Finally, Gamification should be distinguished from Game theory.
Now, Game theory has a deep relationship to games and therefore to Gamification,.
But it's something different.
Game theory is a set of algorithms and formulas
and quantitative techniques for analyzing strategic decision making.
The Wikipedia entry that I put up here says game theory is the study
of strategic decision making, using mathematical models.
So game theory uses stylized concepts of
games, people competing or agents competing against each
other but they aren't typically real world games like Call of Duty or Angry Birds.
Or checkers or football which have that
element of fun and enjoyment and engagement
to them so certainly there are things that can be learned from game theory
that are relevant for gamification for example one of the most famous game theory
examples is the prisoners dilemma a scenario
where two prisoners would be better off.
Both of them if they cooperated but the way the rules are set
up the incentives are for them not to cooperate those kinds of models
can be useful in thinking about gamified systems but game theory is more
about defining formal models and mathematical
structures to analyze those kinds of behaviors.
Which is different from what we're going to be doing in this course.
Alright so I've told you all the thing gamefication is not what is it then?
I gave you the definition use of game
elements and game design techniques in non game context.
Here are three other things that gameifcation does,
the first is gamefication is about listening to games.
In other words, gamification means the recognition that games are powerful.