“Gamification” is one of software design’s hottest buzzwords. The idea is to leverage the mechanics of video games–points, high scores, win streaks and leaderboards–to keep users engaged over a longer period of time.
But Lee Schuneman, chief product officer at edtech firm Efekta Education Group and a former game designer, thinks that’s a simplistic way to think about how the video game industry can help other industries.
“Gamification tends to manifest itself as high score streaks,” Schuneman said Tuesday at Fortune’s Brainstorm Design conference in Macau. “All of these things are meaningful for certain social media products, but at the end of the day, if you’re there to learn, you have to put in the time and effort.”
Before moving to Efekta, Schuneman spent years working for UK video game studio Rare, developing games like 1997’s Diddy Kong Racing and 2002’s Star Fox Adventure.
Today, even as he cautions organizations about embracing simplistic form of gamification, he also makes the case that game design holds important lessons for education.
