Gamification Summit 2011 Announced

Organizers announced today plans for the first ever Gamification Summit, dedicated to the use of game-like systems to drive participation in non-gaming activities. “With an increasing focus on gamification, major brands, advertising agencies and UI/UX practitioners are starting to see what game designers have always known: games are the ultimate tool for engagement,” said Gamification Summit Director and Playmatics CEO Margaret Wallace. “The Summit fills a crucial need by providing a focused setting for further defining this emerging industry across multiple sectors.” The summit, which will take place January 20 - 21, 2011 at San Francisco's Mission Bay Conference Center, will include keynote addresses by designer Jane McGonigal, who will discuss using game mechanics to effect change in the real world, and Zichermann, author of Game-Based Marketing, who will speak on how measuring an "engagement score" could more accurately capture web traffic than counting page views. Other speakers include game designer Amy Jo Kim, Miller Freeman (Gamasutra and Game Developer Magazine) veteran Koann Skrzyniarz, Playmatics CEO Margaret Wallace and Microsoft Bing Rewards Director Keith Smith. The concept of gamification has risen to increased prominence in the past year year, with products like FourSquare, Groupon, Epic Win and even Facebook increasingly integrating features like achievements, levels, and challenges into formerly non-gaming activities. The concept was the subject of a widely viewed talk by Schell Games' Jesse Schell on how game-like structures can revolutionize the motivations for every day activities. Gamification was also the focus of a keynote speech by Unity's Dave Helgason at this year's Develop conference and will be the focus of the entire second day of the upcoming 2011 Serious Games Summit.