Gamification Mechanic Monday: Protection
I was watching the Heartstone World Championships at the weekend. In the final the players were using taunts, which act like shields and stop your opponent from hitting your hero directly. They were a difference maker that nearly tipped one of the final games the other way. Protection as a game mechanic allows you to safeguard your character for another life by putting a shield in place, so that the other player can’t kill you.
Protection in a gamification setting like business will probably never need to protect you from losing a life, but it could help you in keeping collectibles you were saving up or points you were earning to help you get to a next level or before they expire. You may for example want to protect work in progress. Maybe hitting a specific target set up through a challenge could earn you protection of status or points.
In television game shows like for example ‘the biggest loser’ players can earn immunity from elimination thanks to having highest weight loss numbers. So the driver for immunity is also the driver for the ultimate outcome of what people want to achieve with the show and hence has a significant amount of emotional attachment to it.
If for example I am saving up points on my frequent flyer card to allow an amazing holiday, being able to protect the points may well be a challenge I am willing to work for, spend for or complete a mission for.
Where have you seen protection in action as a gamification mechanic?
