Music is the core of our human existence, take away music, and you’ll see lots of depression springing up, suicide rate inflating. Yes, music is life. Now, imagine adding this power to music streaming, that’s where gamification comes in.
From Smartico, here are three takeaways from the gamification of music platforms:
- Gamification integrates game elements into music streaming platforms, making the listening experience more engaging and interactive.
- Gamification is a natural evolution of music streaming platforms, building upon features like personalized playlists and social integration.
- Gamification in music streaming boosts listener engagement through features like badges, challenges, rewards, and interactive playlists.
From the above, quoting Gabe Zichermann:“Gamification is the process of engaging people and changing behavior with game design, loyalty, and behavioral economics. It’s taking what’s fun about games and applying it to situations that maybe aren’t so fun. It’s about applying that feeling of flow to everything from employee motivation to research studies to marketing campaigns.”
Thus, gamification is the use of game design elements in non-game contexts to increase motivation, engagement, or behavior change. Gamification can be applied in various domains, such as education, marketing, health, and social good.
In like manner, gamified music platforms are music streaming services that use game design elements to enhance the listening experience and increase user engagement.
The Impact of Gamified Music Platforms on Various Industries
Gamification of music in different platforms have had a high influence on various industries, amongst are:
- They increase the music consumption and discovery of users by offering personalized recommendations, rewards, and challenges based on their preferences and behavior.
- They create new marketing opportunities for artists and labels by allowing them to interact with fans through online treasure hunts, exclusive content, and geolocation technology.
- They enhance the learning and skill development of users who want to play musical instruments by providing feedback, progress tracking, and gamified lessons.
- They foster a sense of community and social interaction among users by enabling them to share their listening habits, achievements, and opinions with others.
- They influence the gaming industry by creating cross-over experiences between music and games, such as integrating music into gameplay or using gaming influencers to promote music content.
Gamified Music Platforms and Traditional Music Experience…
With the advancement of technology and the introduction of gamification in music leading to the epiphany of gamified music platforms, these platforms have disrupted the traditional music experience in the following ways:
- They are personalizing the music experience by using data and algorithms to tailor recommendations, rewards, and challenges to each user’s preferences and behavior.
- They are enhancing the music experience by using game-like features such as badges, leaderboards, quests, and achievements to motivate and reward users for their listening habits.
- They are expanding the music experience by creating cross-over opportunities between music and other media, such as games, videos, and social networks.
- They are transforming the music experience by enabling new forms of artist-fan interaction, such as online treasure hunts, exclusive content, and geolocation technology.
- They are challenging the traditional music industry by creating new business models, revenue streams, and marketing strategies based on gamification.
Thus, gamified music platforms are disrupting traditional music experience by offering a more engaging and interactive way of listening to music.
Gamified Music Platforms and Music Understanding
With the rise of gamified music platforms, our understanding of music has also increased. This it does by:
- Providing feedback, guidance, and rewards that enhance our musical skills and knowledge.
- Encouraging social interaction, collaboration, and community building among music lovers.
- Exposing us to diverse and personalized musical content and genres.
- Inspiring us to experiment, innovate, and create our own music.
Muzingo: A Gamified Music Platform
Muzingo is a gamified music platform because it uses game elements and mechanics to enhance the user’s engagement and enjoyment of music. Some of the game elements and mechanics that Muzingo uses are:
1. Cards: Each user has a card with 25 squares, each containing a song title and an artist name. The card serves as the user’s game board and progress tracker.
2. Virtual DJ: A virtual DJ plays random songs from a selected genre or playlist. The DJ acts as the game facilitator and moderator.
3. Matching: The user has to match the songs and artists on their card with the ones played by the DJ. This requires the user to listen carefully and recognize the songs and artists.
4. Winning pattern: The user has to complete a winning pattern on their card, such as a row, a column, or a diagonal. This adds a challenge and a goal to the game.
5. Rewards: The user who completes the winning pattern first wins the game and receives a reward, such as points, badges, or prizes. This provides feedback and motivation to the user.
6. Social interaction: The user can chat with other players, share their musical preferences, and learn from others. This creates a sense of community and fun among the users. To join our gaming community, click this link.
Conclusion
Considering the future, one cannot overlook the potential influence of game-like elements on user engagement with music in the digital era. The trajectory of gamification suggests promising prospects as it reshapes the landscape of the music streaming sector.Gartner would predict that “By 2014, more than 70 percent of Global 2000 organizations will have at least one ‘gamified’ application”.
This aligns with Jesse Schell who summarized this as the trend towards a Gamepocalypse, “when every second of your life you’re actually playing a game in some way. Clearly, as humans, we want to play. So by adding game design thinking to communication campaigns you can achieve greater engagement and ultimately, better results.”
