作者：Paul Thompson

不论是在Facebook，还是YouTube，FourSquare亦或是Google，一系列的Web 2.0网站都有可能让你获得游戏体验。很多以用户社区为基础的网站都已经实现了一些游戏机制，例如不少商业网站就采用游戏设计者吸引并留住玩家的途径来提高自身吸引力。这种网站游戏化现象始于Web 2.0时代，网站或应用设计者都在用这种方式提高产品的用户粘性，强化其传播效果。

2010年可以说是地理定位游戏发展最为迅猛的一年。Gowalla和FourSquare所提供的地理定位服务（LBS）把我们带入了社交网络，使我们能够在这个领域与朋友进行“竞争”并赢得虚拟道具做为奖励。今年，《Empire Avenue》的问世则标志着社交游戏的发展进入了一个完全成熟的新阶段。

但是是否所有的社交网络都在运用游戏机制？

游戏机制是什么？社交网络是如何运用游戏机制？

gamification(from paulthompsonsblog

社交媒体用户被划分成不同类型的玩家。如果玩家的游戏需求得到了满足，他们将会更频繁且更长久地登陆网站（和游戏品牌或应用），而玩家本身却没有意识到这一点。

社交游戏玩家所追求的奖励可分为四种类型，即地位，访问权，能量和道具。当玩家不能通过金钱购买到这四种奖励时，他们将会对此更为渴望，就像无线电台对名额有限的幸运听众所提供的与名人见面的机会一样，这就是一种无法用钱买到的奖励。

地理定位服务公司FourSquare很好地贯彻了游戏机制。在FourSquare旗下的游戏中，玩家只能通过赢得游戏才能获取市长职位的头衔，而且这种荣誉是不能用金钱交换的。当玩家获得市长头衔后，还能在现实世界中赢取相应的奖励。

你属于什么类型的玩家？

游戏玩家心理学Bartle Test把大型多人在线角色扮演游戏《魔兽世界》的玩家分成了四种不同类型，但是这些类型却不适用于Web 2.0和社交网络的游戏玩家。在Facebook, YouTube, Gowalla, FourSquare, Bebo或LinkedIn等社交网站上可以根据心理因素划分出5种不同的游戏玩家。常驻于这些网站或经常使用智能手机应用的玩家们都或多或少拥有下述的特征：

创造者

对于YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter和Qype等以用户所创造的内容为基础的网站来说，创造者可以称得上是他们的生命线。用户孜孜不倦地在各种网站上创造着新的内容，例如发表博客，制作视频，上传照片或者写餐馆评述等都证明了这一点。如今的手机能够观看更高分辨率的照片，视频和文字，使得手机用户每天通过手机所创造的内容更是不计其数。

在过去，创造和消费的比例是1:99，而现在却发生了明显变化。Z一代（游戏邦注：国外杂志将1995年后出生的新新人类将为Z一代，该群体基本上属于科技达人）是随着计算机设备的革新而成长，他们喜欢使用着先进设备在英特网上创造着更多的内容。这类用户在创造内容方面独具天赋，几乎无需思考片刻就可本能地创造和保存内容。

用户在Twitter, Identi.ca和Tumblr等用于更新微薄或状态的网站上更容易创造新的内容，他们不需要通过编辑器或发行商便能够发表并传播自己所创造的内容。

评论者

评论者是游戏中不可或缺的一类玩家（25%是成年人，43%是年轻人）。这类型的玩家喜欢喜欢投票，喜欢评估也喜欢排等级。这些玩家不只会评价其他人所带来的贡献，也会指责或评述餐馆，酒吧，书籍，mp3等任何可以被评述或描写的对象。

Web 2.0的购物网站更是需要评论者。人们的网上购物行为很大程度上取决于这类用户的评论。像亚马逊或易趣等知名购物网站都需要有评论者对网站上的产品或服务做出评论。易趣网站上的商家都很重视自己的信誉，而这种信誉则是靠消费者的意见反馈积累起来的。

收集者

社交网站通常是建立在收集者的基础上。这种类型的用户热衷于收集的对象各式各样，包括朋友，徽章，绶带，奖杯或者其它能代表他们社会地位的标志。线下的市场营销者在多年前就摸清了这个道理，即收集者会为了收集一款纪念品（就像麦当劳派发的礼物或者早餐谷物工厂塞在谷物盒子中的小礼物）而一次又一次地上门消费。

收集者在性别上的比例发生了显著的变化。比起男性，女性收集者的比例更大，但是很多男性从小就有收集手机足球或篮球卡片的习惯了。

FourSquare和Gowalla都使用徽章和绶带以吸引那些收集者频繁登陆网站。收集者很容易受到一些战利品的诱惑，所以网站可以采用这种方法去吸引更多这种类型的用户。

