Are play and work opposites? In this invited keynote at the Control Systems 2016 conference in Stockholm, I argue that we hold three common misconceptions about work, play, and motivation that have us misjudge how work may be made more playful.

1. Gamification
future tools?
Sebastian Deterding (@dingstweets)
Control Systems 2016
27 April 2016, Stockholm
c b

2. <0>
we are all game
designers

11. Story
Rules, Challenge
Safe free space
Shared toys
Goals, Variety
Feedback

12. can we apply
that to work?

13. gamification
The use of
game design elements
in non-game contexts

14. Gartner Hype Curve
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1763814

15. business

16. health & fitness

17. Education

18. engagement moves your needle
Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study (2011)

19. three
misconceptions

20. 1. “Work is the opposite
of play”
2. “people need pushing”
3. “fun is an additive”

21. <1>
“Work is the
opposite of play”

22. some things are inherently fun …

23. … and some things aren’t.

24. … and some things aren’t.

25. “optimal
experience”

26. »a sense that one’s skills are adequate to cope with the
challenges at hand, in a goal-directed, rule-bound action
system that provides clear clues as to how well one is
performing. Concentration is so intense that there is no
attention left... to worry about problems. Self-
consciousness disappears, and the sense of time
becomes distorted. An activity that produces such
experiences is so gratifying that people are willing to do
it for its own sake«
flow (1990: 1542)
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

27. Question
have you had moments where
you were so engaged in work,
you forgot time and yourself?

28. Question
have you had moments where
you enjoyed work?

29. Question
have you had moments at work
where you’d say in hindsight,
you would do it even if you
didn’t get paid?

30. 0
15
30
45
60
Work Leisure
17
54
frequency of flow experiences in %

31. »I need to be very routinized;
I mustn’t let myself drift.«
»I hammer it through.«
»Often, you have to force yourself to do it.«
»You’re under real pressure.«
»It’s extremely exhausting.«
»It wears you out.«
»My friends usually cannot comprehend how
stressful this is.«

32. »Sometimes, you have to play,
you have to get further –
and then, play is work.«

33. Good work is play:
something we enjoy doing
for its own sake.

34. <2>
“people need
pushing”

35. theory X theory Y

36. http://www.flickr.com/photos/diego_rivera/4261964210
extrinsic motivation

39. Earn 1,000,000,000,000 points
Score: 964,000,000,000,000
(You rock!)

41. intrinsic motivation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/areyoumyrik/308908967

42. Raph Koster
»Fun is just another word
for learning.«
a theory of fun for game design (2005)

43. »Fun from games arises out of mastery.
It arises out of comprehension. It is the
act of solving puzzles that makes games
fun. With games, learning is the drug.«
Raph Koster
a theory of fun for game design (2005)

46. Teresa M. Amabile
»This pattern is what we call the
progress principle: of all the positive
events that influence inner work life, the
single most powerful is progress in
meaningful work.«
the progress principle (2012: 76)

47. »Truly effective video game designers
know how to create a sense of progress
for players within all stages of the game.
Truly effective managers know how to do
the same for their subordinates.«
Teresa M. Amabile
the progress principle (2012: 88)

48. Edward Deci, Richard Ryan
»An understanding of human motivation
requires a consideration of innate
psychological needs for competence,
autonomy, and relatedness.«
the what and why of goal pursuit (2000)

49. Question
when you enjoyed work, did you
feel you accomplished some
thing, mastered something that
requires skill, achieved change
in the world?

50. Question
when you enjoyed work, did you
feel you were in tune with your
self, choosing and embracing
what you did?

51. Question
when you enjoyed work, did you
feel connected to others?

52. in work and play, we
actively seek out and
enjoy experiences of
Autonomy, competence,
and relatedness.

53. <3>
“fun is an
additive”

54. some things are inherently fun …

55. … and some things aren’t.

56. so: add funstuff to nonfunstuff for more fun

57. “Just a spoonful of badges …”

58. aka 1990’s edutainment

59. a
resounding
failure

62. »Mowing the lawn or waiting in a
dentist’s office can become enjoyable
provided one restructures the activity by
providing goals, rules, and the other
elements of enjoyment to be reviewed
below.«
flow (1990: 51)
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

63. 1 competence

64. Raph Koster
»Fun is just another word
for learning.«
through well-formed challenges
a theory of fun for game design (2005)

65. goals …

66. + RULES ...

67. = interesting challenges

68. + clear informative Feedback ...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodgerbrooks/1315419080

69. = experiences of competence

70. Earn 1,000,000,000,000 points
Score: 964,000,000,000,000
(You rock!)
feedback without challenge

71. core game loop
motivation
rule system
goal
success! / failure!
action/resource
feedback
challenge

72. stand in people’s way
Danger

73. Ticket
For ticket, drag red
dot through labyrinth

74. Level 2
Ticket
For ticket, drag red
dot through labyrinth

75. find the inherent challenge

76. juicy feedback

77. Autonomy2

78. Danger

79. Edward Deci, Richard Ryan
»An understanding of human
motivation requires a consideration of
innate psychological needs for
competence, autonomy, and
relatedness.«
the what and why of goal pursuit (2000)

80. Johan Huizinga
»First and foremost,
all play is a voluntary
activity.«
homo ludens (1938/1950: 7)

81. Fun Voluntary
Voluntary Fun

82. safety from consequence

83. … vs. Quality and Variety

84. meaningful choice
http://ascottallison.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/p1030286.jpg

85. relatedness3

86. http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg

87. http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg
recognising team contributions

88. http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg
joint accomplishments

89. http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg
getting into rhythm

90. game design can help
restructure work to be
intrinsically motivating.

91. <4>
summary

92. <1>
“Work is the
opposite of play”

93. good work is play:
something we enjoy doing
for its own sake.

94. <2>
“people need
pushing”

95. in work and play, we
actively seek out and
enjoy experiences of
Autonomy, competence,
relatedness.

96. <3>
“fun is an
additive”

97. game design can help
restructure work to be
intrinsically motivating.

98. sebastian@codingconduct.cc
@dingstweets
codingconduct.cc
thank you.