An insistent alarm jolts me awake, hammering me into consciousness with each buzz. My hand shoots out, and with a triumphant swipe, I turn off the noise. A satisfying clicking commences, like a rising roller coaster, and I watch as my name rises on the leaderboard. After achieving the most consecutive mornings this week waking before the third buzz, I’ve slid into first place. Later, I select a cucumber salad over McDonalds: ten points. Hit the gym over a movie with friends: twenty. If my date tonight goes well and I get a second date, I’m well on my way to a new badge.
Can such a total gamification of life, like in this video, become a reality? As gamification gains momentum, it continues to leap and bound across industries, awarding points and badges in the workplace, the drive home, and in social media.
Could gamification go too far?
Venturing further down this path, I’m curious of what is to be found in years to come. Could gamification go too far? In a word, yes. As Steve Sims explained, the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is extensive and tangled; one is rarely motivated completely by either extrinsic or intrinsic motivation. But when competitive drive has you sacrificing social hangouts or promising anything to unlock that second date badge, the push of intrinsic motivation is superseded by the pull of extrinsic incentives and the original reason for action is a long forgotten memory. Many people warn, especially as gamification grows more pervasive, that rewarding various behaviors will not only decrease intrinsic motivation, but it will also lead to an extinction of these behaviors at the cessation of rewards.
Possible, But Unlikely.
For the disengaging tasks like separating the trash from the recycling or completing employee training, gamification has found a home to settle for the long-term. But for engaging tasks like dating, gamification may have to wait. Furthermore, proper implementation has always been the key; studies show that rewards can actually increase intrinsic motivation and that extinction of behavior only occurs in rare, easily avoidable conditions. After considering the thought and expertise applied to most gamification platforms, coupled with our lack of need for such extensive gamification, I’ve decided I’m not worried.
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