We were having a lively debate at work last week about how to talk about these new "game" activities related to social media. Talking about "game theory" is clearly wrong, as there's something totally different related to game theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_theory.
We talked about "game layer" which was used at SXSW and TED by Seth Priebatsch. He also uses "Gamification" -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification -- which I think trivializes the topic. The wikipedia definition for this seems close to what I'm after:
Gamification is the use of game play mechanics[1] for non-game applications
(also known as "funware"),[2] particularly consumer-oriented web and mobile sites, in order to encourage people to adopt the applications.
We hadn't talked "funware" and it seems even more trivial in its connotation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funware. The definition sounds close to what I'm thinking about:
Funware, a term coined by Gabe Zicherman,[1] [2] [3] is the use of game mechanics in
non-game contexts to encourage desired user actions and generate customer loyalty. Funware typically employs game mechanics such as points, leaderboards, badges,
challenges and levels.
The functional term I've been using in my mind when thinking about this topic is use of "game mechanics" within the realm of social media. I think I'll stick with this for now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_mechanics
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