WHAT’S GREEN GAMIFICATION?
Hello, have you ever heard the term ‘Green Gamification‘ before? We at myCred already knew most people aren’t aware of it, and that’s why we have taken the initiative to spread comprehensive knowledge related to green gamification.
WHEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT HAS PICKED MOMENTUM?
The concept of saving the planet earth, its greenery, ecosystem, and environmental sustainability is nothing new. With the rise of the industrial boom and urban population, it is becoming more relevant like never before. The contemporary environmental movement arose primarily from concerns in the late 19th century about protecting the countryside in Europe and the wilderness in the United States and the health consequences of pollution during the Industrial Revolution.
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS AND INFLUENCERS ARE DRAWING ATTENTION TOWARDS ALARMING CHANGES!
Since then, many environmental activists and influencers have focused on air and water pollution, plastic waste, collapsing ecosystems, and an extravagant behavior towards fuel combustion and ozone layer damage. Currently, Greta Thunberg (Swedish Environmental Activist) has gained international recognition to promote the view that humanity is facing an existential crisis arising from climate change. Similarly, Leonardo Dicaprio’s foundation is working to protect all earth inhabitants.
After briefly knowing earth sustainability issues and climate challenges, let’s move to this blog’s core point, ‘Green Gamification.’
Green Gamification; the use of game mechanics to engage people and change behavior, and apply it to sustainability issues. The synergy between gamification and sustainability is based on the fact that, like gaming, greening is largely a social action that triggers an emotional response. Innovative companies recognize the opportunity to tap into consumer passions and have begun to employ “green gamification” to create shared value for individuals, businesses, communities, and the environment.
THE CASE STUDY OF ‘Opower’ FOR IMPLEMENTING GREEN GAMIFICATION:
One of the most quoted case studies in green gamification implementation is Opower, an energy efficiency service allowing people to monitor their energy consumption and, in the end, reduce their electricity bill. Among all the implemented features, one turned out to be crucial for users’ commitment rate and, consequently, for the quantity of energy saved: the “you used x% less/more than your efficient neighbor” feature. Yes, the social challenge is a powerful core-drive. That’s not only because people like to win, be the strongest, and beat their neighbors, but also because the comparison is sometimes the only condition to figure out where you stand. What Opower did was then nothing but adding a touch of gamification to the user experience: when reducing your electricity bill, you were actually enrolled in some video-game inspired car chases or heroes fight and, by that, had a greater understanding of your own situation by comparing yourself with others.
ACCORDING TO FUN THEORY!
“Fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that its change for the better”
Reference: https://goodvertising.site/the-fun-theory/
DID YOU KNOW?
There are more than two million apps and a growing number of them have an ecological purpose. The huge and growing eco-apps market is making a significant contribution to the welfare of the planet and its inhabitants. Ecologically oriented apps are organized around a number of categories including air and water quality, transportation, energy, education (games), consumer information, food and visualizations, and chemicals.
LET’S SEE ANOTHER CASE STUDY OF ‘WeSpire’ FOR RUNNING GREEN GAMIFICATION SUCCESSFULLY
WeSpire has created a platform where users earn points for completing certain sustainability actions, such as recycling or using more environmentally-friendly products. Points are shown on a leaderboard and achievements can even be posted on Facebook, turning the persuasive power of social media into a tool for positive change.
The platform has attracted a great deal of buzz, with companies like MGM, Sony, and McDonald’s all using it to launch their own sustainability challenges and 6 million positive actions taking place to date.
THE CASE STUDY OF ‘RECYCLEBANK’ TO REWARD POINTS FOR RECYCLING ACTIVITIES:
RecycleBank was created to encourage people to recycle more and reduce landfill trash by awarding points for recycling, saving energy, and answering sustainability quizzes and pledges. Points are redeemable for actual goods at Walmart, BestBuy, and more places, as the city government pays RecycleBank for reducing landfill waste. The project is backed by Al Gore and how won numerous awards in innovation, sustainability, and business. It now has 3 million members and over 180 employees pushing the recycling envelope further.
The Scope of myCred To Implement ‘Green Gamification’ With Different Types of Rewards
#1 POINTS BASED REWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY:
myCred (The best points management plugin for gamification) can help you reward points (to registered users on a WordPress powered site) for recycling activities (like plastic bottles return & makeup products refill) energy-saving behavior (like Electricity, Vehicle Fuel, Kitchen gas) and purchasing environmental-friendly products (like Wooden toothbrush) from a WooCommerce store.
#2 DIGITAL BADGE REWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ENTHUSIAST:
Badges are considered suitable rewards when a user reached or gained a specific number of points. You can use the myCred core plugin and additionally myCred-Credly addon to reward badges to environmental enthusiasts to keep them motivated for earth-saving activities.
#3 LEADERBOARDS AND LEVELS ALLOCATION FOR GREEN GAMIFICATION:
The main objective of a leaderboard is to increase engagement through a competitive atmosphere and offering better levels and spots for participating users. With myCred Level Cred add-on, you can get more control over hooks (instances). You will get an option to set hooks based on either user roles, ranks, or badge levels (one at a time). This mechanism can help you to motivate earth-lovers for promoting the recycling process, less fuel consumption, and water-saving habits too.
WRAPPING UP!
Humankind is actively seeking new answers to forging the right balance between the needs of nature and modern living. We can’t force climate challenges on scientists, engineers, product innovators, and NGOs only, in fact, it requires common people engagement like you and me to adopt better environmental-friendly habits using GREEN GAMIFICATION.