玩家

玩家经常会因为一些真实的游戏玩法而大受鼓舞。这类型的玩家非常重要，其中包括58%的年轻玩家和25%的成年玩家。尽管上述分类也都是属于游戏玩家，但是我们这里提到的玩家是属于一种子分类，是区别于游戏玩家总称的。不同类型的玩家会受到不同因素的影响。

玩家必须在游戏中完成一定的任务，例如探索，寻宝，测试，智力游戏或者像大型多人在线角色扮演游戏中所要求的更复杂的任务等。

这些不同类型的玩家（包括成就型玩家，社交型玩家和探险型玩家）都存在一个共同点，即他们都需要观众的存在。如果这些玩家缺乏展示游戏成就的平台，他们将会失去游戏的动力。以下将对这些玩家展开分析：

成就型玩家

成就型玩家常常会受到不同任务的驱动，像游戏升级，寻找目标，解决谜题或者获得积分等任务都对这类型的玩家具有很强大的推动作用。成就者希望能够成为游戏中的领导者，并向其他玩家炫耀自己所取得的成绩。FourSquare和Gowalla植入了Twitter功能，使玩家能够对其社交版图中的朋友炫耀自己取得的游戏成绩。

社交型玩家

比起游戏本身，社交型玩家更关注于游戏中的朋友，包括他们说了什么，他们来自哪里等内容。自从Web 2.0普及以来，无数应用和网站都利用了社交网络功能，而很多公司对于这类型的游戏玩家也变得更加重视了。随着Twitter和Facebook等社交网站的出现，用户的社交版图也在不断扩展，一夜间许多事物都开始向社交化转型。

探索型玩家

探索型玩家也经常受到游戏中的各种任务驱使，即游戏中的一些模糊的目标或定位都会调动起这类型玩家的游戏激情。探索型玩家就非常喜欢Geo-caching这种类型的游戏。Gowalla利用Trips功能锁定探索型玩家，Gowalla引导玩家探索那些预先设定好的场所，而FourSquare采取的措施则是奖励那些能够开启新地理位置的玩家。

杀手型玩家

杀手型玩家经常在游戏中阻碍其他玩家进行游戏。这类型的玩家具有很强大的竞争意识，可能会给社交游戏带来破坏。

观众

如果缺少了观众，任何游戏都不能顺利进行。成就型游戏玩家需要有人注意到他所取得的成绩；收集者需要有人敬仰他们成列了一柜的收集品；而评论者需要有人阅读他们所做的评论。

当Twitter和Facebook等社交网站和各种游戏，网站以及应用的交集日益明显时，这一领域也迎来了更大规模的观众。如果一款游戏能够抓住这类型的玩家，将能帮助它吸收到更多新的游戏玩家；而如果一款游戏不能吸引这类型玩家，这款游戏将可能因此丧失人气。

FourSquare在游戏中设置了“与好友分享”的功能，玩家能够借此选择像朋友炫耀自己的成绩或者邀请他们加入一起游戏。Facebook中的“好友动态”对于这类用户来说也是一种很好的功能，他们能够由此看到自己所关注的好友的一些动态更新，当然也包括了一些没用的信息更新。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Are You Playing Games With Me? Social Network Game Mechanics

by Paul Thompson

Well Are you playing games with me?

Not only Facebook, but YouTube, FourSquare, Google and just about every Web 2.0 site out there are probably playing games with you. Many web based customer communities have realised that the game mechanics which game designers use to attract, hook and retain game players can be used by commercial web sites. This gamification of websites started with Web 2.0 as designers made their sites or apps more engaging, sticky and more viral.

Last year was the year of the location game when location based services (LBS) such as Gowalla and FourSquare helped introduce us to Social Networks where you could beat your friends and win “stuff”. Full blown social gaming emerged this year with Empire Avenue.

But all Social Networks are using game mechanics. Are you aware of this or not?

What are the game mechanics and how are they used by Social Networks?

Social media users fall into different player types. Players will engage with sites (and brands or apps) for longer and more frequently if their play type needs are satiated. People engaging in social network sites frequently play games without even realising it.

Social networks know that their players seek four reward types:- Status, Access, Power and Stuff. These four reward types become particularly desirable if they are exclusive and can’t be bought for money. An example of of such as desirable commodity include the prizes which radio stations give out to phone-in callers. A back stage pass, access all areas or facetime with a celebrity are things which are very desirable, but cannot be bought.

Leading Location Based Service Company FourSquare implement Game Mechanics really well. Players are rewarded  with Mayorships, which cannot be bought or exchanged, they can only be earned through game play. Once the desirable status of Mayor has been obtained, it can bring further (real world) rewards, such as real stuff. Game play is extended as turf wars break out over ownership of the mayorship as players compete to stay on the top.

What type of player are you?

