How do video games affect sports? What tools do they offer to make them more attractive to users?
The FIFA World Cup is starting soon. For this reason, etermax Brand Gamification™ wants to celebrate the relationship between Gaming and soccer: we already wrote about the history of the sport and video games, so now we want to delve into what gamification can give to soccer, and, while we’re at it, to sports in general.
Fostering fanaticism
Sports, mainly soccer, make supporters fill up with fanaticism. When big events approach, like the Qatar World Cup, many people who are not typically invested in the sport transform into the most passionate supporters.
This is no surprise, because games bring about exactly this: passion. And what are sports if not games?
For this reason, video games and gamification can also give us insights on how to bring about such strong feelings of devotion in the users and audiences we are interested in.
For example, FIFA launched FIFA+, a multimedia entertainment platform, at the beginning of 2022. There, users can find a Gaming section that includes a digital version of the Panini sticker album, trivia about past World Cups, and a game to make weekly predictions about matches from all around the world.
Also, the organization announced the launch of FIFA+ Collect: a platform where fans can acquire NFTs that represent iconic moments from the different FIFA World Cups.
How do games generate these powerful connections? Many times, by putting the knowledge of fans to the test. Let’s don’t forget that Trivia Crack has a category devoted solely to sports. For users, feeling challenged is quite valuable; it’s part of what makes Gaming so attractive.
PBL: points, badges, and leaderboards
PBL, one of the principles of gamification, goes in this direction as well. The guiding concept of actions that follow PBL is that, when carrying out these actions, users collect points, compete, and move up in the ranking while collecting badges. Rewards and the chance to measure oneself against others are classic ludification strategies.
There are countless examples of these actions, found in industries like banking to almost all forms of social media.
But they can be found in sports too, and there’s no need to look very far: the quiniela or prode, as it’s known in Argentina, takes an element of game design to watching a soccer match. Moving away from soccer, some brands have incorporated PBLs to connect with their audiences through other sports: the NFL has an app for fantasy American Football where users can compete against each other. On the other hand, Nike has its very own Nike Run Club, an app where runners can share their progress with friends and take part in challenges.
Promoting sports in a phygital world
Brands have become aware that gamification and sports can converse, to the point where elements from Gaming can promote sports in the offline world.
For example, Nike has recently added a collaboration with the EA Sports Game Madden NFL 23 to its Run Club. With this fully phygital action, users can run in real life to collect virtual items in the game.
The collaboration between FIFA Mobile and Adidas GMR was also a hit. Between 2020 and 2021, the game was compatible with the Adidas GMR tag, so by playing real-life soccer, users could help beef up their virtual teams.
The Gaming industry is constantly growing and evolving, and all signs indicate that phygital trends will gain ground with time.
For advertisers, including Gaming in their campaigns is a strategic move, as it has proven to be adaptable to all kinds of industries, creating powerful connections with audiences.