AdVerve Episode 74: McGameification.

Play the show now.

Aka, that big, juicy badge in the sky. It was one mic/two guys as Bill took a roadtrip to Savannah to join one of his co-strategists in crime at BFG. The Frenchman Known As Cyril Guichard (@luxregina) went live and uncensored as we kicked back for a high-rolling adventure on the topic of gameification.* It’s probably a word you're sick of, but he takes us deep into the philosophy of gaming, and why sites that "gameify" – like Foursquare – aren't games, per se (but will need to be).

Want more? We also find a way to pose that age-old question: can social media sites like Twitter really be used to construct the governments of tomorrow? Learn all the nuanced answers to this riddle, and others, this week. WE EVEN TALK 3D. Of course we also take our trademark™ left into fun areas like politics and discuss how Gen My dealt with the end of Osama, if at all.

(Also, learn why you're becoming a symbiant.)

Linkfegnugen:

- Heineken Star Player
- Cyril's blog on Luxgames.net

*Gamification or Gameification. Spell it any way you want, we don’t judge.

(Image.)

Russian Roulette is Not the Same without a Gun...

Is there something you'd risk your digital life for? Russian Standard Vodka poses the question with Russian Facebook Roulette, a game where you really stand to lose your Facebook profile. In exchange for taking the risk alongside four other compulsive identity-gamblers, you could win a free trip to Russia for seven days. (Where you can play Russian roulette for real...?)

Dangerous work, and I like its taste; it bears a degree of risk that forces you to ask how important your FB identity has become. (And why?) It also serves the brand well by leveraging that "dancing on a razorblade" feeling we associate with Russian vodka (or Russian anything).

If it happens to catch, I don't imagine Facebook will let the game fly for very long, though. (Consider the fate of Burger King's Whopper Sacrifice.)

Shake Well for Love

The Zuck may spend his private time producing hook-up algos for Facebook users, but the socnet that's managed to weld all our social circles together (for better or worse) still lacks plenty in the matchmaking arena.

But who wants to use Facebook for love? How lame are you? ...It's a fine line, certainly, but one that can be exploited.

With that in mind, some friends of friends have produced ShakeCoeur, the iPhone/Android app that lets today's discriminating and time-constrained networker pick and choose would-be mates from friends, and friends of friends, via Facebook Connect.

The idea is deliciously simple: enter your stats (26/female/single). Specify your range (28-35/male/single). Then shake.

Humor me ››

The Stakes Just Rose for Fantasy Football.

How do I begin describing what Contagious Magazine called "the most nauseatingly exciting bit of advertising" it's ever seen...?

It's like your fantasy league meets futures meets Foursquare meets Facebook meets I AM PLAYR meets the UEFA Champion's League in real-time.

With help from AKQA, Heineken's launched Star Player, an iPhone app that lets you "play" matches alongside the UEFA Champion's League. It launched just in time for the start of Man U vs. Schalke's semi-final (April 26th).

Ten minutes prior to the match's start on your telly, the app opens for play. When the whistle blows, the game timer syncs automatically with the time on your TV. You're given 8 chances to accurately predict which team will score, or whether one will, in 30 seconds -- positioned in the video above as a test of your pro acumen. You win badges or points for accurate calls ... and the earlier you make them prior to the goal, the higher the points, adding the pressure of speed.

Results can be published on Facebook Connect. You can play against friends or the world; it's your call.

This isn't the kind of thing I can play (my head would explode; I'm finger-slow), but even if it's not for you, it's not hard to see why this is cool shit that hits the spot. Star Player harnesses enthusiasm surrounding a match and get users engaged exactly the way they've always wanted: participating in social competition while collectively witnessing pro competition on-screen.

(How many bar fights have been started over somebody shouting "I CALLED THAT!"...?)

And the technology isn't new, or relegated exclusively to sporting events. Nearly two years ago, the BBC developed an iPhone application that delivers predictive plot quizzes that sync in real-time with televised soap operas. The phone mic is used to cue the quiz timer.

(...Doesn't that sound easy? Go use it in something.)