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GDC 11 Serious Games Summit Preview: Nike’s Gamification of Life


Via: Game Developers Conference 2011 - Serious Games Summit

SGS Session: Gamification of Life + Social, Serious Gaming + Behavior Change Psychology = Games for Good! [SGS Health]

Speakers: BJ Fogg (Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab), Michael Kim (Kairos, Inc.), Ricky Engelberg (Nike Digital Sport) and David Reeves (Limeade)

Session Description

Several mega-trends are converging and are poised to profoundly disrupt the industry: Mobile, Social Games, Serious Games, & the Gamification of Life. Combined they present an enormous opportunity for companies, brands, game developers, & casual gamers. Together, they can empower entirely new Games for Good that integrate contemporary game mechanics with research-based methodologies, e.g., the Fogg Behavior Model, Behavioral Economics, Positive Psychology, Purpose-Driven Marketing, et.al.

This session will highlight the most recent trends, tools, & innovations that attendees can apply immediately to take advantage of this emerging market. Panelists include executives & leading academics representing Nike+, Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab, XBox, Gameful.org, & the Quantified Self movement.

Nike Digital Sport Background

Ricky Engelberg - Global Digital Innovation Director
Ricky Engelberg has worked at Nike for 8 years in the Digital Marketing and Brand Communications groups. In his most recent role as Global Digital Innovation Director, he defines the direction for all digital platforms, including websites, mobile, gaming, and social media for the Nike Brand, as well as partnerships with industry leaders such as Facebook and Google.

Ricky has spearheaded a number of initiatives, ranging from partnership with Google on Joga.com to the Global Football Social Network, launched for the '06 World Cup. He led development of the 25th Anniversary of the Air Force 1, where Nike created an archive of over 1,200 AF1's, and let consumers vote for the re-release of classic models. He managed the first partnership with EA Sports for in-game integration on titles such as NBA Live and NCAA Football; this helped create the industry's in-game ad placement model.

Since its inception, he's directed the digital experience for NIKELAB.com, one of the most awarded sites in the digital industry.




In addition, he's been involved in key innovation projects with NIKEiD, including new iterations of the builder for NIKELAB.com, the interactive Out of Home execution in Times Square, and, most recently, the launch of NIKEiD on the iPad.

NIKELAB.com is the online destination for those who want to be the first to interact with Nike's most performance-driven products. It is a completely interactive experience featuring Nike's most cutting edge products and innovative digital content.

So what does this online experience deliver? NIKELAB.com aspires to be a totally immersive experience that lets customers learn about Nike's latest performance products -- from footwear to equipment and eventually apparel -- through cutting-edge graphics and original episodic content.

“It allows consumers to interact with Nike products on a whole new level," says Ricky Engelberg, Nike Digital Innovation Director. "Picture a virtual football game in which an Air Max Q cross trainer morphs into a robotic version of football great Marshall Faulk. Floating objects you manipulate only by blowing or speaking into your computer microphone. That's just a sampling -- and just the beginning -- of what you'll see on this site."

R/GA, a leading interactive agency based in New York, used the latest digital design tools of Flash MX and Shockwave to build NIKELAB.com. They created a number of engaging experiences specifically for this site, including entertaining content that reveals dynamic functionality. In conjunction with Tronic, they also created 3-D product presentations that let users "peel away" layers of the products to reveal the underlying structure and technology.

ARTISTS TAKE THE LEAD ON DESIGN

Some of the best digital engineers in the world are involved in this project, charged with the task of developing interactives that explore Nike products in a new and unique way.

Here is one example of what customers experience:

CUSTOMIZATION

Personalize your shoes with Nike's state-of-the art personalization tool: NIKEiD.

It allows customers to choose their own base colors and accents, and then add a personal I.D. of up to eight letters and/or numbers, whether it's a name, a nickname or a personal motto.

For NIKEiD, R/GA developed a new interface that uses the same visual language that flows through the rest of the site, capturing the spirit of individuality and personalization that NIKEiD is all about.


In addition, Virtual Football Game featuring NFL Players allows users to engage in a simulating football game; a virtual speed simulator that takes the user on a rapid journey through various environments. Focusing on "speed", each scenario immerses the user in a three-dimensional space combining super-real journeys with elements of gameplay giving users a sense of distance and velocity; floating shoe manipulated by blowing microphone; and many other features.
 
About NIKE


 
Nike, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer and marketer of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities.

 
Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Bauer Nike Hockey Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of hockey equipment; Cole Haan(R), which markets a line of high-quality men's and women's footwear, accessories and outerwear, and Hurley International LLC, which markets action sports and teen lifestyle apparel.
 
SOURCE: Nike, Inc.