When you read Mark Hoverson's back story it almost sounds like one day he just "got" gamification and then went on to create multiple gamified environments.
And basically, that's exactly what happened.
There might have been a hiccup or two along the way but once he "got" it, everything fell into place.
Reality Gamification is Mark's terminology for taking an everyday process and turning it into a game. Not just on paper, in an app, or in software, but in reality. Taking reality and gamifying it. There is a difference, and Mark explains that in the book.
Mark is very good at this and the book clearly shows his expertise.
My Overall Opinion
I was both disappointed and delighted with this book. Disappointed because it was so thin and there were spelling mistakes and grammar problems throughout (yes, I'm a bit of a grammar nazi. - I bet some bastard finds a mistake in this post just to rub it in).
Delighted because it clearly lays out a plan that anyone can follow to gamify almost anything you can think of. I came up with a few ideas even while reading the book and couldn't believe how easy it could be implemented.
The Nitty Gritty
Let's get back to the disappointed part first because Mark does have an excuse for this and he even says so at the back of the book. You see, Mark actually wrote this in one sitting, while he was at an event (Consumer Reality Services) that was recently held in Hollywood Studios.
I know this because I was livestreaming to that event and was aware he was in the process of writing. He basically got down on paper his knowledge and advice to date, and banged it out as quickly as he could so that all those at the event could get hold of it.
I ended up buying my copy on Amazon. Here's a link for you Affiliate link alert.
Now to the delighted part. This really is an eye opening book. Its lack of pages is more than made up for by its volume of knowledge.
It says what's needed to be said and nothing more. It's certainly not full or verbiage and you couldn't complain that it was too heavy. But it is truly brilliant.
You can feel Mark's passion for his craft and it doesn't take you long to work out that Mark is one smart mofo. Having heard him speak at the CRS event I guess I had the advantage of "hearing his voice" while I read the book, but any reader will soon understand that Mark's expertise and practical knowledge is outstanding.
Mark's approach is based around what he calls The Seven Laws Of Creating A Stunning Reality Game.
Now I'm not going to outline the seven laws here because I'd probably be breaking copyright or some such and I don't want to do that (obviously). But I also don't want to let the cat out of the bag either. The 7 laws are clearly defined and actionable and once you see them, you'll wonder why you weren't already using them.
In fact, you already could be using some of them without really knowing, but it's when they are combined that the true power of the process becomes apparent. And Mark has plenty of examples to show you that it works.
There is one section of the book that is just pages and pages of people's facebook posts relating to a part of the game he implemented for that particular group. That was a bit annoying I'll admit, but the message was definitely clear. His processes WORK, and if you implement them too, they'll work for you.
Conclusion
This book is the type that you will end up reading again and again because firstly, it is easy to grasp, but secondly, you get a deeper knowing with each reading.
I recommend you get this book if you want to quickly gamify a project you've had on the table. Or alternatively, get in touch with Mark by going to either of the two sites below. These are the two sites that he focused on at the event. Limitless is for 18-30 year old young entrepreneurs and Invisible Empire is for people who want to learn internet marketing.
Aaron "I Read It" Parker
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