Participation- future of brand growth built on gaming history.

I have never been a gamer. Not even remotely.

But a trip to OXO Museo del Videojuego in Málaga made me think about gaming in a completely different way.

Yes, gaming is about fun. Or so I’m told. But as I wandered through its history, from Pong to Pac-Man, Zelda to Lara Croft, Grand Theft Auto, LEGO and beyond, I realised something else. Gaming has laid many of the foundations for how we now expect to engage and interact with brands.

From a green dot to a global industry

You start the museum with the early hardware. A circuit board. No microprocessor. No memory. Basic components doing a basic job, and the games were incredibly rudimentary - Pong is basically a green dot on a black screen - its ridiculously simple, but even today it is fundamentally engaging. And, as it turned out, unstoppable.

That’s what makes it: simplicity is baked into gaming at its core it shows a deep understanding of human behaviour. Our desire to solve problems, make choices, progress, compete and be rewarded.

Gaming then grew by building on the simple foundation of understanding human behaviour - adding layers, hardware, software, networks, interactions, partnerships, personalities, communities, money, culture. It didn't stay still; each development created possibilities for the next one, and it continues to do so.

Looking at the trajectory of gaming, it seems to me that perhaps the biggest change wasn't technological; it was what happened to the person on the other side of the screen.

From audience to participant - Gaming changed the role of the user.

People stopped simply watching and started taking part, and eventually they weren't simply participating in a finished product either. They were creating, competing, connecting, forming communities, influencing what happened next and developing identities within these worlds. This participation has seeped into every part and every aspect of marketing and branding, and that is why that shift feels hugely relevant to brands.

Engagement, interaction, recognition and reward have become the main form of currency for brands. People don't simply consume brands anymore, and they have not done for quite some time over the last 20 years we have seen the shift from passive consumption across all media to active involvement and now clear creation. Consumers are not consumers they are participants - they review, share, challenge, personalise, create, and join brands - helping shape what they become.

We talk a lot about co-creation now, but gaming has been practising it for decades, and you can see its influence everywhere.

• Tesla behaves more like a technology platform and ecosystem than a traditional car manufacturer.

• Louis Vuitton has moved into digital spaces, gaming and virtual experiences, treating its brand as somewhere you can enter and experience, not simply something you buy.

• Deloitte has used games and simulation to get people actively involved with ideas rather than simply presenting information to them.

• Monzo shows how a financial brand can become an active network, developing through everyday use, feedback, features and community.

• BAPE built enormous cultural value through scarcity, recognition, belonging and signalling.

Owning the product is only part of it, knowing what it means, finding it, participating with it, and being recognised for having a brand or product are part of the experience too.

Different sectors. Different audiences. Different tactics - But the same participatory direction.

Gaming changed the rules of interaction, and in doing so, it helped change our expectations of brands; it isn't enough to broadcast a perfectly polished message and hope people listen. Brands increasingly have to prove themselves through what people can actually experience, do and participate in.

That doesn't mean every business needs to gamify its app, introduce points or start building something in the metaverse. In fact...please don't; what it means is thinking more carefully about the role you give people. Because there is a big difference between an audience and a participant, a consumer and an advocate.

• An audience watches - A participant does something.

• A consumer takes - An advocate engages.

Participants and advocates choose - they contribute, share, discover, return, recommend. create, belong.

Participation and advocacy build something communication alone struggles to create: investment, proof and durability. So when you are thinking about your brand ask yourself: what role am I giving people when I create a brand? This is perhaps the most useful question I brought home from OXO.

If you're building a brand, ask:

1. What can people actually do with us beyond buying?

2. Can they shape, influence or personalise their experience?

3. What gives them a reason to come back?

4. Are we creating genuine participation or simply collecting attention?

5. Is there recognition or reward for being involved?

6. Can customers connect with each other, not just with us?

7. What does being part of our brand allow someone to say, feel or do?

It turned people from spectators into participants and then gave those participants reasons to keep coming back. That's a useful challenge for any brand looking for growth.

So rather than beginning your next brand conversation with "What do we want to tell people?", try starting somewhere else....."What do we want people to take part in?"

Then look at your customer journey, your product, your communications, your content and your community through that lens. Find one place where someone could have a more active role. Give them a choice. Ask them to contribute. Let them influence something. Reward their involvement. Give them something worth sharing. Create a reason to return.

Start small. Gaming did.

A green dot on a black screen eventually helped build one of the biggest cultural industries in the world. And if you're in Málaga, go and have a look around OXO.....Even if, like me, you're definitely not a gamer.

To find out more about how Think Collectiv can help your brand to grow - contact sally.chuku@thinkcollectiv.co.uk