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Well, you're right, but: "provides a really broad range of useful and detailed content" ...which it gets from users. Who are motivated to contribute using gam
by nathan_long 14y ago
Well, you're right, but:
"provides a really broad range of useful and detailed content"
...which it gets from users. Who are motivated to contribute using game mechanics.
No, you can't just slap a points mechanism at any site and magically make it great. But "get credit for your work" is a motivation that is basic to human nature.
I say this as a longtime user with more than 10k points. I like helping others, but I must admit that having points to show for it is also a motivation.
- goostavos 14y agoIt's slightly embarrassing, but the first time I answered a question, got an upvote and a check mark, well, it felt pretty good.
- codinghorror 14y agoNo reason to be embarrassed! Learning from/teaching your peers, while leaving useful breadcrumb trails for other people to follow -- that's supposed to feel good!
- nathan_long 14y agoThat's what I like about SO's points: they prove my answers have helped someone, which does feel good. It's not like an actual video game, where you're like, "Hey, I got 5,000 points, which means... absolutely nothing outside the game."