

Gamification, social and other cargo cults - michokest
http://blog.teambox.com/startup-cargo-cults

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ThomPete
I hate the self proclaimed experts in those fields as much as the next guy.
But...

I have stopped getting obsessed with it.

If you truly understand these concepts and are able to work with them in a way
to provide real value either to your customers or your clients you will still
be standing after the dust settles.

It's just a goldrush. Some people find gold most don't.

~~~
plachaise00
I think it's just like social media... One more think for the press to talk
about

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bitsm
The thing most people miss about gamification is that most games suck, and
likely, so will your new gamified whathaveyou.

Gamification is the new forums.

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nickbw
> Twitter doesn’t have game mechanics

...

> You should totally follow me on Twitter

Yuh-huh. I think Twitter is genuinely useful, but I'm pretty sure scoring Big
Numbers is the driving motivation behind plenty of following behavior there.

~~~
michokest
Haha, you totally got me there :)

~~~
nickbw
Hehe. Sorry, that came across more accusatory than I intended. I totally agree
with your overall point.

I think Twitter's follower numbers are an example of gamification done right.
Useful information that's _also_ a dopamine trigger.

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ristretto
There's nothing wrong about making your product more fun by introducing gaming
elements. Yahoo includes them in their design patterns
[http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/social/people/reputatio...](http://developer.yahoo.com/ypatterns/social/people/reputation/)

Twitter has no "game" elements? Why do they display the number of your
followers to everyone then? Doesn't Facebook show the "likes" of your stories
to everyone? Or the number of your friends? What about everyday life, don't we
go to school and get grades and distinctions? I even think its a fun concept
philosophically, after all, life itself is a game.

