The role of storytelling mechanics in gamification

Storytelling has been used since the dawn of time to transmit knowledge and record history, and to entertain and pass time. Storytelling began in the oral tradition, then was etched into rocks as drawings, until gradually changing to writing, and eventually finding its way onto paper, and then into books and magazines. Over the 20th century, storytelling was revolutionised by audio visual technology. So powerful was this level up in the medium that an adaptation of The War of the Worlds for a radio play induced panic among some listeners, who sincerely believed that they were listening to the news and that a Martian invasion was in progress.

The possibilities of film gave even more power and functionality to storytelling mechanics, as now ever more sophisticated visual effects could more effectively allow audiences to suspend their disbelief and be immersed in the story and the lives of the characters, and then video games, and the rapidly developing technology supporting them across consoles and the internet, have enabled storytelling to become more engaging and participatory. With video games, players can take on the role of the main character, and make active choices that impact the action and outcome of a narrative.

In the business world today, we use storytelling mechanics for the communication of ideas, products, and offers. You will often hear marketers and merchandisers talk about “telling a brand story.” You’ll hear HR department’s talk about “telling our company’s story.” Storytelling is just fundamental to how we convince, persuade, and communicate, so the more effective we are at telling stories, the more effective we are in every aspect of business.

Combining storytelling mechanics with gamification

Stories and storytelling have effectively been how people and organisations have engaged audiences since we became human beings. From holding the attention of the tribe around the fire millions of years ago, to slick billboards and advertising campaigns in the latter half of the 20th century, storytelling is how we immerse people in ideas and drive them to desired actions.

Somewhere in the latter half of the 20th century though, ideas were being had. The “serious game” was invented in 1970, and was a term given to games with a serious primary purpose other than for pure entertainment. Serious games had a practical function, like learning, or corporate training. Eventually, in the early 2000s, the term “gamification” was coined and developed as a concept, which had far wider implications.

Gamification is the application of gaming mechanics to typically less playful concepts in order to increase user attention and generate better engagement. Any scenario where there is a desired outcome from users, such as a purchase, or to learn something, or to practise a skill, can benefit from gameplay. Making a game of it can tap into their intrinsic motivations and get the best out of them. You want to learn how to trade on the stock markets? There’s a game for that. You want to learn an instrument? Educational games for musical education exist too. In today’s world with today’s technology, there are far more gamified solutions to problems and challenges relating to user engagement than most people realise. It’s participatory, so it’s more immersive, and as such, more effective.

A game changing chapter in the history of audience engagement

In marketing and merchandising terms then, think about billboards and promotional posters as primitive man’s etchings on stone tablets. Think about video and radio adverts as radio and TV. Gamification is kicking things up several notches – now you can tell a brand’s story more effectively by placing the target customer inside an experience.

Similarly for HR purposes, you can tell a company’s story by placing new hires in more immersive onboarding processes. You can turn your target users into players, make them a main character, and tap into their motivations to compete, to progress, and to discover and learn.

A powerful pairing to deliver productive user experiences

These two mechanisms, gamification and storytelling, have become powerful communication tools used in many fields and sectors in order to better capture attention, and also to stimulate the commitment and motivation of an audience. It’s about sharing an experience or an event with an audience by bringing playfulness and excitement to the narratives and messages.

By thoughtfully and intelligently combining game design elements and effective storytelling, you can turbocharge different business functions to help you achieve many objectives:

• Increase brand awareness
• Build customer loyalty and increase customer satisfaction
• Increase engagement with your content
• Motivate users to complete desired tasks
• Encourage positive behaviour
• Educate and train users on how to do something new or unfamiliar

Because the combination of a good plot and fun gameplay are more participatory and immersive, utilising gamification is far more efficient than more traditional methods. Using game mechanics and narrative not only helps you reach your goals, but they can help you reach your goals faster.

For marketing and advertising

Using storytelling and games in advertising and marketing is an effective way for companies to introduce themselves to their target audiences and prospects. Through a fun experience, they can tell their story, illustrate the values ​​and the culture of their company, but also highlight their products and services in an original way.

Businesses can use storytelling methods such as testimonials, case studies, and success stories when communicating with customers. The creation of a narrative advertisement focuses on telling a story rather than on the actual sale of a product, or the promotion of the services of a company. It’s more subtle, and highlights value, allowing potential customers to see you solving similar challenges to the ones they may be facing. It is an essential communication technique in today’s world where users and customers increasingly rely on recommendations and reviews from online users when making purchasing decisions.

Which method to choose depends on which story will best connect with the intended audience and create positive feelings and emotions towards the company and its products. This communication technique, coupled with the appeal of marketing games and contests, quickly conveys important information and does some of the groundwork for a potential business relationship with the target audience over the long term.

For education and training

In an educational and training context, storytelling and gamification are also used to teach learners about topics or concepts they may not have encountered before, or to help them retain knowledge and learnings acquired from other teaching methods. It’s a great way to engage learners in a more fun and relaxed context, and to make them want to learn by appealing to their emotions. The arrival of new technologies and new digital tools give teachers and students the opportunity to create and participate in more immersive and interactive stories using both text, sound, image, and videos, as well as interactive, gamified elements.

In the context of digital learning, for example, educational and narrative games will allow teachers to deliver more engaging and memorable content that keeps students engaged, even if learning remotely. Storytelling more effectively immerses the learner in the educational content, and promotes a deeper and broader understanding by taking them through a story designed for them using relevant and authentic content and characters.

You can combine storytelling with gamification by using audio and video elements in customised Quizzes, tailor-made serious games, and other educational games that will serve the learning experience and the objectives of your programme of study.

Take advantage of the superpowers of gamification of storytelling

The role of gamification is to engage and motivate the user or player by adding fun to something that might not seem entertaining at first glance. Meanwhile, storytelling helps connect emotionally with individuals through a narrative framework, while creating lasting impressions in their minds. The combination of storytelling mechanics and gameplay can deliver enormous dividends in any campaign seeking to maximise audience engagement.

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