Actually your interpretation of gamification is the problem with gamification. We specifically call out on our website that it's not about "fun", you implied that yourself.
No one said that this was a brand new concept. Just as twitter didn't invent communication, gamification didn't invent competition. The reason it's so popular now is because the archaic metrics and contests of the past can now be presented in a form that this generation is more familiar with. Progress bars, levels and instant notifications.
We put a lot of emphasis on the real-time nature. We work with Call Centers and they instantly see the value. They're already running these contests manually so what we bring is a way to give everyone visibility into what's really going on in the business automatically. When you level up or unlock an achievement because you made a huge sale, the entire floor is notified. It's all about status. The time savings alone usually close the deal.
"Here at IActionable we take the ideas and techniques around providing feedback to players from games and move them in to non-gaming applications. We are not trying to make things that are not games become games. We know you may want to take a common task and make it “fun” – but that’s not what we do – not directly. What we do is help users see how well they are performing or contributing, how they compare to other people, and provide goals for them to work towards.
Now, some people may find that fun. Some people like getting feedback and seeing improvement or validation. Some people like the competition amongst others. This kind of fun is a nice side effect, but incidental. It is not the primary goal. The primary goal varies for each company we work with but is generally tied directly to their business goals. We motivate users towards these goals by showing them what is expected and how well they are meeting those expectations. It’s all wrapped up in a game-like interface, but no one is going to think they are playing Space Invaders."
Yep, so that's the meat of the issue. Gamification then is a rebranding more than it is an innovation either technically or conceptually. I don't want to quibble over the definition of the word "game" but i strongly believe that the word "game" implies and is tied strongly to the notion of fun/play/things done in one's free time. [1]
I guess i'd say that's too bad, but businesses are going to do what businesses are gonna do.
I'm happy you've found a niche, and are running a business off it. I hope you're encouraging your customers to behave in humane ways (given my aforementioned criticism of competition in the workplace).
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[1] For example, there are linguistic tropes that people rely upon like "it's just a game!" or "this isn't a game!" which indicate the contrast that games have with topics of import/seriousness.
No one said that this was a brand new concept. Just as twitter didn't invent communication, gamification didn't invent competition. The reason it's so popular now is because the archaic metrics and contests of the past can now be presented in a form that this generation is more familiar with. Progress bars, levels and instant notifications.
We put a lot of emphasis on the real-time nature. We work with Call Centers and they instantly see the value. They're already running these contests manually so what we bring is a way to give everyone visibility into what's really going on in the business automatically. When you level up or unlock an achievement because you made a huge sale, the entire floor is notified. It's all about status. The time savings alone usually close the deal.
http://iactionable.com/gamification/what-is-gamification/
"Here at IActionable we take the ideas and techniques around providing feedback to players from games and move them in to non-gaming applications. We are not trying to make things that are not games become games. We know you may want to take a common task and make it “fun” – but that’s not what we do – not directly. What we do is help users see how well they are performing or contributing, how they compare to other people, and provide goals for them to work towards.
Now, some people may find that fun. Some people like getting feedback and seeing improvement or validation. Some people like the competition amongst others. This kind of fun is a nice side effect, but incidental. It is not the primary goal. The primary goal varies for each company we work with but is generally tied directly to their business goals. We motivate users towards these goals by showing them what is expected and how well they are meeting those expectations. It’s all wrapped up in a game-like interface, but no one is going to think they are playing Space Invaders."