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Is Your Biggest Competitor Zynga?
Author of Game Based Marketing Gabe Zichermann shares lessons in mastering gamification. Video really starts at 3:30.

Love the idea of gamificaiton as "nonfiction" gaming.

Gamification is NOT about rewards it is about STATUS!

Foursquare changes the "virtual currency" model from sort of maybe related to real world currency to where we are with Farmville where money goes in and NOTHING comes out (ever).

When you realize the point of the game is NOT redemption then its currency can become mythic and not related to any "gold standard". It doesn't matter how a currency forms in a "nonfiction game" where you put money in and get nothing OTHER than status and more game play out.

What is status worth?
People play "nonfiction" games for status and attention not cash. If your status system isn't valuable you must give players cash (all the more reason to make your status or virtual currency valuable :).

Points systems are examples of important system. Money is a point system. Buying stuff is a signal that tells you (the other) how much money I have in the bank. This indirect relationship, I have money so I buy things to signal I have money, is an example of a "social" status loop.

Kiva CEO said his biggest competitor is Zynga. Why would a nonprofit say that their competition is a game site? Because once we live at a time when CHOICE and LOVE drive our "hedonistic" response to market choices. Games are the only force in the universe that can get people to take action against their self-interest in a consistent way over time.

Games are the only force that can get people to work against self-interest. Games are a powerful force. "Relentless pursuit of engagement," where games are the bullets in gun.

Reward early, reward often and try not to go negative = Gabe describing the ideal game reward systems. "Fun is an actual metric," Gabe says fun is a value that consumers increasingly want, demand and expect.

Fun and engagement is the main metric consumers look for in deciding what wins. There is a "new metric" on the horizon - a metric to define engagement that will become all important.