Comments on: Gamification goes to war in a bitter battle of ideas

By: Kathy Sierra

Kathy Sierra — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:10:17 +0000

Gabe’s book is *not* a “good introduction to the industry” for all of the reasons Sebastian’s review so carefully describes. It confuses nearly all of the terminology that is at the heart of what gamification is based on: game design, flow, motivation, engagement for starters. As for a vendor submitting a sponsored chapter, well, it is not possible for me to be objective about that, but the words “embarrassing” keep popping into my head.

Gabe has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not actually understand the very science he continues to invoke, discounting that which does not support his current pitch while referring to vendor surveys and anecdotal correlations as evidence. There are far better places for people to get a “good introduction” but this book is the last place I would send someone. Reading Sebastian’s review and following the links is great place to start.

Gamification has the unfortunate attribute of sounding fun and simple while being based around subtle, complex, and deep psychological issues. There IS no simple introduction because gamification has the potential for some very nasty side-effects. It is these potential side-effects, largely ignored by vendors or consultants selling gamification, that drive people like me and Sebastian and others to push back on those who cheerfully dismiss them.

By: Adena DeMonte

Adena DeMonte — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:07:25 +0000

Gamification is a business strategy that, when applied smartly, is proven to have real, quantifiable results. Gabe’s book is a good introduction to the industry, and like books on other topics, borrows from research written by others. Amy Jo Kim is one of the first and most brilliant researchers in the industry, so I can see why some ideas in this book can seem borrowed from her. But there is a vast difference in how they speak about the concepts of gamification, and clearly books written by each of these gamification experts would be quite different. If it wasn’t sourced properly, I can’t speak to this, but ultimately the book’s goal is to help people start to think about how to design a gamification program. When we (Badgeville) contributed our chapter to this book, we were much younger as a company, and thus the resulting information is reflective of our early product, which in one year has grown to include support for a diverse range of gamification models, some which are mentioned in the book, many of which aren’t yet included. It’s unfortunate that some view Gabe as a “gamification extremist” because every industry needs to promote itself to gain awareness, and Gabe has put on some wonderful conferences with quality attendees having meaningful conversations about the topic of gamification, such as Gilt Groupe, Recycle Bank, Samsung, SAP, and many more industry-leading brands. If he can bring brands like that together in his second major successful conference, he’s clearly on to something.

By: futu[re]dux

futu[re]dux — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:57:54 +0000

Trouble with any emerging trend is that there will be the rush to be the first one who is seen as the authority in the subject. Unfortunately any real authority is really a collaboration of many, not one person.

Here’s my take: http://www.futuredux.com/2011/09/22/its-pistols-at-dawn-for-gamification/

By: argent1

argent1 — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:26:28 +0000

O’Reiily is the HuffPost of a different color. The cult of amateurs strikes again.

By: Damon Thomas

Damon Thomas — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:31:21 +0000

I truly believe gamification can be used to transform how societal institutions operate, particularly education, so when it is argued to be valuable first and foremost in a marketing context to dupe consumers into completing mundane tasks, this can be described as the lowest-level, most unethical type of gamification. When game mechanics, elements, or whatever you want to call them are applied to activities in a careful and thoughtful way, with an understanding of why games are engaging, this leads to something far more exciting. I’m glad Sebastian was willing to put his neck on the line to raise the gamification bar, and can’t wait to read his book, perhaps good gamification by design would be an apt name, as soon as it is written.

By: Alper Çugun

Alper Çugun — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:38:15 +0000

It is a momentous lapse in judgement to ask an extremist in the gamification debate to write a book about the subject on such an authoritative label as O’Reilly is. Anybody probably could have written a better and more balanced book than Zichermann did and should have.

If O’Reilly wants to retain any such authority it has, it had best retract the book and shred it.