This article analyzes the connection between gamification and business success, focusing on customer retention, new customer acquisition, and transforming user perceptions. Based on a qualitative comparative analysis of 40 high-profile gamification projects, it shows that a combination of three key features—virtualization, social comparison, and tangible rewards—explain the various pathways to success. Each pathway requires the presence—and sometimes absence—of different design features, and firms do best when they focus on one or two objectives rather than all three at once. The article presents a framework for designing and implementing gamification more strategically and effectively, noting the ethical questions that arise.

中文翻译：

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游戏化的商业价值

本文分析了游戏化与商业成功之间的联系，重点关注客户保留、新客户获取和用户认知转变。基于对 40 个备受瞩目的游戏化项目的定性比较分析，它表明虚拟化、社会比较和有形奖励这三个关键特征的结合解释了成功的各种途径。每条途径都需要存在（有时不存在）不同的设计特征，而公司在专注于一两个目标而不是同时关注所有三个目标时表现最好。本文提出了一个更具战略性和更有效地设计和实施游戏化的框架，并指出了出现的道德问题。