Culture

Go, Go Gamification!

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I hear a lot of talk lately about "gamifictation" – adding gamelike elements to non-gaming software and services.  It may be achievements, titles, even controls – and the goal of course is to get people interested and using the software and services.

Let me state frankly that this is a great idea.  I'm bang alongside it, and I wanted to explore just why I think it works, and why we need to pay attention to it:

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Let Us Ask: Geeks as Celebrities

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(After reading "Starstruck" I began asking can geeks/progeeks be celebrities.  This was actually a fun speculation, and I wanted to write it up).

So, my progeeks and profanes and protaku, can we working nerds, technophiles, and geekonomists be celebrities?  Can we breathe the same air of awesomeness that the truly famous do, can we confuse paparazzi with our "Let the Wookie Win" T-shirts?  In short, can we be beloved and admired and followed?

The answer is literally, yes, no, and maybe.

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Review: Starstruck – The Business of Celebrity

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Starstruck
The Business of Celebrity
By Elizabeth Currid-Halkett

# ISBN-10: 0865479097
# ISBN-13: 978-0865479098

Pros:

  • A serious, passionate look at the business of celebrity in America and to an extent other countries.
  • Presents consistent theories and analysis of celebrity.
  • The personal approach of the book helps it avoid pretension and helps communicate its points.

Cons:

  • Shifts in tone at the end of book to discuss the negatives of celebrity is jarring and feels inconsistent.

SUMMARY: Must-read book for most anyone, but indispensable for people in media careers.

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