Gamification Mechanic Monday: Hidden treasures
I have been playing a level in Candy Crush and for some time I have a treasure chest flashing at me a few levels up from where I am struggling. It promises me to have great hidden treasures in it, yet it is also running on a timer and with my current amount of luck I may not actually make it in time to get to the treasure. It does in a small way make me play a bit more often to see what might be in there.
It made me think about hidden treasures in business gamification, where you may be shown something to aim for in terms of a sales target, project deadline, progression in learning, etc, which for now is just out of reach but with additional effort at the same time achievable. Like in the game I may not know exactly what it hidden in the treasure chest, but I have an expectation that it will be good or at minimum fun. Curiosity is the driver we are playing with to look for that little bit of extra effort for the prize.
I know in a lot of organisations total secrecy is hard to maintain for a longer period of time, however those that succeed in achieving the level required to unlock the treasure always find it better to be the privileged few that find out, rather than everyone knowing all along. This kind of gamification dynamic can work for short term increase in effort, when over-used the attraction fades and the impact therefore fades with it.
Where have you used hidden treasures in your gamification design?
