Gamification existed long before the buzzword. In the 1800s, S&H Green Stamps had shoppers collecting stamps like points, filling booklets, and cashing in for rewards—a real-world progress bar that kept them hooked. But the real boom came in the 2010s. It's no secret that games are engaging, and at times, very addictive. Designers and behavioral scientists alike have leveraged our innate drive for challenge and reward to transform mundane routines into engaging experiences. Once limited to education and fitness—Duolingo for language learning and Strava for workout tracking—gamification now permeates healthcare, corporate training, environmental action, and civic engagement.
Why has gamification become so widespread? It’s deeply informed by behavioral psychology, which reveals the conditions for lasting habit formation and long-term engagement, which have been embedded into these gamified systems, helping encourage sustained user interaction.
Gamification also presents its fair share of ethical concerns. Should everything be gamified, or should we keep consequential industries like health off limits? Could gamification be deemed manipulative? Are we designing for engagement or addiction? Who is truly benefiting from gamification—the company or the consumers? At the end of the day, when designed responsibly, gamification can nudge people toward positive behavior change and make nearly any task more enjoyable.
This cluster will examine how gamification has allowed for innovation within industries, the positive impacts it can have on quality of life when executed with good intentions, and also touches on the moral conflicts associated with gamification.
