Gamification: It’s Time to Play

Using games to bring youths into politics was the bet made by this team, winners of the Hackapress event held by Les Echos. Taking place a few months ago in Sciences Po, the event brought together journalists, students, and professionals to examine the theme of new relationships with the reader and the development of journalism as a profession.

“Moi President” emerged from this week-end, a serious game that invites readers to put themselves in the shoes of a presidential candidate and develop their economic program, following the news of the day. The player is guided in their choices through articles or videos from Les Echos, making decisions afterwards.

Moi Président, made with PandaSuite

To find out more >> A hackathon to transform the press (Les Echos, in French)

This playful approach to politics comes out as well in “Fiscal Kombat,” a video game developed by supporters of the left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon. In the style of Mortal Kombat, it takes up the issue of fraud in comparing Mélenchon to other political candidates, inviting players to virtually finance the candidate’s virtual campaign.

The latest video game of the presidential campaign

For the past several years, politicians have understood the benefit of this type of initiative in developing “marketing coups” and reflecting on how to develop a dynamic image for themselves when faced with a young electorate.

But they aren’t the only ones! Businesses have also been using games for quite some time. Similar to “Trust,” the social game by Danone in 2012 to reinforce its brand as an employer, corporations have been investing in playful resources for recruiting, training and external communications.

Danone, pioneers in social games

The Sims, Trivial Pursuit, or Candy Crush become sources of inspiration that can communicate less “glamorous” subjects while also explaining things that are a bit more complex. And that’s just what the MadeForCom agency showed for saving energy, with inspiration coming from Sim City:

Prototype from the MadeForCom agency

In the cultural sphere, museums have developed treasure hunts within their walls. With the help of clues hidden among different rooms, visitors can discover the breadth of a collection guided by their smartphone. Together with Beacon sensors, we can easily see the addictive potential of these games.