Why brands need to think like game designers
For years, gamification meant points, badges and streaks. But CR looks into a new generation of campaigns borrowing from the systems, behaviours and world-building principles that make games worth coming back to
13/07/2026 3:24 am
As gaming has grown into one of the world’s biggest forms of entertainment, its influence has spread far beyond games themselves. ‘Gamification’ has become a buzzword for brands, with many adding points, badges, streaks and prize wheels to everything from loyalty schemes to product launches.
In many cases, it has worked. Duolingo has built an identity around streaks and XP, Strava and Peloton use competition and achievement to motivate users, while Starbucks and Sephora reward purchases with points and perks. But more and more, creative teams are looking beyond these familiar mechanics and borrowing from the deeper architecture of games, embracing ideas such as progression, participation and world-building.
“For me, ‘gamification’ gets used for two different things,” says Manuel Dilone, partner at New York-based brand studio Unnamed. “One is the scoreboard (points, streaks, badges)…. The other is actual game design (systems built so getting ‘good’ is the reward). Most brands buy the scoreboard and think they bought the game.”