Gamification is Bullshit, but Why Should I Care?

In the article, “Gamification is Bullshit,” Ian Bogost argues that there is merit in being “leaders” of the business world who believe ”games can offer something different and greater than an affirmation of existing corporate practices.” I argue that he may be correct, but that it doesn’t matter. I have seen no indication that a game is truly able to make a difference in the minds and actions of a player. The act of playing a game is meant to lead the player to believe that they are supposed to be having fun, and they will either have the fun they expected or they will not. If they do not have fun, what would be the motive for them to continue to play the game? To be lectured to? To learn? If they learn something in the process of playing, you can certainly argue that it is an additional benefit, but you cannot expect people to continue to play a game for the sole purpose of learning something when they could easily find a more appropriate medium for learning and for “being persuaded” such as practically anything else. Pick up a book perhaps, scholar. I‘m not trying to be condescending to those like me who would almost always prefer to play a fun game than to be bored learning something they potentially have no interest in.

I understand that games such as “You Become What You Behold” and ”Phone Story” serve as an effective means to draw attention to issues like violence in media and unethical manufacturing of technology, but neither of them persuaded me into action whatsoever. I found myself horrified yet mystified by the extreme and unexpected violence of the first game, but it didn’t stop me replaying it just because I accidentally missed the part in which the crazed square gets murdered and wanting to be able to see all of the violence unfold again. Also, it didn’t stop me from swiping up on the daily mail article on Snapchat about the boy involved in yet another school shooting. The second game did not make me consider living a life without technology and only succeeded in making me feel a little pang of guilt, a guilt that actually served to make me feel less guilty overall due to the fact that it came as a relief that I am now aware I am part of the problem and “accept” the responsibility for my actions.

No normal person in the general public would consider themselves an advocate for violence, but by engaging in the culture of shock value and clickbait within media, we know we are in many ways culpable for the violence that we supposedly hate so much, because our fascination and clicks say otherwise. So while games may be able to offer things “different and greater,” we cannot expect them to. Gamification is a bullshit way to sell some bullshit “games” but can you really blame someone for wanting to be a bullshitter? It is just as easy to dismiss the messages of these supposedly superior different and greater games as it is to not give a shit about being a business leader or using gaming mechanics to sell products. Just as we cannot blame a game for failing to serve as a call to action, we cannot blame those who use games as a marketing strategy or a means to a business end. It’s noble and good and often necessary to want to make a difference through your work, even if in vain, but haven’t there been times we all just wanted to go home instead?