The Barlte Test categorises MMORPG World Of Warcraft type players into four categories, but this classification is incomplete for a discussion about Web 2.0 and Social Networks sites. The Barlte types are actually subcategories of “player” which is described below. There are five different psychological player types which engage in Social Networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Gowalla, FourSquare, Bebo or LinkedIn. Users engaging with these sites and their smartphone applications exhibit one or more of the following characteristics:-

Creator

Creators are the life blood of YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Qype and every other user generated content site. People seem to have an insatiable appetite for creating content, be that blogging, creating videos, uploading photographs or writing restaurant reviews. As we all now have a mobile phone capable of high resolution photo, video and word processing, millions of items of user generated content are being created every day.

The ratio of creation to consumption used to be 1% to 99%, but that ratio has now changed. Generation Z have grown up with devices capable of creating content which are connected to the internet. Generation Z users automatically create and store content without thinking twice.

Micro blogging and status update sites such as Twitter, Identi.ca, Tumblr have made it so easy to create blog content that content is continually being created, curated and distributed, rather than going via an editor or publisher.

Critics

Critics are an incredibly important group (25% Adult / 43% Youth). This player type loves to vote, rate, rank and review things. This includes not only the commenting and rating of the contributions and creations of others, but critiques and reviews of restaurants, bars, books, mp3s, white goods and every other type of object which can be rated or written about.

Web 2.0 shopping sites need Critics. People’s online shopping habits rely on the critics input. Recommendation sites and sites such as Amazon and eBay require or demand a review of a product or service (which is no bad thing). eBay Merchants place huge value on their reputation which is derivced solely form customer feedback.

Collectors

Social Networks are usually founded on Collectors. This user type loves collecting objects such as friends, badges, ribbons, trophies or any other status symbol. Offline marketers have known for years that Collectors will return time and time again to collect an elusive “trophy” item such as the plastic collectibles which MacDonalds give out or breakfast cereal manufacturers insert in cereal boxes.

The percentage of Collectors does vary significantly based on gender. Women are more likely to be collectors than men, though for many men collecting football or baseball cards has been ingrained in their psyche since childhood.

FourSquare and Gowalla attract Collectors offering badges and ribbons for certain types of check-in. Collectors are easily motivated by acquiring and displaying their trophies (so sites need a trophy showcase).

Players

Players are motivated by actual game play. This group is an important group, with 58% of youth and 25% of adults in this group. Although all of these categories are gamer players, the Players type here is a special sub-category. Players are motivated by a number of different factors depending on the type of player they are. These are the Bartle types mentioned above.

Players need to be given some task to perform, such as a quest, treasure hunt, quiz, puzzle or something more complex as found in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) or Role Playing Games.

A common characteristic of the Player type (Achievers, Socialisers, Explorers) is that they need Spectators. If there is  no where to show off their achievements, there is less motivation to  play. Players may exhibit one or all of the following:-

Achiever Players

Achievers are often quest driven, and are motivated by unlocking levels, discovering objects, solving puzzles and getting a score. Achievers need a leader table and bragging rights. FourSquare and Gowalla have incorporated Twitter into their apps, which broadcasts bragging rights to the players extended social graph.

Socialiser Players

Socialisers are more interested in the people and what they have to say or where they are rather than the actual game itself. Since Web 2.0, many apps and sites have leveraged social networking and it is this player type the businesses are targeting (knowingly or otherwise). By mashing up websites and apps with Twitter or Facebook, the social graph can be extended and many situations suddenly become “social”.

Explorer Players

Explorers are often quest driven, and are motivated by discovering obscure objects or locations. Geo-caching games are an obvious example of games appealing to Explorers. Gowalla targets Explorers with Trips. Gowalla trip players visit a number of predefined spots, rather like a pub crawl. FourSquare rewards Explorers who unlock new locations.

Killer Players

Killer Players harass, hack, cheat and heckle. These players can be very competitive and in Social Games can cause havoc.

Spectators

No game playing is successful without Spectators. The Achievers need someone to see what they have discovered, unlocked, solved or to see the score they have reached on the  Collectors need someone to view their trophy cabinets and Critics need someone to read their reviews and comments.

Since many games, sites and apps are now mashed up with Twitter Facebook and other status or social networking sites, the playing field has been opened up to a much wider range of Spectators. Done well, this can attract new players to brands, sites and apps. Done poorly (think Farmville spam), it can drive people nuts.

FourSquare implemented a “share with friends” option, whereby player can choose whether to “annoy” their friends with bragging, or to genuinely engage spectators. Facebook’s news feed, is a cleverly sculptured feed designed for Spectators, whereas the latest updates is less useful and contains all events.

In the next post I will illustrate examples of how game mechanics are being used to increase stickiness, engagement and loyalty.（source:paulthompsonsblog）