The Power of PvP and Time Sensitivity

So, I had bought some power tools online from PropertyRoom.com last week.  It was my second purchase from the site, and overall I think they do a good job of running an online auction platform.  

It's not terribly sexy -- but it works.

The experience got me thinking about the power of two key game mechanics:  PvP (player vs. player) competition and time sensitivity -- how they can be leveraged across interactive experiences to:

A.) Drive engagement

B.) Raise the stakes for this engagement, resulting better monetization

As every merchant knows, there is nothing better than a competitive bid to jumpstart the limbic brain -- and drive up the price of a given item.  From my perspective, PvP competition in an auction is a series of discreet moments (facilitated by key touch points) that promote a win at all costs, zero-sum mindstate.

Step 1.) Existing bids -- X number of people want it.  I want it too.

Action: Let’s add it to my Watchlist.

Step 2.) New bidding activity -- (currently communicated via email communications, could be improved with push messaging with a native App) – each update creates more visibility for bidding activity. 

Action: Return to site / platform.

Step 3.) Closing moment --  while the site enables proxy bidding, the combination of the countdown clock and the anticipation assures the customer will return to the product page, if they are able.

Action: Return to site / platform / bid or raise bid

Step 4.) Final close -- the cliffhanger.  Did I win?  Did I wager enough?  Suspense (don’t underestimate the importance of this emotional beat…)

Action: Bid or raise bid

Step 5.) Auction won!  Confirmation and endorphine release (& small pang of buyer's remorse).

A quick look at this consumer flow shows several ways it can be optimized and / or improved (better UI to emphasize the key data points necessary to fuel engagement, a native app with push messaging, bid alert settings for frequency, timing and price, etc.)  But it works because the basics of competitive play are upheld.

A larger subject – and one that is beautifully considered by @quinns108 here on kotaku (within the context of games) is how to move beyond zerosum, win / lose mechanics to become more inclusive.  One thought:  the introduction of the random chance?   Incentivized collaboration al la Groupon?  It’s a much larger subject, but one that demands more study.

IKEA: The Game (of assembly)

I unpacked and assembled several pieces of furniture this weekend -- and I as I tackled the "Mydal" bunk bed for my daughter, my first thought was "damn."

(please forgive my bad joke)

But upon completing this project, I had an epiphany: those folks at Ikea are geniuses.  And not just for their incredibly cheap goods, their artful and oh-so effortlessly curated showrooms that make it seem so deceptively easy and fun to decorate one's  home, or their awesome naming conventions.

No.  The good people at Ikea are geniuses (who love games, methinks) have woven the key experiential requirements of any good game into their Product's assembly process. 

Assembling my Mydal bed revealed that inside every flat pack box comes an adult sized puzzle that offers:

• An easy to understand tutorial (the all visual manual filled with diagrams)
• Building blocks of core compulsion loops that are infinitely repeatable and satisfying (locking screw and bolts -- yes! Wood pegs into pre-drilled holes -- creating order from chaos!)
• Medium length goals that provide a sense of progression (Look!  The frame is standing - I can see what it looks like!)
• A reasonable session length (~3 hours from start to finish)
• Macro goal and ultimate achievement (Look -- I made this!  With my own hands!)  

Fundamentally, in a post-industrial society increasingly devoid of handiwork and personal crafting experiences, I think IKEA products fill a vital role.  They provide the illusion of control (another necessary gaming element) to simulate the satisifaction that one feels upon making something.  

It may be pre-cut and pre-scripted down the very last detail (like many single player game experiences) but assembling an Ikea product still delivers that rush of any good boss battle victory.