Gamification Increasingly Transforms Life into Play

Anyone who has exerted themselves beyond what they thought possible on the sports field or stayed up all night playing an addictive video game knows how powerfully games can motivate behavior. Competition, rewards and the fear of failure have proven so powerful that a new class of social engineers believes games can motivate people to radically change their life for the better — or for the worse. Participants can already earn points, rewards and leader board bragging rights by recycling more trash at home, exercising to stay healthy, learning lessons in school, pushing for innovative business solutions, watching more episodes of a TV show and even devoting more time to a terrorist cause….