In this post, which I’m planning to update frequently with new quotes, I reported some of the quotes which from some of the main gamification practioners. They could be used to support the back my thesis.

“Games are the only force in the known universe that can get people to take actions against their self-interest, in a predictable way, without using force”

Gabe Zichermann
CEO of Gamification.co, Author, Gamification Evangelist

 

“Today, I look forward and I see a future in which games once again are explicitly designed to improve quality of life, to prevent suffering, and to create real, widespread happiness.”

Jane McGonigal
Game designer & game researcher

 

“Gamification is design that places the most emphasis on human motivation in the process. In essence, it is Human-Focused Design”

Yu-Kai Chou
Gamification pioneer & Speaker and lecturer

 

“Games are effective because they can be used for situated learning, where a player can be placed into a simulation of a real-world situation and see the impact of his or her actions over time”

Scott Nicholson
Associate professor at Syracuse University’s, School of Information Studies.

 

“The jitter of your thumb on the button or the flicker of your wrist on the mouse connect directly to an invisible, intangible gamespace of pure contest, pure agon. It doesn’t matter if your cave comes equipped with a Playstation or Bloomberg terminal. It doesn’t matter whether you think you are playing the bond market or Grand Theft Auto. It is all just an algorithm with enough unknowns to make a game of it.”

McKenzie Wark

 

“If you make a game about something that matters, your “players” will want to participate in that larger discussion. If you genuinely make that participation meaningful in the game, it can also be meaningful in real life.”

Ken Eklund

 

“We commonly think playing games is so fun that people do it voluntarily, when actually it’s the other way around: because gameplay is a voluntary activity, it satisfies our need for autonomy, and that is part of what makes it fun.”

Sebastian Deterding

 

“Playing is an activity that is based on the free and purposeless exploration of possibilities. Play arises from curiosity, creativity, and improvisation. Fun arises from play as the exercise of freedom, autonomy, and creativity. Examples of play are sketching, drawing or painting, improvisational construction with Legos or Minecraft, composing music, joking, or exploring new geographical areas or routes.”

Gustavo Fortes Tondello

 

“Playing a game is a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.”

Bernard Suits, The Grasshopper