What do you need to do to get a job in gamification?
5th Oct 2016
What do you need to do to get a job in gamification?
If you were to ask most social media or web-based software development insiders about consumer trends in their respective fields, they would no-doubt have a lot to say about gamification. What is it (gamification), you ask? Gamification is basically creating real or virtualized incentives for users / consumers for the purpose of keeping them engaged, loyal and sales-worthy. Despite what some others have suggested, gamification is not a gimmick for closing sales (although it seems to be good at it), it is a solution for business owners looking to connect with consumers on a more human level.
Interested in working in gamification? Who isn't at this point?
Gamification for web deployment is growing, but it's still young; we are still discovering new uses for it every single day. Believe it or not, gamification is a both an excellent way to diversify ones image and content for consumers and also generate employment opportunities. But how would gamification achieve this exactly?
One shining example is companies that are able to gamify existing websites and/or applications for other businesses. These groups represent an obvious shift in gamification; they're transforming it into yet another (infrastructure altering) service. It is entirely feasible for example, that large gamification firms might open up and begin offer cloud-like services at 'pay as you go' prices. This is due to the prevalence of gamification, which is literally everywhere you turn and certainly on everyone's social media radar at all times.
Being in a state of growth, gamification doesn't have pre-established boundaries with regards to employment or job creation. So, at this stage, employers and clients are really just paying for expected results. In other words, if you have the skills and creativity, you should have no problem making your own way in the field of gamification.
As with any other software-related job, getting a job in gamification may be as simple as partnering or joining with a larger software design and development firm. This of course means that you should possess all the necessary technical knowledge and skills needed to perform most forms of software development/design. But your skill set shouldn't end there; to be truly successful in gamification you should also have a keen eye for artistic concepts and possess the creative instincts required to produce products of interest to consumers.
In other words, some conventional game designers might find a happy home in the world of gamification, or perhaps the artist with an advanced knowledge of software development. But one needn't be a complete technical wiz to add something to gamification, if you are able to provide extremely creative concepts to a group that regularly produces gamified software, you might still become an important member of said team (despite your lack of technical know-how). Gamification is really about creating fun and incentive(s), you don't need an advanced degree to grasp these concepts. Given enough time, nearly anyone can learn how a particular component of software functions or how it's constructed, but how many people can actually generate new creative concepts? In other words, there is always a market for creativity.
Arguably, the best way to involve your self in gamification development is to begin marketing your services and skills to those already in the field. So, if there are companies specializing in gamification design and implementation looking to outsource certain jobs or tasks, which would be one of the most obvious places to start looking for employment. However one should keep in mind that, as with any other technical job, those with the highest levels of understanding and expertise has the greatest shot at getting hired. So, a thorough understanding of the methods in use is almost an absolute necessity.
Why would someone want to work in gamification? The real question is, why wouldn't someone want to work in gamification? It (gamification) has become a big motivator for sales, and as a result more and more companies from the mainstream (in virtually all fields) are getting exciting about gamification with its ability to cheaply capture consumers via social media. It is estimated that gamification will eventually extend into all markets, or at least those that have websites, advertise via social media or use / market certain web technologies (so, pretty much everyone). Those that are already moving toward careers in gamification are positioning themselves to take full advantage of this scenario, and have the most to gain these proposed (future) trends.
If you were to ask most social media or web-based software development insiders about consumer trends in their respective fields, they would no-doubt have a lot to say about gamification. What is it (gamification), you ask? Gamification is basically creating real or virtualized incentives for users / consumers for the purpose of keeping them engaged, loyal and sales-worthy. Despite what some others have suggested, gamification is not a gimmick for closing sales (although it seems to be good at it), it is a solution for business owners looking to connect with consumers on a more human level.
Interested in working in gamification? Who isn't at this point?
Gamification for web deployment is growing, but it's still young; we are still discovering new uses for it every single day. Believe it or not, gamification is a both an excellent way to diversify ones image and content for consumers and also generate employment opportunities. But how would gamification achieve this exactly?
One shining example is companies that are able to gamify existing websites and/or applications for other businesses. These groups represent an obvious shift in gamification; they're transforming it into yet another (infrastructure altering) service. It is entirely feasible for example, that large gamification firms might open up and begin offer cloud-like services at 'pay as you go' prices. This is due to the prevalence of gamification, which is literally everywhere you turn and certainly on everyone's social media radar at all times.
Being in a state of growth, gamification doesn't have pre-established boundaries with regards to employment or job creation. So, at this stage, employers and clients are really just paying for expected results. In other words, if you have the skills and creativity, you should have no problem making your own way in the field of gamification.
As with any other software-related job, getting a job in gamification may be as simple as partnering or joining with a larger software design and development firm. This of course means that you should possess all the necessary technical knowledge and skills needed to perform most forms of software development/design. But your skill set shouldn't end there; to be truly successful in gamification you should also have a keen eye for artistic concepts and possess the creative instincts required to produce products of interest to consumers.
In other words, some conventional game designers might find a happy home in the world of gamification, or perhaps the artist with an advanced knowledge of software development. But one needn't be a complete technical wiz to add something to gamification, if you are able to provide extremely creative concepts to a group that regularly produces gamified software, you might still become an important member of said team (despite your lack of technical know-how). Gamification is really about creating fun and incentive(s), you don't need an advanced degree to grasp these concepts. Given enough time, nearly anyone can learn how a particular component of software functions or how it's constructed, but how many people can actually generate new creative concepts? In other words, there is always a market for creativity.
Arguably, the best way to involve your self in gamification development is to begin marketing your services and skills to those already in the field. So, if there are companies specializing in gamification design and implementation looking to outsource certain jobs or tasks, which would be one of the most obvious places to start looking for employment. However one should keep in mind that, as with any other technical job, those with the highest levels of understanding and expertise has the greatest shot at getting hired. So, a thorough understanding of the methods in use is almost an absolute necessity.
Why would someone want to work in gamification? The real question is, why wouldn't someone want to work in gamification? It (gamification) has become a big motivator for sales, and as a result more and more companies from the mainstream (in virtually all fields) are getting exciting about gamification with its ability to cheaply capture consumers via social media. It is estimated that gamification will eventually extend into all markets, or at least those that have websites, advertise via social media or use / market certain web technologies (so, pretty much everyone). Those that are already moving toward careers in gamification are positioning themselves to take full advantage of this scenario, and have the most to gain these proposed (future) trends.
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To learn more about Gamification and how it can make a difference to your future career in IT, sign up for the Gamification course