Risk has come to Facebook. Scrabble is one of the top iPhone apps. And several board games are enjoying a long life on game consoles. In the digital age replete with marketing and sales opportunities, you better be ready to Hasbro-down.

For marketers, gamification is about integrating game mechanics into marketing activities to drive participation. The power of games, if they are based on the right incentives, can create breakthrough engagement with any audience. As marketers are becoming increasingly aware, game play is now evolving into a bona fide movement--a significant trend that is altering the way businesses interact with customers. Here's how you can make it a part of your efforts.

In 2008, DKNY was one of the first retailers to experiment with social games. Now, three year later, games are growing up. Brands and retailers alike have begun to experiment with different forms of online games. Here are nine examples of companies that successfully leveraged game mechanics in consumer marketing.

Here's how interactive, B2B, and content marketers can use game theory and gamification to motivate action and drive engagement with prospects, customers, partners, sales, and more through automated marketing channels.