[-empyre-] Gamification and games

[Alex Gibson]

Daniel, thank you for your insights, you raise some great points and have
helped me think more deeply on the subject of gamification. To clarify a
couple of points: 1. my criticism is focussed on social networks and social
media particularly; 2. I am not reacting to sound bytes in fact, social
media is an area I have some knowledge of, for one of my sins, I have
researched, developed and consulted in social media for several years in
academia, art, government and business. My experiences have confirmed that
profit and social manipulation are casually discussed as part of the
end-game by strategists, developers and clients in the field. A criticism
that questions the motivation to deploy gaming systems in online social
contexts and the efficacy and ethical frameworks for this is necessary.

Finally, I must also admit that I love games. Games are old. The visceral,
cerebral and physical experience of gaming taps into a range of fantastic
impulses. The conception of a game as a pattern, a code or an enigma to be
understood, to master and achieve. It is not just Zizekian psychotic
fantasy, but also a struggle to have knowledge and experience.
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