“Star Trek Fleet Command” Reveals Why We’re Doomed and How We’ll Save Ourselves
Group psychology is terrifying and wonderful
In June 2021, my six-year-old son (now seven) talked me into downloading the mobile game, Star Trek Fleet Command. He wanted to play the game on his iPad while I played it on my phone.
The game turned out to be too complex for him, but I’ve been obsessed — okay, addicted — since July 2021.
Star Trek Fleet Command, or STFC, hooks players with “gamification” techniques based on good ole’ fashioned operant conditioning.
But I’ve been captured even more by the politics of the game and the group psychology that its players display, me included.
The politics and psychology of STFC reveal both why we’re doomed as a species and how we’ll save ourselves from utter destruction.
The Gamification and Operant Conditioning of STFC
Gamification refers to using the incentive structure, mechanics, and rules of games to make something, including games, more engaging.
