Hosted by Pete Baikins, Founder of Gamification+
We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Toby Beresford, author of Infinite Gamification: Motivating Your Team to the End of Time, to explore the ideas behind his book and his journey through the world of gamification. From founding meetups to building global platforms, Toby has been at the forefront of gamification for over a decade.
Meet Toby Beresford
Toby describes himself as a digital entrepreneur. He’s been involved in digital businesses for most of his career and first encountered gamification around 2011–2012, during the rise of social media for business. He saw how social games were driving engagement and became curious about applying those principles in the business world.
Since then, Toby has co-founded the International Gamification Confederation (GamFed), created the Gamification Gurus leaderboard, and launched platforms like Rise, which allows users to build scorecards and leaderboards. His latest project is the book Infinite Gamification, which distills years of experience into a practical guide for business managers.
What Is Infinite Gamification?
The concept of infinite gamification is simple but powerful: create a sustainable, evolving program that motivates people over the long term. Unlike finite gamification, which ends with a badge or certificate, infinite gamification supports ongoing behavior change and performance improvement.
Toby outlines a three-step process in the book:
- Analyze what’s already happening.
- Design a program that fits your context.
- Evolve it over time to keep it relevant and effective.
Why Start with a Score?
Toby emphasizes that “it all starts with a score.” Whether it’s the English Premier League or a business sales team, a score provides a quantifiable foundation for gamification. It allows you to compare performance, track progress, and build meaningful feedback loops.
In business, scores often aggregate diverse metrics—calls made, emails sent, meetings booked—into a single number. This helps simplify complexity and focus attention.
The Prime Directive
Every gamification program needs a clear purpose. Toby calls this the “prime directive”—a single, unambiguous reason for the program’s existence. It’s not just a business objective; it’s the guiding principle that shapes everything else.
A good example? A UN program Toby worked on had a prime directive to “recognize and encourage social media use among UN staff.” Simple, clear, and actionable.
Real-World Gamification: From Running to Power Grids
Toby shared several fascinating case studies:
- Running World Cup: A virtual running event with over 350,000 participants worldwide. Runners track their activity and contribute to their country’s score, regardless of where they live.
- IBM: A complex project involving 12 systems and 60 metrics, all condensed into a single score for inside sales teams across the globe.
- UK Power Networks: Gamifying fault engineers’ performance led to a dramatic improvement in response times—down to under 40 minutes—and the results stuck even a year later.
Key Concepts from the Book
Here are a few standout ideas from Infinite Gamification:
- Lead vs. Lag Indicators: Focus on metrics people can influence (lead) rather than just outcomes (lag).
- Score Periods: Weekly, monthly, or quarterly resets help maintain rhythm and motivation.
- Opt-In Spectrum: Voluntary participation leads to better engagement than mandatory programs.
- Positive Metrics: People are more motivated by tracking what’s going well than by focusing on failures.
- Avoiding Score Fatigue: Don’t overwhelm users with too many scores—fit your program into their existing feedback ecosystem.
Infinite Gamification in Remote Work
Toby believes infinite gamification is especially valuable in remote work settings. It provides visibility into team performance and fosters a sense of connection that’s often missing outside the office.
Final Thoughts
Toby’s book is a practical, accessible guide for anyone looking to use gamification to drive long-term engagement. Whether you’re a business leader, educator, or nonprofit manager, Infinite Gamification offers tools and insights to help you build programs that last.
You can find the book on Amazon or Kindle. For more from Toby, connect with him on LinkedIn or email him at [email protected].
Watch the interview here:
The book Infinite Gamification can be found and purchased on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2TIu3PA