Gamification and Value Capture: Objectifying the Subjective
This writing is based on my understanding of T Chi Nyugen’s work, "Game: Art as Agency." Games motivate players by making play entertaining and engaging. Players aim to achieve temporary goals, like scoring in football or winning in chess, by overcoming arbitrary obstacles (rules). This motivation inversion makes games fun. However, applying this concept to real life can be problematic. Games have simple rules, clear motives, and scoring systems, while real life is more complex and fluid. The problem arises when we intentionally use gamification in real-life activities. We try to map the pleasures of games onto our daily lives by mimicking game-like rules and scoring. For example, academic research quality is often measured by the number of citations, turning a subjective measure into an objective fact. Similarly, school exams focus on grades rather than actual learning, and performance scoring systems in organisations can obscure the true quality of work. In games, w...