All set for success!

Great digital experiences don’t come about by accident. We’ve all had disappointing experiences with digital products like learning and gaming platforms. Even if all the buttons work and there’s nothing overtly wrong with them, they’re often boring, and we don’t walk away feeling satisfied. Then there are the good platforms where we enjoy the experience so much, we don’t even realize how much we’re learning. These types of digital experiences are the result of thoughtful strategy, meticulous planning and careful testing.

I’ve been a pioneer in the gamification industry for almost 20 years. I’ve authored a book, and had the privilege of lecturing internationally and at many Ivy League universities on this subject. I’ve also helped companies like Google, Tesla and Lego, and even governments across the world. Through my observations and research, I discovered early on that it was much more than scores and leaderboards contributing to a satisfying gaming experience. It was deeper than that. In my book and throughout my lectures, I focus on a framework I call ‘Octalysis’ which is the 8 core drives that motivate everything we do. You’ll find them in nearly every stimulating and enjoyable gamified experience.

• Meaning - The desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves
• Empowerment - The drive to control our as much of our own destiny as we can
• Accomplishment - The good feeling a person has when they perform well
• Social Influence - The emotional pleasure of being accepted and respected by our peers
• Ownership - The desire to attain a valued prize
• Scarcity - The interest a person has in gaining something rare
• Avoidance - The drive to avoid a negative consequence
• Unpredictability - The thrill of not knowing what will happen

You can read more about these drives in my book, Actionable Gamification, but for now, suffice it to say that great gamified products can have a profound positive impact on one's life. And that’s even for non-learning products.

For learning products and platforms, and especially one like Torah Live, the positive impact is even greater, as one is being motivated to learn and grow, not just be entertained. We all know that spiritual development is important, but our busy lives don’t often offer us the motivation to work on it. And that’s where gamified learning comes in, adding layer upon layer of enjoyment that is genuinely motivating and satisfying.

As a religious person myself, I’m greatly inspired by Rabbi Roth and the rest of the staff of Torah Live – and their mission resonates with me deeply. They saw how difficult it was for children in today’s sensational and distracting world to find the motivation to learn intangible concepts. And they didn’t just stand idly by, they set out to gamify the learning experience to make it exciting and tangible.

I’ve worked personally with the Torah Live team for many months. Together we designed hundreds of features into the new platform. I am very happy and pleased with what they’ve built. A lot of thought and planning has gone into it, and I’m confident they will achieve their goal of not just teaching important material, but doing it in a way that is sure to have lasting effects on the students’ lives.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Yu-kai Chou, Gamification expert