I just learned a new word:
“Gamification”
This is the idea of turning everything into a game – and usually a digital one with a fancy interactive interface like Wii. Apparently, the joystick and physical controls will eventually give way to peripherals that incorporate pulse rates and brain waves. There is already a game on the market where you can relax your mind to levitate an object or concentrate to set it on fire.
Gamification expert Gabe Zicherman says “we’ll find boring things fun like paying our taxes,getting regular checkups,buying groceries or checking the weather…when fun becomes a principal design requirement or objective of all kinds of industries from healthcare and government to finance and transportation – the effect on our happiness will be unprecedented”
I predict boys will soon need Timberlake more than ever. Boys will need time in the woods, time in “real reality” – making fires out of wet woods, using all our senses as well a map and compass to navigate. We will enjoy looking at each other face to face, feeling a welcome arm around your shoulder or hearing a caring voice patiently encouraging you to do more.
We already have turned things like washing the pots into fun. Brave New World: We’re ahead of you.
So good luck “Gamifiying” Timberlake. We’ll be here to de-gamify you!