AOK co-founder Ira Liss talked with Gameful.org recently to discuss the inspirations behind AOK and the process of gamification. In addition to his insights on shaping AOK into a social game for social good, the AOK team included some shots of the before and afters of translating the original wire-frames into a living, breathing game!Check it out here, and while you’re at it, take a look around the Gameful community. It’s a whole forum for creating world-changing games like AOK!

Behind the Scenes of Missions of Kindness

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Jane McGonigal’s work is a major source of inspiration in building AOK’s social game for social good. Here, in her TED talk, she describes how games such as AOK are harnessing the skills, energy and enthusiasm of millions of gamers to improve everyone’s reality. Sounds like an Epic Win to me.

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Social experiments rule, even more so when they’re free and facilitated by my eye-phone. +10 bonus points for looking sexy and hailing from Britain.The Situationist.

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I noticed recently that Acts of Kindness come up naturally in the course of conversation with friends. These little bright spots in our day are worth sharing with each other, and provide that little extra bit of inspiration to smile at the cashier after the long line at the grocery store, or graciously allow that person desperate to merge into your lane during rush hour.I started thinking about this when a friend told me about a young guy she knows who works a second job at Noah’s bagels that he really dislikes, where he sweeps the floors and cleans up after the patrons. However, he gets through it because he knows he can bag all the extra bagels at the end of each day for a homeless shelter down the road.What could be better motivation for getting through the day, especially at a job where I’m sure his patience is challenged a lot more frequently than his intellect. A great example to keep in mind when I think the only thing that can motivate me through the day is that third cup of coffee…

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This Is Water.

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Welcome to AOK Social Heroes! Here you will find glimpses of people just like you building a more mindful world, one small AOK (act of kindness) at a time. These people – you, me, us, them – are the everyday Social Heroes that we celebrate here. The people that give the other guy the benefit of the doubt, mind our manners, and feel good going that tiny bit out of our way to make someone’s day a little easier.Through sharing acts of kindness performed, observed, or the confession of those times we weren’t quite as kind as we aspire to be, the small AOK’s that happen all around us every day begin to come to the forefront of our thoughts. This awareness encourages action, inspiring us to extend our kindness a little further than we normally would, into the realm of the everyday hero. Before you know it, it’s a little bit nicer out there in the big world.So, read, share, and do. Remember, you don’t have to become a Social Hero… you already are one. Hone your skills here with us, and there’s no limit to the good you can do!

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