Chapter 2 (10.13.20)

Why Gamification matters to us today as it just begins entry into our lives? First in reality tv a few decades back, then health and supermarkets, next banking?

Is Our Employer Playing Us?

As early as 2014, there is evidence to suggest exactly that. In order to drive sales, The Independent, a British Online Newspaper, reported that “Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s was recently caught red-faced with a poster encouraging its staff to get customers to spend more on their shopping.”

The articles remainder included a general discussion on gamification that has stemmed from Foursquare and their sign-in incentive-laden structure that many businesses including Starbucks now use as a model. The most interesting part of the article was and is that reaction. Where the cyberspace critical user engagement on society kicked in?

The Concerning Part Is…

The Independent then engaged Communications Specialist, now of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Dr. Shirley Dent. A critical commentator on gamification, the Independent quoted her as saying, “the problem with it is that it is less about having a ‘head-on argument’ and is more about ‘seeking to change behavior with a few gamer’s tricks.’”

Gamification & Pervasiveness

Gamification has invaded several aspects of our daily lives. From the very first episodes of Survivor, Big Brother, and the like, gamification has not only changed many individual lives but has taken over our subconsciousness, streaming into our homes and onto our devices as we seek our escapism. Running beyond the reality television show and the occasional supermarket push, gamification is now, however, becoming more entrenched than ever in our lives. It is now in our healthcare and moving into our banking.

Gamification through incentivized use of health trackers for insurance benefits is quite commonplace these days. The questions now are not about how gamification will be instituted; they are past that. The question is now that of why gamification is not effective in single-focus strategies across the board? In a med-technews.com article posted just earlier this year, Rey Villar, partner at HealthChampion, questioned exactly this point. In short, he surmized that making health gamification more targeted and personalized is not only significant but critical if success is to ultimately be achieved.

The further insinuation that is also highlighted in the article is that we need to dig deeper, beyond financial recompense to find better incentivization and reward models that go beyond cash. For Villar, the model needs to be about digger deeper into lives and find rewards that stimulate people beyond money.

This means big data and further integration into our lives and creating a subtext for the technology we as users interact with. It is more than the surface value of that game app that we download that is at stake. For it is no longer just about making money off the product or incentivizing with money, we are making business more personal than ever. Strategies now seek a more individualized behavior modification in the user.

An interesting point, given the fact that our money is now being gamified as well. On October 1^st, 2020, Dyernews.com reported that Yotta Savings Bank has begun with a promising start in having recently raised $3.3 million building a gamed-up savings account.

To balance their gaming element with the need to raise profits, YouTuber Andrei Jikh does a great job of pointing out that their payouts on savings can be manipulated with a game-based marketing gimmick in a way that diminishes their public accountability. Basically, they can adjust the effective rate paid out in interest from the savings account without ever having to publicly acknowledge having done so through the adjustment of one game element. Once again, we see an instance where the conversation is intentionally averted. Andrei further provides a fantastic, broad breakdown of Yotta Savings Bank too that should not be missed.

An interesting idea in its own right and certainly one that will attract a lot of interest, but the question remains over whether or not those customers that use Yotta Savings Bank‘s services will critically engage and demand more disclosure. Or will it be up to cyberspace again to provide the context and opportunity for a very necessary conversation.

Our Cyber Reflection

The bottom line is that the integration of gamification of society through tech is already here. The methodologies are simply being refined for maximum benefit for certain parties. Is anyone questioning this?

For us to be good, critically informed users we should always be questioning the “benefits” that are proposed to us by other actors in a digital society. It is incumbent upon us, the user, to spark the debate that Dr. Shirley Dent spoke of in the article from the Independent.

There is no better time than the present to be mindful of the apps and sites we use regarding ulterior motives, this even extends into our workplace. As work has gone remote, and more and more complications begin to arise from it, the integration of more technologically-driven gamification will no doubt result, as companies, employers, insurers, banking agents, all seek to maximize their own benefit. It is on the user to provide the dialogue both at the point of origin and in cyberspace.