
A good game is when you are always playing on the very edge of your skill level. You always have a big chance to fall off. But when you fall off, you feel the urge to climb back on. That’s because there’s virtually nothing as engaging as this state of working at the very limits of your ability — or what most game designers and psychologists call “flow”. When you are in a state of flow, you want to stay there: both quitting and winning are equally satisfying — Jane McGonigal, Reality is Broken
… live in. So we need to think a bit broader than badges and points when we talk about gamification. Badges and points are only a small part of a feedback system that acknowledges that we’ve done some effort. And we have to think on how to encourage more hard work.