History of Games and Gamification

"Gamification" describes a strategy: introducing gaming elements and mechanics into everyday activities - like learning, consuming, or producing - to make them more engaging. It is also a phenomenon. From loyalty programs and budgeting apps to social media and ride-sharing, we play more games than we realize. In this episode, I examine this situation, starting from my own experience as a content creator. We will explore the psychological mechanisms that make games so appealing, the blurred boundaries between play and work, and the benefits of gamification. We will also look at the downsides - specifically, how reality and subjective experiences may become standardized and flattened when they serve to feed a numbers game.