Preface

*Gamification - Analysis, Design, Development and Ludification* presents chapters specifically selected to showcase and discuss various aspects of the gamification processes that are actively being implemented today. Introducing game elements and mechanics in non-gaming environments is an application field that requires a deep understanding of those principles and balancing of their functional and narrative components in order to become functional and effective. Many implementations today, particularly in the educational sector, use simple techniques such as rewards, scoring, and simple gamification mechanisms that do not take into account the wide range of capabilities that are available. Hence, in this book, we present several case studies that provide a high-value look at the development of gamification processes and their implementation.

The other parallel dimension that is addressed focuses on the wide availability of transmedia content delivery and interaction modes. Transmedia support delivery mechanisms allow multiple sections of a gamified process to be distributed across different media, each with its own characteristics and unique content and interaction capacity. The lack of standardization in gamification and transmedia results in a continuously expanding ecosystem of media and content-delivering technologies that, on one hand, can offer developers the necessary creative freedom to produce highly technological case studies. On the other hand, however, the choice of technologies may not allow users to experience the full potential of each system.

At some point, most of the available media will be accessible by the majority of users out there, and I do have a short story to tell about the importance of timing. In 2014 we created for a final-year project an augmented-reality gamified experience that included a discovery puzzle involving the identification of physical artefacts at the "Casa Parlante" museum in Corfu, Greece. Its collection features more than 3000 everyday items. The narration used during the guided tour was fictional and revolved around the characters that were present in the form of "mechanically animated human-sized characters" in the house. The story told was based on historical facts and was engineered in such a way as to allow the presentation of the everyday life of the imaginary family in that particular house and city.

We created a gamified scenario and a process that was implemented at the time using image recognition and an end-to-end augmented-reality application system and video for instructions. The gamified process used tablets and recognition of physical objects that had to be identified by the visitors in order to receive their reward. Two sets of tablets were used for teams A and B, who entered the space sequentially. Team A had to find several bottles containing perfume used around the 19th century in Corfu within the thematic living room of the museum and place them on a specially designed mat. When those perfume bottles were placed at specific locations on the mat and the whole setting was scanned by the application, the video provided instructions that revealed a secret drawer to allow visitors to sample a traditional

biscuit that was baked during the 19th century and is still being baked today, on the Ionian Islands. Team B was introduced to the opposite scenario where they had to identify the perfume bottle collection on the mat and scatter them at specific locations within the space, matching the scent of each bottle to a fictional family member. When they scanned all three locations and the bottles were placed at the right positions, they received the same reward. This scenario is easy to understand and we can clearly see what each visiting group had to accomplish. However, it was not an easy process to explain to visitors at the time because they lacked prior knowledge of the augmented reality functions. They had to be taught what augmented reality is, how the tablet worked, and then they had to be introduced to the game; a steep learning curve for a three-minute gamified process. In addition, the museum staff often had to explain to the visitors why the tablet would only recognize a small set of items and not everything that was within the museum. This suddenly changed in 2016 when Pokémon GO was introduced and almost instantly, things improved. Visitors were suddenly aware of augmented-reality technologies, their functionality and limitations, and they could play the game without asking questions. Overall, the whole experience was positive and effective. This example demonstrates the competence that is required from the users' perspective in order for a gamified experience to be successful. For this reason, we also introduce the term "Ludification," which can help us add the "fun" part to the process.

The book is organized into two sections: "From Gamification to Ludification" and "Gamification and Learning". I hope that you will enjoy reading the chapters and the valuable research proposals they present. The book is designed to make clear the scope and dynamic of gamification in critical areas of everyday life, a dynamic that sometimes makes it more attractive, meaningful, and therapeutic to get involved in actions and processes that may have lost their attraction over time. However, it is still a book written by technology and media scholars who have every intention and expectation of bringing their research to a cross-disciplinary level in order to identify and fully consider how the exploitation of gamification can be useful, accessible, and naturally integrated into life.
