One of the main objectives of the laboratory is to carry out research, practical development, and actual experimentation in the field of gamification and digital simulations, as well as to study these phenomena on a theoretical level.
In order to fully understand the phenomenon of gamification, it is essential to study (using a specific approach that goes beyond those already in use to analyze existing media and systems) the possible practical applications of game dynamics and systems (games) and forms of play in order to generate a synergistic fusion between a playful/simulative mechanism and a content/product/service that is intended to be promoted, disseminated, and generally made attractive and easy to understand. The ultimate goal is to generate forms of self-motivation, active/emotional engagement, and loyalty to the system among the target audience.
The adoption of gamification principles in “serious” (non-typically playful) contexts guarantees significant advantages in the processes of interaction between users, between users and systems/services, and between users and content.
The laboratory therefore aims to study and apply typically playful dynamics and mechanics (and related development technologies) in various cultural, educational, communication, commercial, and production contexts with the ultimate goal of developing new application and service formats designed to generate interest, spread content and information virally, and promote problem solving using alternative methods.
The latest research and practical applications concern the use of gamification and simulation techniques to support the management of complex processes such as production and logistics (in the industrial, pharmaceutical, and other fields).
Gamification, and in particular (interactive) representation techniques drawn from the video game and simulation sector, are used in the design of “digital twins,” i.e., in the creation of virtual replicas of physical resources, whether potential or actual, such as assets, processes, people, infrastructure, systems, and devices.
These systems can be used for various purposes: to predict production outcomes, for predictive maintenance, to monitor and govern processes and procedures, execution times and methods, and, in general, the essential parameters of a process, and for the education and training of human resources involved in the processes themselves.
Gamification provides a comprehensive, holistic, and intuitive view of systems and data from diverse sources, i.e., the crucial processes of a company or institution.
Research has shown that interactive graphical representation and process modeling are key to understanding, evaluating, and managing the corporate ecosystem.
In this context, the laboratory’s teachers carried out research aimed at creating “Digital Twins” of processes and systems dedicated to the “monitoring, simulation, and predictive analysis of production processes” (also based on AI techniques) with the aim of representing all information concerning a given process (including data from the field and human resources) in real time in order to predict the outcome of processes (forward prediction), understand the causes of a given event (backward analysis), and simulate new scenarios, events, and critical conditions. These systems feature holistic, nature-based interfaces inspired by the video game and digital simulation sectors.
Further lines of development concern highly immersive training and assessment systems (also based on virtual or augmented reality), for example for the military and public security sectors, for industrial activities, and for compulsory training.
At the same time, game-entertainment systems based on gamification techniques can be used for communication, marketing, and commercial purposes, while other systems are designed to increase the involvement and active participation of users/visitors in sectors such as museums, theme parks, cultural sites, shopping centers, and high-traffic locations (e.g., airports).
The use of playful elements, models, and systems can be applied to encourage and promote desired behaviors toward specific categories of users (customers, employees, tourists, visitors, learners, etc.).
In this context, it is essential to study the infinite combinations that can be created between different game/simulation mechanics and to understand which of them are most appropriate for specific objectives and user targets.
The application of gamification principles also involves the adoption of intuitive interaction elements and the simplification of interfaces, drawing inspiration from experiences in the video game and digital simulation markets.
The use of playful principles and mechanics for specific (non-playful) purposes can lead to a high level of user concentration on the task at hand and full engagement with the content/service. This can be achieved by allowing users to experience the effects of actions and decisions within a rule-based system/model, according to the experiential method based on low-cost trial and error sequences. In short, this requires the creation of a specific, purpose-built playful or game-like form, designed to encourage and incentivize the achievement of specific objectives that are different from those for which traditional games are appropriate.
On the contrary, it has been widely demonstrated that the use of elements external to the game, such as scoring systems and badges, do not produce positive effects, shifting the user’s attention from the game context to a purely competitive one (with increases in stress and anxiety levels).
When interacting with a “gamification system,” the user must be able to experiment freely and interact voluntarily with the underlying model (and possibly with other users), motivated by an intrinsic pleasure of exploration that brings about positive changes in the perception of the system and the experience itself (with significant advantages in terms of understanding, learning, and trust).
This requires a clear and realistically achievable goal that is appropriate to the user’s abilities and knowledge, using (without fear or resistance) the resources made available by the system (model levers).
Therefore, the gamified system being designed is a closed formal system that “simulates” a subset of reality in its most advanced form of representation: interactive, the only one capable of allowing free and available experimentation of cause/effect relationships.
Gamification motivates users to act, through the active use of their skills and abilities, throughout the entire cycle of interaction with the system and, at the same time, stimulates their cognitive and emotional involvement, prompting them to repeat, with the aim of improving results, the phases concerning:
active analysis of the context/reference scenario in relation to the objectives (whether self-defined or explicitly required by the system);
development of appropriate action strategies (through the formulation of hypotheses useful for the purpose);
the adoption of appropriate actions (whether decisions, sensorimotor actions, or both) to achieve the final or intermediate objectives (adapting them on a tactical level);
conscious verification of the result achieved in order to make the necessary corrective actions to the general strategy and tactics employed.
The most powerful element in the field of gamification is precisely this emotional involvement. Emotional intelligence is in fact capable of activating the deep registration of content acquired on an experiential level. To this end, the game intervenes by creating a context of active interest and openness towards the system on the part of the user, allowing them to achieve, in an open and accessible way, full experiential knowledge of it.
The playful (and gamified) approach immediately overcomes the typical constraints of the economic sphere (and more generally of real life) that reduce the range of possible experiences and the willingness to engage in them (due to the perception of the consequences of possible mistakes).
Research has shown that the gaming context introduced by gamification generally has the effect of motivating users, maintaining a high level of attention by reducing the perception of fatigue, significantly improving performance, facilitating the assimilation of content, and, finally, facilitating the understanding of complexity (thanks to the model that represents it in an orderly form).