This is definitely a hidden gem, an article I'd recommend to everyone. I think it's not getting upvotes because instead of linking directly to the slideshow, we

This is definitely a hidden gem, an article I'd recommend to everyone. I think it's not getting upvotes because instead of linking directly to the slideshow, we're linked to the blog. Here's the slideshow: http://www.slideshare.net/dings/just-add-points-what-ux-can-and-cannot-learn-from-games http://www.slideshare.net/dings/just-add-points-what-ux-can-... Watch it in full screen. My notes: 1) specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and timed short-term and long-term goals (e.g. level 1 vs. level 11) 2) actions to achieve our goals are explicit, and prepackaged so we can directly execute on them. the only thinking we have to do is WHICH action should be done next.. sid meier: "a game is a series of interesting decisions" 3) clear relation to action and goal: the action will definitely bring us closer to the goal 4) our status is clear: spatially, in terms of our skills/possessions, in relation to our goals (points and mission stats), in our relation to other players (leaderboards/social graphs) 5) excessive positive/negative feedback (!!) 6) challenges get excessively harder (flow) 7) CHUNKING: easy challenges train you on basic skills, hard challenges require you to mix easy + difficult skills 8) social comparison: facilitates social learning, and motivates competition [who's in the game, and at what level?] problem with transfer to work => productivity software about efficiency and speed, not fun/emotions.. "how you feel is irrelevant". (ed: i disagree.) easter eggs = non-functional excess = introduce a feeling of "play" games = play = VOLUNTARY good games are easy to learn, difficult to master fun dynamics are good. monopoly: gaining and losing money mechanics leads to poverty gap dynamic which leads to poor experience aesthetic for losing player.