During her time working on genre-defining games like The Sims, Rock Band, and Ultima Online, Amy Jo learned that customers stick with products that help them get better at something they care about, like playing an instrument or leading a team. Amy Jo has used her insights from gaming to help hundreds of companies like Netflix, Disney, The New York Times, Ubisoft and Happify innovate faster and smarter, and drive long-term engagement.

L&D professionals may think of games and gamification as silver bullets for engagement and motivation issues that add fun to workplace learning. But they need to use those tools to show value, rather than showcase fun. This requires a mindset shift and a move from content to actions through game thinking. In this issue of TD at Work, Zsolt Olah delves into the definition of games and gamification. He also: · details considerations for building a game-based learning strategy that is engaging and effective · presents case studies of when to use game-based learning or gamification and when not to. · offers tips on how to keep learners—that is, players—in mind while building learning games.

Garry Kasparov's 1997 chess match against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue was a watershed moment in the history of technology. It was the dawn of a new era in artificial intelligence: a machine capable of beating the reigning human champion at this most cerebral game. That moment was more than a century in the making, and in this breakthrough book, Kasparov reveals his astonishing side of the story for the first time. He describes how it felt to strategize against an implacable, untiring opponent with the whole world watching, and recounts the history of machine intelligence through the microcosm of chess, considered by generations of scientific pioneers to be a key to unlocking the secrets of human and machine cognition. Kasparov uses his unrivaled experience to look into the future of intelligent machines and sees it bright with possibility. As many critics decry artificial intelligence as a menace, particularly to human jobs, Kasparov shows how humanity can rise to new heights with the help of our most extraordinary creations, rather than fear them. Deep Thinking is a tightly argued case for technological progress, from the man who stood at its precipice with his own career at stake.

The growth in popularity and complexity of video games has spurred new interest in how games are developed and in the research and technology behind them. David Heineman brings together some of the most iconic, influential, and interesting voices from across the gaming industry and asks them to weigh in on the past, present, and future of video games. Among them are legendary game designers Nolan Bushnell (Pong) and Eugene Jarvis (Defender), who talk about their history of innovations from the earliest days of the video game industry through to the present; contemporary trailblazers Kellee Santiago (Journey) and Casey Hudson (Mass Effect), who discuss contemporary relationships between those who create games and those who play them; and scholars Ian Bogost (How to Do Things With Videogames) and Edward Castronova (Exodus to the Virtual World), who discuss how to research and write about games in ways that engage a range of audiences. These experts and others offer fascinating perspectives on video games, game studies, gaming culture, and the game industry more broadly.

This is the hugely updated second edition of Even Ninja Monkeys Like To Play. A guide to using gamification and game thinking to create engaging experiences for people. This book takes you on a journey through the theories on which gamification is built, onto practical advice for building gamified solutions. "A book that dances in the space where psychology and game design meet, offering practical guidance to gamification - all tied together with Andrzej's best-in-class categorisation of what works most appropriately for whom." -- Dr Richard Bartle, Professor of Game Design at the University of Essex, Author of "Designing Virtual Worlds" Andrzej Marczewski's book "Even Ninja Monkeys Like To Play" gives extraordinary and important knowledge upon the topic of gamification and game thinking strategies. It is a must read for anyone having a beginning interest or even for veterans of the topic. It provides more than a base of information for anyone to pick it up and understand the topic more deeply. -- Dr. Anthony Bean, Ph.D., Video Game Expert and Researcher Contents The Theory of Games, Play and Gamification What is Gamification? What Are Games and Play? What Are Game Mechanics? What is Fun? What is Game Thinking? Gamification and Game Thinking in Practice Ethical Considerations of Gamification The Science of Gamification What Motivates Us? The Intrinsic Motivation RAMP What is Flow and Why is it Important? User Types in Gamification (The HEXAD) The Neuroscience of Gamification Building Gamified Solutions How to Start with The User Journey How to Use Points, Badges and Leaderboards How to Set Clear Goals How to Design Good Feedback and Reward Systems How to Design a Simple Gamified System How to Understand Emotions in Gamification Design How to Use Narrative to Create Deeper Experiences How to Create Playful Experiences How to Handle Cheating How to See it From the User's Perspective Gamification Mechanics and Elements Planning and Implementing your Gamification Design The Gamification Design Framework How to Keep the User Engaged How to Balance a Gamified System Keeping it Simple Tying Loyalty into Gamification Modelling Gamified Systems Final Thoughts Five Steps to a Happier Life with Gamification Other Design Tips

Millions play Farmville, Scrabble, and countless other games, generating billions in sales each year. The careful and skillful construction of these games is built on decades of research into human motivation and psychology: A well-designed game goes right to the motivational heart of the human psyche. In For the Win, Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter argue persuasively that game-makers need not be the only ones benefiting from game design. Werbach and Hunter, lawyers and World of Warcraft players, created the world's first course on gamification at the Wharton School. In their book, they reveal how game thinking--addressing problems like a game designer--can motivate employees and customers and create engaging experiences that can transform your business. For the Win reveals how a wide range of companies are successfully using game thinking. It also offers an explanation of when gamifying makes the most sense and a 6-step framework for using games for marketing, productivity enhancement, innovation, employee motivation, customer engagement, and more.

Jumpstart! Thinking Skills and Problem Solving presents a collection of simple to use, multi-sensory games and activities which will jumpstart students’ understanding of problem solving in action. If you are one of the thousands of teachers looking for a range of practical and fun ideas to engage pupils in effective proactive learning, then this is the perfect book for you. Specifically written to help teachers work within the guidelines of the new curriculum, activities in the book will help pupils to explore and learn a wide range of problem solving and independent thinking skills in an atmosphere of fun, mutual support and tolerance. Sections within the book reflect key areas of the new curriculum and offer a treasure trove of ideas for building problem solving and thinking skills into daily teaching.and provide tried and tested methods of helping children ‘learn how to learn’. Areas include:- Building problem solving confidence Thinking and problem solving in literacy Thinking and Problem solving in science Problem solving in philosophy Emotional resourcefulness and life skills Jumpstart! Thinking Skills and Problem Solving will celebrate the joy of critical and independent thinking and become a vital resource for all classroom teachers at Key Stage 2 and 3.

Are you flowing with the word current? How do you react when you come across a new word? It sounds familiar but the affix it carries unsettles you. It has taken a new form, thanks to the compound that has been glued to it. You feel you know the meaning of the word, but still unsure to use it yourself, you badly want to double-check its origin, meaning and usage. Some words you feel are extremely informal and cannot be used unless your dictionary approves of it. Sharing the enthusiasm and curiosity with innumerable word mongers, this book takes a peek into words that have made their way to existence. Not mere existence, but they thrive in the internet and media before by popular academic consensus, they enter the red carpet of dictionaries. Whether you are in the pursuit to increase your wordbank or you are the kind who likes to flaunt around ‘cool’ words or a novice to the world of internet lingo or an expert who looks into how words metamorphose for survival, this book is definitely for you!