Why Gamification & Games?

Gamification Can Empower Individuals to Make a Difference Daily

Gamification is a potent tool for empowering individuals in their daily lives by tapping into intrinsic motivation, fostering a sense of accomplishment, mastery, and autonomy. Through reward systems, competition, and social interaction, it creates a community-driven experience that encourages collaboration and purpose. Clear goals and progress tracking provide a sense of purpose and achievement, while in educational settings, gamification facilitates learning and skill development. Beyond education, gamification can serve as a catalyst for behavioral change, promoting healthier habits and choices. Its flexibility and adaptability make it applicable across various contexts, ensuring relevance in education, training, and beyond. Importantly, the enjoyment derived from gamified experiences sustains long-term engagement, making gamification a holistic approach for positive change in daily lives.

Powering Change through Play

There are over 2.2 billion active mobile games worldwide. The global games market revenue in 2020 was $180 bn. Besides the potential to tap into that market to raise funds for conservation, global problems such as species extinction or climate change require collaboration.

Games are a powerful tool for creating engagement with people for several reasons:

1. Interactive and Immersive Experience: Games provide an interactive and immersive experience, allowing individuals to participate rather than passively consume content. This engagement can create a stronger connection between the participants and the activity.

2. Challenge and Reward System: Games often involve challenges that players must overcome, creating a sense of accomplishment when they succeed. The game reward system, such as earning points, leveling up, or unlocking new features, motivates players to stay engaged and continue participating.

3. Social Interaction: Many games are designed to be played with others, either cooperatively or competitively. This fosters social interaction and encourages communication, collaboration, and competition among participants, forming social bonds.

4. Escapism and Entertainment: Games provide a form of escapism, allowing individuals to temporarily disconnect from reality and enjoy a different, often fantastical, experience. This escapism can be a source of entertainment and stress relief, contributing to increased engagement.

5. Learning and Skill Development: Educational games, simulations, and strategy games often incorporate learning elements and encourage the development of cognitive skills. Participants can engage in problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making, making the experience both enjoyable and educational.

6. Community Building: Online multiplayer games create communities of players who share common interests. These communities provide a platform for social interaction, discussions, and exchanging tips and strategies, fostering a sense of belonging and community.

7. Competition and Achievement: Competitive aspects in games can drive engagement by appealing to individuals' desire to compete and achieve. Leaderboards, rankings, and achievements add a competitive element, motivating players to strive for success and recognition.

Engaging a new generation of donors

Gen Z, born in the mid to late 1990s, were born after the widespread adoption of the internet and mobile technologies; hence, engaging Gen Z is crucial to engage them online. There are two main reasons why we need new approaches to fundraising to engage Gen Z:

First, they are digital natives. Growing up with the internet, they comfortably use it for all aspects of their lives. Gen Z is the generation most engaged with games, spending more time on gaming than any other entertainment, even more than streaming movies or using social networks.

Second, they are incredibly socially conscious. They care about important issues such as climate change, social justice, and animal welfare. Their purchase decisions express their values and identity. They are drawn to sustainable products and willing to pay more. They are also more politically progressive than Millennials.

Gen Z also spends an average of 3.3 hours per day playing video games, making games a great tool to connect and engage with this demographic. Games offer a fun and interactive experience, capturing Gen Z’s attention and imagination. Games can convey information, teach new skills, and promote engagement with social issues or causes while creating shared experiences and fostering community among players.

In addition to their entertainment value, games offer opportunities for learning and personal growth. Many games require problem-solving, critical thinking, and strategic planning, which can help to develop important cognitive skills. Games can also promote teamwork, communication, and other valuable social skills for personal and professional development.

Overall, games are a versatile and effective tool for engaging with Gen Z. for education, marketing, or social impact; games offer a fun and interactive way to connect with this demographic and create meaningful experiences that resonate with their values and interests.