If you haven’t visited the Fun Theory website, we recommend doing so. It’s an excellent example of crowd-sourcing creative ways to turn tedious and unrewarding tasks into fun experiences that beg to be repeated. You will be fascinated watching the videos that were submitted for the award in 2009/2010. This is a great lesson for the next time you task others with something that you know they would rather avoid. This video won the award for the best innovation in using fun to create social change.

Many of the submitted videos base their success on random intermittent reinforcement (a major component of gamification). This is the same powerful emotion that drives casino visitors to play slot machines. Call centers have used intermittent reinforcement as part of their agent incentive programs for their employees for years: spin the wheel, pull a ticket from a fishbowl, pop a prize-filled balloon, or select a sealed envelope. This kind of reinforcement should be included, in some fashion, with every reward; it keeps previously learned activities exciting.

 

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