Since it has been nearly a year, I felt like now is a good time to reflect on my year working with Gamification+.
First, the educational. For those unaware, Pete was my lecturer in the University of Brighton. It’s not unfair to say that Pete has taught me all I know about gamification. However, this has not just been through lectures. Working at Gamification+ has taught me how gamification can be applied to the real world environment. Perhaps one of the biggest weaknesses of university is that lectures are for knowledge and have no real world application. Working somewhere that is highly relevant to your course indefinitely allowed me to score very highly in that module as it is a far more rewarding way to learn. Applying gamification to the real world where real results are seen is proof that feedback is an important element to having gamification. A sense of progression is imperative.
Next, the social. Knowing Pete has been one of the best parts of the job. He is an all-round great guy to be around, and when you combine this with the fact that we have been hot-desking and moving around offices, I have met some interesting individuals in the past year. I would have to agree with the people that say that no matter what job you do, you can have fun with it if you have enjoyment all around you. It has been a great year that has shown me just what the working person’s life is actually like. That is not to be underrated, either. The actual physical ‘experience’ of working in an office, being surrounded by people and technology and absorbing the stimulus of the surroundings is perhaps the most important experience that can be gained.
Finally, the work experience. I am now in a far better position to get a job then I would have been had I not taken this opportunity. Pete has given me the opportunity to ‘get my foot on the ladder’ and for that I cannot thank him enough. Experience in our younger years is important as it defines the experiences we will have in our working lives. Working here has changed my life as it has shown me what it is like to be a marketer, a gamifier and a colleague. I have learnt techniques such as SEO, social media marketing, blog writing or simply how to better orate my opinion in a discussion. That last point is particularly important. For most of my life I have had many ideas but I usually keep them to myself. This was due to my inability to properly orate my opinion. In other words, I would inadequately get my message across and people would not really listen to me. I can say now with great confidence that I can say what I need to say, using verbal or non-verbal means, to a much better ability than I used to be able to, and working with Pete has allowed me to massively further this skill.
Just to summarise, this has been a reflective piece, and my time here is far from over. Even so, I hope I will have the pleasure of working with and staying in contact with Pete and Gamification+ for many years.