Akoha - "Funware" Pay It Forward & a Learning Game

Gabe Z., a game industry luminary and all around mensch wrote up an interesting commentary on two sites he reviewed as a Panelist for Tech50.  Both sites might have some interconnection or as points of inspiration for the co-op marketing program.  Akoha for helping instigate a pay it forward / Samaritan message and Grokit for finding new ways to motivate and reward online learning.

Akoha

But let’s focus on the positive and take a look at Akoha. Akoha is a “pay it forward” game that relies on the distribution of “mission” cards (I’m sure the overtones are incidental). These cards give you a specific task, such as share a good book with a friend, or help a startup founder in need. You get a card, register it on your Akoha personal website page (by typing in a custom code), and then complete the mission. Although not obligatory, the more information you enter about the card, how you got it, who you gave it to, etc., the more interesting the history of the game becomes.
Akoha’s website experience is a lot like a simplified social network, with friends, a news feed, and profile information, but wrapped up in leaderboards, points and rankings – making great use of funware design concepts. The cards you give and get can be purchased as physical cards (order and ship or eventually in retail), or as online cards you can download and print. Austin Hill, Akoha’s super amiable founder, assures us that soon you’ll even be able to create your own custom missions.

Grokit

The other casual/Funware application from TC50 is one that I’ve heard some buzz about these past months: Grockit. Developed as the world’s first “Massively Multiplayer Online Learning Game,” Grockit’s premise is that by wrapping game design concepts (leaderboards, challenges, badges and collaborative play) around a serious topic (learning), players will improve their ability to hit stretch goals in their personal learning objectives.
The Grockit team showed an example of an adult learner studying for a standardized test. They log in and start taking quizzes (designed by Grockit staffers), while simultaneously engaging in some stimulating chat with others in the same learning area. Each correct answer results in points being awarded, there’s a leveling up concept, and even a notion of experts with specific domain knowledge of interest; GMAT black-belt, anyone?
Grockit’s whole design ethos strongly mirrors my opinions about the future of interactions – that we’re heading into an era where every activity will be wrapped in a game or game-like play. We call this idea Funware, and Grockit is a perfect poster child for the notion. Of course, while watching their presentation, a VC leaned over to me and asked “Where’s the game?”