme of Web3 is very much decentralisation – a reaction to the web being controlled and profited on by big tech.

Web3 is built on blockchain technologies, like cryptocurrencies and NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and can facilitate decentralised finance, decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs), and fundamentally promises to transform the online experience to give users more control and more of a financial stake in the web communities they belong to.

In a nutshell, and perhaps through the most optimistic lenses, the main shift from Web 2.0 to Web3 is the promise that users will move from being the product to being the owner. No more big tech being the only ones to profit from our data.

Fundamentally, Web3 is using blockchain technology for different end uses.

A whole new world of terminology to get our heads around

It’s a lot to absorb, but the fundamental definition to carry with you on this journey, is that of blockchain technology. It’s an advanced database or ledger distributed across multiple computers working together to maintain a shared and immutable record of transactions.

The data is stored in “blocks” which cannot be deleted, and as such, no trusted or centralised party is required (hence “immutable”). The blockchain is a tamper-proof and transparent system.

The relationship gamification has with Web3

Gamification is a pivotal concept in the transition to Web3, intertwining neatly with its core principles of decentralisation and user empowerment.

At its core, gamification involves applying game-like elements and principles to non-gaming contexts, or real world applications, such as building brand loyalty, aiding in education, and so on and so forth. Gamification has proven itself time and again in various use cases as part of Web 2.0, enhancing audience engagement to help organisations large and small achieve different objectives.

Because games and gamification experiences are built on interactivity, Web 2.0 was the perfect proving ground for gamification to earn its stripes and show it could hold water as a user engagement solution.

While there is evidence that gamification as a theory has been used by humans throughout history, modern day gamification as we know it, heavily using the tropes and common visual language of video games, thrived under the advent of mobile technology.

In fact, as the internet has got faster, more integrated, more portable, and more advanced, gamification has grown with it. All the evidence points to this trend continuing as the web evolves.

Gamification on a decentralised web

In Web3, gamification is being called upon to do a lot more heavy lifting than thought possible at the turn of the century.

It’s extending beyond an engagement technique, instead becoming a facilitator to incentivize and reward users for their contributions and participation. This augmentation of gamification’s role on the web is enabled by blockchain technology, which allows for transparent and secure reward systems in the form of tokens and digital assets.

You could almost say that the move from Web 2.0 to Web3 is elevating gamification’s status from an effective novelty to a borderline necessity when it comes to audience engagement.

Even aside from purpose-built gamification experiences, the visual language and mechanisms of gamification are hard-wired into the ideals of Web3.

Tokenization and incentives

Users can earn tokens for contributing content, participating in their online communities, or even for engaging with certain applications or platforms. (Remember, regular internet users are now no longer “the product” but “the owner.”) This is comparable to collectible items or in-game currency, or to borrow a classic stalwart of everyday gamification, collecting points with your supermarket or airline.

These tokens can carry real-world value, both within Web3 platforms, the wider cryptocurrency market, and by extension, the real world too.

Making the rewards more tangible and significant ups the stakes, blurring gamified experiences with reality.

DAOs and community governance

Gamification in Web3 also extends to community governance through decentralised autonomous organisations or DAOs. This is an organisational structure with no central governing body or leader, operating on a “bottoms-up” approach to management where token-holding members collectively make decisions.

Remember, the blocks of blockchain technology are transparent and tamperproof (immutable), so no authority is required. Members and members alone decide the direction and development of the platforms they use as well as the communities they belong to.

This gamified governance model fosters a sense of ownership and participation that was largely absent in Web 2.0.

NFTs and digital ownership

NFTs introduce the rewards aspect of gamification through digital collectibles and ownership (related, but distinct from points or currency). Whether it’s digital art, virtual real estate, or other online items, NFTs lend themselves to gamified experiences where users can collect, trade, and leverage digital assets, adding an extra layer of interaction and engagement.

In some gamified crypto projects, NFTs are even in-game characters that can be bred, and can grow and develop (and accumulate value).

Long term

A simple way to think about how interwoven gamification could be in Web3 long-term, is to think about how video games work. You typically collect in-game currency for every action you take, which you’ll require to purchase certain things, overcome certain obstacles, and take certain actions. Imagine the currency and rewards you’ve earned on gamified platforms like Zwift or Duolingo suddenly having real-world value, or being transferable across to other platforms.

The web could theoretically become an online platform like Second Life that’s intertwined with the real world and your actual life – take the Second Life concept, but blur the lines between the virtual and the physical.

Challenges and opportunities

The integration of gamification in Web3 won’t be without its challenges. The complexity of blockchain technology and the volatility of digital assets (just look at some of the ups and downs in the value of some crypto currencies) can pose significant barriers to entry for average users.

However, the opportunities and potential rewards gamification will yield to organisations of all sizes will be even greater than on Web 2.0. Gamification on Web3 will lead to more engaging, rewarding, and most distinctly, more democratic digital experiences.

Simplify your business’s adaptation to Web3 while maximising user engagement

Gamification platforms like Drimify allow you to quickly and easily build apps to your specifications that can be integrated into your Web3 platforms and projects, adding an extra layer of engagement as well as opportunities to reward your community, and increase brand awareness.

For example, you could distribute NFTs through instant win games like a custom branded Slot Machine or Wheel of Fortune, or users could earn tokens by completing a Quiz, or a Personality Test. If it suits your brand, you could also opt to customise the branding and appearance on a number of sports games, and have the points they accumulate in-game convert to tokens with transferrable value.

Navigating Web3

As a communications approach, the greatest early opportunities on Web3 might be educational, in helping people to understand and navigate the decentralised world of blockchain – an extra layer to help people navigate a bold new frontier of the information age.

Learning games have already proved to be a highly effective educational aid through the manipulation of psychological levers, combined with the opportunity to apply learning through simulation. That is to say, the freedom to experiment with new knowledge and skills without risk or consequence, which as we learn the evolving rules of the web, carries real value.

Gamified user journeys that facilitate discovery

For example, if you were introducing users to a new Web3-based platform, and you wanted to incentivise your audience to navigate the platform and learn how it works, you could use Drimify’s Dynamic Path™ to build a user journey that helps them discover all its features and functionality.

The Dynamic Path™ allows you to combine multiple customised apps from the Drimify catalogue, along with video and text content, designed to entertain, engage, and facilitate understanding. Each level could run them through a different aspect of your Web3 project, then link them to that aspect via a customisable call to action (CTA).

The future of the web will be gamified

Ultimately, gamification will always offer a bridge between technology and human behaviour for brands, much as it has done since its modern inception on Web 2.0, creating systems where participation and taking desired actions is not only fun and engaging, but also rewarding in a more tangible way.

As Web3 continues to develop, the role of gamification and how it will be used by brands and organisations across their new platforms will undoubtedly evolve with it, presenting exciting new possibilities for the future of online interaction and community building that we’re only just beginning to conceive of..

Want to know more?