Innovation Games: Going Beyond the Traditional Creativity and Analytical

Tools and Methods

Toys, either handmade or bought, have been most of the times the first tools for toddles to start their
learning path. Nowadays we speak about educative tools that help kids to learn the letters, ride a
bicycle, with the help of PlayStation we can learn how to play guitar and with Wii, how to dance or
play sports. There are lot of different tools available on the market and the offer is continuously
growing. Nintendos Wii video game console for example says that brings gaming to people of all
ages so in today`s world games are not just for minors but also to all age ranges.
Regarding the above question, games are part of growing and educational process and their essence
relies in bringing pleasure to its users. The secret behind the success is the awareness that has been
raised about human psychology, nevertheless of age we tend to respond well to games. In the light of
innovation management it is relevant the fact that children are more creative than adults. This was
scientifically proved already back in 1968 when George Land (Land and Jarman, 1993) measured the
creative performance of a group of children when they were 5-year-olds, at 10 years of age, again at 15
years of age and then compared it to same test performed among large number of adults. 5 year olds
showed 98% of natural creativity, 10 year olds 30%, 15 year olds 12% and adults performed only 2%
for their creativity.
This is seemingly drastic drop. In that way, innovation games can perhaps well be the most efficient
methods to bridge this gap of natural creativity loss. The amount of rules and regulations that one has
to follow during the traditional schooling process is considered to vanish natural creativity as we grow
up. Nevertheless of the area of everything being connected and the manifested Y Generation
overcrowding the digital space (offsprings born between year 1980 and 2000), the original pillars and
methodologies of worldwide educational system have not much changed since the study was published
so its output is still quite valid.
How can we provoke an individual to engage more during the era of everything already being highly
connected?
It is proved that people need social objects to fuel interaction and socialization is all about building this
engagement points and human connections. This is also why companies are getting more interested in
games. Bringing in psychical engagement elements can nurture motivation and engage their employees
more efficiently.

A growing demand for game mechanisms

According to Gartner predictions published back in April 2011, by 2015, More Than 50 Percent of
Organizations That Manage Innovation Processes Will Gamify Those Processes. Gamification
describes the broad trend of employing game mechanics to non-game environments such as innovation,
marketing, training, employee performance, health and social change said Brian Burke, an analyst at
Gartner.
Gamification is commonly described as practice of employing game mechanism to serious business
environments. Gabe Zichermann, the CEO of Gamification Co. explains it as taking the best lessons
from the games and applying them to specific situations. By creating alluring online and offline
conditions organisations stimulate and hopefully awake the talent in each collaborator. There rests a bit
of Maverick in every individual. Sometimes all one might need for unlocking personal virtue and
treasures is more casual and laid-back stage to speak up. Virtual collaborative platforms assist in that

respect and provide vivid recognition and appreciation mechanics in order to encourage knowledge
sharing. In terms of productivity, gamification speaks the digital language of the future generations.
Gamification Co., the leading source for gamification news & info, underlines that by understanding
what makes games fun on a personal level, young professionals require a shorter learning curve for
gamified programs and applications.
Social Games Observer also predicts that Gamification Market to Reach $2.8 Billion in US by 2016.
But also according to research conducted by Social Games Observer there is another interesting
finding: there is evidence that social games seem to appeal to males and females alike. This is a
positive insight for organizations that face workplace gender issues, low innovation climate and maybe
even weak talent development. Both, online and offline innovation games are extremely powerful tools.
Once the organizational goals are meaningful to the employees, they become engaged at an emotional
level according to Gartner Inc. Engagement leads to taking up new challenges in work and when
something is done with will, this achievement certainly drives success. Besides, gaming elements allow
to build a growth path and in that way employees can feel that they are progressing while the complete
another and another challenge, receive achievement after hard work and arrive to the end of next
rewording pleasure loop.
Example: Adopting new applications based on games is a global trend among innovation driven
organisations. Sweden based international company Uponor Group is currently on a doorstep of
starting to implement its roadmap for change. Company Strategic Research & Innovation Manager,
Sleyman Dag, identify as main driver for this process the company need to extend and go beyond the
current product portfolio. He explains that as for the collaborative platforms prefers social network type
of solutions as fun emotion should make it easier to implement and keep it alive.

Promoting games experiences

Creativity and extended knowledge analytics leads to sound innovation solutions. For being a good
leader, mastering customer experience strategies and tactics is always a requirement.
It looks war times. Napolon himself made battlefield analytics. First he tested it by using models to
seriously play a war game. Visualization and manipulation of different variables tested in a safe
environment mastered his levels of trust and autonomy. Several days of prototyping different scenarios
he reach a conclusion and now he will implement on real time, he plan for the right moment. Napoleon
engagement levels in relation to the ultimate goal leads towards the victory. He had built strong
principles of the battlefield with the help and power of game mechanisms, which was an important
instrument of cognitive stimulation.
Operationally, game mechanisms can be considered the interface between real and simulated problems
planned and implemented for individuals or groups. With both a dynamic system and intrinsic and
extrinsic rewards. Smart gamification is an example of a compelling and fun process, providing a
meaningful experience for players.
Gains are both qualitative and quantitative. Concept design and strategies with symbolic games provide
a sustainable benefit and ROI [Return On Innovation]. For organizations, the magic of game mechanics
relies in the value that it can help to create. Besides the monetary prize situations, companies are
focused on social networking as loyalty is becoming virtual too. When we think about marketing
campaigns, their viralty is both, a concern and a goal.
Leaders benefit from experiences acquired on games, extending their customer experience capabilities

and reinforcing corporate culture. Ronaldo and Messi scores records are absolutely amazing. With
innovation games, managers can be the leading team heroes. Design storytelling games rewards
learners achieving recognition. Collecting trends in the crowd will be awarded by direct the business to
F1 fast lane growth demands, mobile game based skills combined like-minded goals.
Big issues that concern the business world and that directly have a huge impact on society, as the case
of agriculture and food, finance, health and wellness, energy and transport, are always good topics for
games experiences. The idea of using games mechanisms apply to different services and products and
will lead to safe and reliable environment.
Achieve that trust can play thinking, sharing, developing and thus implement a coherent strategic
vision. Will be useful to explore the specific practices and obtain an increase in productivity and
education of the behaviors that we all want to achieve.
How?
1. Understand the topic
2. Identify the content
3. Define the mission
4. Play the game
5. Develop the mechanism
6. Test, monitor and evaluate
We wish to promote other good examples that connects business requirements to high value innovation
games experience. Share with us your valuable insights!