A Matrix for Gamifying Development Workshops

The interest in potentials of gamification for innovating businesses through collaboration and innovative development in businesses has been an ongoing topic in gamification research for the last decade. This based on the theoretical notion of gamification’s potential to facilitate “third space communication” and games capability to improve user engagement in non-game settings by transforming this space into a “magic circle” of gameplay for innovative thinking. In this paper an initial matrix is presented for discussing the parameters of gamifying development sessions or workshops conducted throughout innovation and development processes. The purpose of the matrix is to visualize the parameters involved in deciding the level of gamification for a workshop setting. Thus, a tool for identifying a balance in implementing game mechanics, one that can serve to support and facilitate innovative processes rather than purely creating and playing a game for its own sake. Therefore, through this paper the parameters of the matrix and gamifying facilitation of innovative development processes through gameplay, is discussed and presented. This is followed by the exemplification of use and application of the gamification matrix through four gamified workshops.