Gamification

Trend - The process of training and onboarding employees is increasingly being enhanced with the help of gamified technology, a process that may become more common as remote work becomes the norm. These platforms aim to enhance skills and engagement in the process of training.

Insight - As remote work has become normalized and in many cases around the world, mandatory, business owners are looking for ways to enhance engagement and interactions among new employees. Training is a crucial step for individuals transitioning into new roles, and requires interactivity in order for skills and policies to be learned effectively. Thus, employers are turning to gamification in order to better connect to employees in transition.

Trend - Many developers are working alongside medical professionals to develop immersive mobile and multi-media games to help doctors in training. Emphasizing the practical experience and removing the fear of error, these gamified platforms are more accessible and engaging.

Insight - Many contemporary consumers maintain that immersion through gamified experiences makes content more memorable and engaging for them. In training, individuals who partake in such ventures—whether it is to identify the hazards of the job or for hands-on procedures—experience a sense of security as they feel more comfortable to test and practice their skills in a simulated and risk-free environment of trial-and-error.

Trend - Many companies are increasing their presence on video-based social media apps with popular viral dances. These companies are frequently using these platforms to launch marketing campaigns with dancing elements. Often times these campaigns will reward consumers for their participation with discounts.

Insight - Millenial and Gen Z consumers are spending a lot of time on social media as a recreational activity. These consumers participate in social media because it provides them with a platform to express themselves authentically, including sharing their values and experiences. This demographic often connects with brands that can recreate their social media habits.

Trend - Millennials are being catered to by new apps aimed at automating and gamifying unappealing but necessary tasks, like finance management or housekeeping. The game-like interface of these apps is critical to their success and resonance with this audience.

Insight - Thanks to their often precarious financial situations, many Millennials today have had to delay adulthood milestones and report feeling overwhelmed by important tasks like money management. This has led this group to be open-minded about the support they receive when it comes to being educated and held accountable when it comes to the management of their daily lives.

Trend - Consumers are increasingly prioritizing their mental health, and brands in the gaming space are taking note with game-based products and apps that aim to offer positive mental health experiences for customers. These games deliver everything from body confidence-building skills to stress reduction.

Insight - With social, political economic and health issues occurring across the globe, atop of the day-to-day responsibilities that consumers have to carry out amidst their worsening anxieties, people are looking for ways to cope. They're increasingly turning to accessible forms of anxiety reduction and confidence-building in order to alleviate the various stressors they're dealing with on both a micro and macro scale.

Trend - As the true crime genre has grown in popularity over the last couple of years, stories have been adapted in different formats—from TV shows to podcasts. Now, creators are looking to enhance the experience through various immersive features, whether that be problem-solving games, interactive maps, or something else.

Insight - Driven by curiosity, individuals are fascinated by the darker nature of their psyche and as a result, many consume content that offers them a glimpse into this world. As the availability of technology allows for more immersive experiences, consumers—who are eager to observe and better understand this side of human behavior—look for increasingly interactive content that will enlighten, as well as entertain them.

Trend - Developers are debuting creative experiences that allow consumers to build their own movies, stop-motion animations, games, and more. In doing so, brands are able to better engage individuals through tech-powered activities that are novel and interesting.

Insight - As digital technology becomes more readily available to a larger demographic and DIY culture resurfaces as a form of entertainment, consumers become interested in testing out tech as a means to design their own products. Individuals feel empowered in exploring new avenues of creativity as technology becomes more accessible, lending itself as a tool to those who do not necessarily have formal education. Compelled by novelty and a desire to be technologically literate in an increasingly digital world, individuals opt-in for hands-on projects that test and expand their knowledge.

Trend - In order to get children interested in STEM, brands are creating programmable toys that are themed around sports. These products come in different forms and include connected toy soccer balls and programmable robots that play basketball.

Insight - Knowing the importance of building STEM skills from a young age, parents are increasingly prioritizing tech-based educational experiences for their children. However, to keep kids interested in learning skills like programming, there has to be an element of play involved. Merging skill-building with recreational elements that are more familiar to children ensures that they're able to maintain consistency in the process of learning.

Trend - Virtual escape rooms are increasingly being offered and engaged with online as a form of entertainment. These virtual games are more relevant as consumers around the world continue to deal with closures of or restrictions on various recreational activities.

Insight - Consumers are getting increasingly creative with how they entertain themselves as their options for recreational activities outside the home remain limited in many parts of the world. They're increasingly turning to brands in the digital space that prioritize new forms of engagement that avoid monotony.

Trend - Apps that manipulate and gamify users' surroundings are increasingly focusing on adventure merged with fitness. These augmented reality workout apps give consumers the opportunity to explore surroundings in a way that's both playful and that prioritizes health.

Insight - As consumers look for new ways to keep themselves entertained and healthy, virtual fitness is an important alternative for those who don't enjoy or cannot afford gyms and fitness classes. Turning to virtual-powered exercise gives consumers more autonomy over their personal workout routines, and allows them to maintain the motivation they may eventually lose in the gym.