The Gamification—of Everything
- Details
- Written by Sameer Ahuja
- Hits: 782
Seen Squid Game?
It’s a wildly popular South Korean survival drama series that’s become a global sensation on Netflix. The plot revolves around people who are deeply in debt and struggling financially. Exploiting their economic straits, a shadowy organization invites them to participate in a survival competition as a way out.
Superficially, the contest involves a series of six traditional kids' games. These games seem innocent at first glance—belying something sinister. There’s a deadly twist: losing a game will result in the player's death.
The ultimate prize for the last survivor? A massive cash reward.
Just as the Hunger Games reveal just how far some will go to survive,
This K-drama serves as a cautionary tale on the dangers of reducing complex human experiences and struggles to mere games. Can Squid Game show us the negative aspects of over-gamification in today’s society? And how can the continual pressure to compete—even in safer, more banal contests—transform individuals and their value systems?
To put it in simpler terms, if our incentives in life revolve around scarcity and a zero-sum mentality, how can we ever retain our principles?
In today’s fast-paced world, where the average attention span is not much better than a goldfish’s, businesses are adopting an intriguing strategy to keep consumers and employees engaged: gamification. This approach, which injects game-like elements into non-game environments, is revolutionizing everything from language learning apps to the food industry and beyond.
Of course, markets don’t follow trends unless there’s a payoff involved—its own kind of game. So why does gamification work so well? Psychology.
At its core, gamification taps into basic human desires for reward, achievement, and status. By incorporating challenges, points, leaderboards, rewards, risks, and the possibility of loss into everyday activities, innovative businesses can motivate and engage audiences more effectively.
Writer and entrepreneur Nir Eyal captures this phenomenon with what he calls the “Hook Model.” The Hook Model is a cycle comprised of four parts: trigger, action, reward, and investment. According to Eyal, this method is vital to creating desired habitual behaviors—or gamifying our brains.
One of the most well-known examples of such gamification is Duolingo. A popular language learning app, it exemplifies gamification in education. Turning language proficiency into a series of challenges with rewards for progress keeps learners both engaged and motivated.
The result? Users spend more time on the app, learning more effectively. It’s yet to be seen if people en masse will go so far as to master a second language via Duolingo, but it’s clear that the app has impacted the market.
Similarly, other educational platforms like CodeAcademy harness gamification to enhance student engagement and learning retention.
Beyond consumer apps, gamification is making workplace inroads. Companies are leveraging game mechanics to increase employee productivity. From sales competitions to gamified training modules, this approach transforms how employees work, incentivizing tasks in novel ways.
For more evidence, look no further than the everyday apps we use, such as Slack. While Slack is not a game per se, its design and functionality incorporate elements characteristic of gamification, enhancing user engagement and interaction. Slack provides instant feedback through notifications, which can be gratifying for users. The immediate response to messages or actions (like someone reacting to your message) mimics the instant feedback loops often found in games, which can be psychologically rewarding. These feedback loops are useful, especially for remote managers tasked with retaining engagement during the work-from-home revolution.
While gamification offers benefits, it's not without its challenges. Critics argue it can lead to addictive behaviors, often overshadowing the intrinsic value of activities. Even eLearning leaders who extol gamification as a net-positive, grok the potential risks for increased addiction. Companies must, therefore, design gamified systems responsibly, ensuring that they encourage healthy behaviors, not exploit users' psychological vulnerabilities.
Like anything else, gamification is best in moderation.
But the essential key? Consent. A study from Harvard Business School concluded gamification is only successful when participants are willing and eager to play. According to the authors, “We highlight the role of consent (Burawoy, 1979) as a psychological response to mandatory fun, which moderates these relationships and, in a field experiment, find that games, when consented to, increase positive affect at work, but, when consent is lacking, decrease positive affect.”
So where do we draw the line? Should everything be gamified? Or like with AI, should we develop a “Dos and Don’ts” list? Similar to how our data is now appropriated by so many advertisers—eliciting societal concern— should we also be more cautious about how gamification commodifies our attention?
After all, there is a risk that gamification, particularly when tied to essential aspects of life, such as finance, health, or education, can be used to manipulate people for the benefit of those in power, rather than for the participants' benefit.
From making learning more effective to turning routine tasks into exciting challenges, gamification has the potential to enrich our daily lives. In fact, we’re only at the beginning, because as technology advances, the potential for gamification grows. Augmented Reality (AR), AI, and machine learning may soon offer even more personalized and immersive gamified experiences.
Still, as we move forward, it’s best we relegate gamification to responsible realms and away from our most crucial institutions. Otherwise, we risk the reality portrayed in Squid Game where we’re willing to eschew our principles for rewarding feedback loops—even ones threatening dark outcomes.
Author Sameer Ahuja is a tech executive and Scarsdale Village Trustee Ahuja who writes a newsletter, Consume at Once, that discusses how technology is transforming how we create and consume movies, videos, TV, games, sports, and social media.
Spreading Neighborhood Warmth at the Scarsdale Woman's Club
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1119
Frigid temperatures did not deter 70 neighbors from the East Heathcote Neighborhood Association from gathering at the Scarsdale Woman’s Club on Thursday night January 19, 2023.
The group enjoyed a wine tasting donated by Vintology of Scarsdale along with sushi from Koko Sushi on Christie Place.
