Gamification Summit NYC 2011

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Gilt Group's founder and chief merchandising officer, dishes on the best strategies for scoring designer fashions on the popular daily deals website.

Gabe Zichermann, chair of the Gamification Summit, argues that while developers in the past designed games to payoff within the first 60 minutes, games now need to deliver within the first 60 seconds. In order to be successful, explains Zichermann, companies like Zynga are spending disproportionate amounts of time designing the first few minutes of all their games.

Businessman-turned-schoolteacher Ananth Pai shows a video highlighting his gamified approach to teaching, as well as the success he's experienced with the method in his classroom.

Michael Wu, principal scientist at Lithium Technologies, discusses the importance of "flow" in successful game design. He explains that in order to prevent the challenge from getting too stressful or too boring, it's important to match difficulty to player ability.

Gabe Zichermann, author of Gamification by Design, shares an interesting scientific study that demonstrated how the challenge of mastering a game (in this case, juggling) leads to an increase of gray matter in the brain. The reason, says Zichermann, is because games are hard-wired to produce pleasure through the release of dopamine.

Spigit general manager James Gardner explains that twists are the secret to creating positive user behavior within gamification campaigns. Twists, says Gardner, help unite groups of people to interact for a greater goal.

Disruptor Beam's Jon Radoff rethinks the components that motivate human behavior and how they relate to satisfying gameplay. According to Radoff, a combination of immersion, cooperation, achievement, and competition create a rewarding game experience, one that has persisted since humankind's earliest games.

Kevin Richardson, senior producer at MTV Network's Nickelodeon Kids & Family Games Group, shows how "fun theories" can dramatically alter unpleasant behaviors with positive reinforcement trough simple games. Want to get your boy to stop peeing all over the seat? Gamify the toilet.

A panel of game designers and healthcare experts discuss the feasibility of having insurance companies cover video games as medical treatments.

Connie O'Brien of AXA Equitable shows Pass It On!, a game her company designed to make learning about the benefits of life insurance more accessible to young families.

42 Entertainment's Susan Bonds demonstrates how a promotional game for The Dark Knight became a real life multimedia gaming sensation.

Sean Baenan of Social Chocolate shows screen shots of Jane McGonigal's new game SuperBetter, which is still in closed beta. The objective of the game is to set and achieve health goals through an immersive game environment.

Geoff Lewis, co-founder & CEO of Topguest, explains how the cultural and technological landscapes are encouraging new marketing strategies based around brand engagement instead of brand loyalty.

Next Jump founder Charlie Kim and DueProps founder Obie Fernandez discuss some of the possible negative consequences of a gamified workplace.

Sarah Faulkner, program manager with Microsoft's Office Labs, discusses the development process they went through to make Ribbon Hero, a game designed to make learning Microsoft Office fun.

Rajat Paharia, founder of Bunchball, cautions against believing that game mechanics will engage users indefinitely. Using Foursquare as an example, he commends the service's gamified design for attracting new users, but sees no lasting value for those who earn badges and points.

Brian Wong, founder of the mobile rewards network Kiip, offers advice for turning virtual rewards into tangible rewards. Wong, who found inspiration in the airline upgrade model, advocates for serendipitous rewards. "You don't know when exactly you're going to get them, you just know you can," he says.

Nt Etuk of DimensionU argues students would be motivated to perform better in the classroom if schools took a few cues from the gaming world. For starters, he says, make the classroom a more controlled, personalized space that fosters an environment where students are safe to fail.