Gamification and the marketing of agricultural machinery

Abstract

This chapter introduces an implementation of gamification for the simulation modeling of agricultural heavy machinery. The objective of this study is to demonstrate how adding a gamification platform can both streamline the development process for a complex machine and enhance its marketing. To achieve this objective, a farm tractor is described with a physics-based multibody dynamics approach to provide realistic dynamic simulation in real time. The human-in-the-loop aspect of the simulation model enables “drivers” to select alternative feature options that affect dynamic performance. Moreover, adding gamification to the user-parameterized machine simulation model makes it more engaging and motivating, because it introduces to the driving experience game elements such as goals, curiosity, challenge, fantasy, and control. Marketing and sales teams also benefit from model gamification by exploiting the game data produced, the improved ability to readily demonstrate machine features, and the more compelling experience enjoyed by the users to launch new and more fruitful marketing and sales opportunities. The main scientific contribution of this study is its demonstration of an implementation of gamification for simulation modeling, the usefulness of adding the gamification elements, and how these additions can lead to improved product development and marketing processes.