Startups like Bunchball Turn Brands into Games

For networks that don't want to build such complex websites, another company, GetGlue, has created a social network that lets people "check in" to their favorite television shows, movies, and music. They can earn rewards for checking in a certain number of times. User activity on GetGlue can be automatically posted to Twitter or Facebook; GetGlue says its members are typically responsible for about 30 percent of tweets about a television show when a new episode airs. And such social-network activity appears to correspond with a show's success: a report from NM Incite (a joint venture of Nielsen and McKinsey) said that among people aged 18 to 34, a 14 percent increase in online buzz about an ongoing show corresponds to a 1 percent increase in ratings.

Non-entertainment companies, from fast-food chains and retailers to health-care providers and technology companies, are exploring gamified branding as well. BigDoor, a Seattle startup that builds gamelike behaviors into clients' websites and tracks the rewards programs, asks new clients to get very specific about their business goals. Do they want to drive people to a specific section of a site? Encourage people to leave comments? Get them to share something on Facebook or Twitter? Then BigDoor figures out who the client's community or customers are and what could really motivate them.

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The Business of Games

Long a multibillion-dollar industry in their own right, video and computer games are now affecting a...expand broad range of businesses. The appetites of game players are driving social and mobile technologies. Games are being used to train and manage employees, as well as to encourage customer loyalty and reduce health-care costs.

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