The event was put together by East Heathcote Neighborhood Association Social Committee members Jessica Bandel, Elaine Katz, Carmen Pettingil and Jeannie Rosenthal, all pictured above.
Neighborhood Association President Jeff Watiker gave a thank-you speech and a wonderful evening was had by all.
Osteria Padre Pio: Southern Italian Fare in Mamaroneck
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2594
Though Osteria Padre Pio opened two years ago in Mamaroneck, we only learned about it recently and were so pleased when we were able to secure a table just before Christmas. The unassuming façade could have been taken for a neighborhood bar, but we soon learned that looks can be deceiving.
Our timing was excellent: not only were the restaurant and bar decked out for the holidays with lights, pine boughs and decorations – but they had just learned that they were included in the 2023 Via Michelin, a route planning guide to recommended restaruants. The chef and staff were proud and excited that their fresh and hearty interpretations of southern Italian fare had been recognized halfway across the globe.
The mood was festive, but it was evident from the moment we met our server Margaret, that they are serious about their traditional but innovative high-quality meals.
We each started out with wine from an extensive list of Italian reds and whites along with a cocktail from their full bar.
While we browsed the menu, Margaret delivered a board with a heaping bowl of caponata surrounded by warm focaccia and Italian bread. The delectable combination of eggplant and olives boded well for what was to come.
Caponata
It was hard to decide what to order from a large regular menu and a tempting list of specials. As it was the Christmas season the special included lots of seafood and we agreed to share a few orders of the baked clams oreganata as an appetizer. They were large, smothered in breadcrumbs and olive oil and disappeared quickly.
Another tempting option was a Zuppa di Pesca, or seafood stew. The oversized plate looked like it could feed the four of us and included calamari, clams, shrimp, mussels and lobster, cooked in a red sauce and served over spaghetti. It was delicious and we cleaned the large plate.
Also hard to resist special was the Homemade Short Rib Ravioli in a classic Barolo wine reduction. The fresh pasta, filled with braised beef, sat in a rich brown sauce, and was topped with fresh parmesan cheese. Highly recommended.
Our friends chose two dishes from the regular menu: a Chicken Scarpariello with red peppers and a Branzino Mediterraneo served with arugula, peppers and sauteed zucchini. Everyone was pleased with their selections.
Zuppa di PescaWe will have to go back to try some of their homemade pasta dishes including the signature Spaghettoni Padre Pio, which includes garlic confit, datterini (sweet cherry tomatoes from Puglia), eggplant caponata and imported burrata cheese from Italy.
Though we were stuffed we couldn’t resist a tartufo for dessert – a generous helping of several layered flavors of ice cream covered in a hard chocolate shell.
And what of Padre Pio? Why the name? He is a legendary Capuchin priest who was known for performing miracles. Perhaps he is the inspiration for the restaurant’s chef Andrea Ingenito, who performs miracles of his own in the kitchen of Osteria Padre Pio.
Osteria Padre Pio
Short Rib Ravioli
501 Halstead Avenue
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
(914) 380-8704
Osteriapadrepio.com
Monday …… 3PM-9PM
Tuesday …… CLOSED
Wednesday …… 3PM-9PM
Thursday …… 3PM-9PM
Friday …… 3PM-10PM
Saturday …… 3PM-10PM
Sunday …… 12PM-9PM
The Most Popular Books of 2023
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 689
The Scarsdale Library has posted a fun feature on their website.
Check out their grid of the books that were checked out the most during 2023. And click on each title to put your copy on hold to read it yourself.
Click on the graphic of the most circulated books here:
The page on the library site explains:
Most Checked Out Titles of 2023
At the end of each year we are all besieged by lists singling out the best in every genre - best movies, best books, best TV series, etc. While these suggestions are certainly valid sources for recommendations, in our community of avid readers you can also find inspiration in the titles your neighbors have selected over the past year. Listed below are some of the books that have flown off our library shelves most frequently in 2023. Click on the book jacket to be taken to the link. Happy New Year and happy reading!
Fine Parisian Fare on Scarsdale Avenue
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2193
It was big news when the Metro Diner on Scarsdale Avenue was transformed from a coffee spot to a high-end eatery and I have been anxious to see what’s inside since the opening in September.
But Micheline was an immediate hit and securing a table was not easy. After I attempted and failed to get reservation for a few weekends it slipped off my radar. However, this week, when I was free on Wednesday night I checked RESY and found that I could get in.
And what a pleasant surprise. First the space was truly reimagined. Looking at it today it’s hard to conjure up the former diner which is now an elegant French bistro. There’s a beamed lacquered ceiling, banquette seating, brass lighting and a well-stocked, back lit bar. And even more surprising was the fact that the restaurant was full, bustling with business on a school night in Scarsdale.
We got a warm greeting from Jonathan Aubrey the managing partner who runs the show in front of the house. He escorted us to a roomy circular table and joked, “Can I bring you a Corfu salad or a chicken Caeser wrap?” It took us a minute to realize that he was referring to Metro Diner’s legendary menu.
There was a tempting bar selection with cocktails I would like to sample on my next weekend visit, and a healthy wine list too.
Escargot
We chatted to Aubrey to find out how this young man had come to open his own upscale restaurant in a town that has challenged many restauranteurs for years. First, why French food? Aubrey said that he had spent the first few years of his life in Scarsdale – but when his parents split up, he went with him mother to spend the rest of his childhood in Paris. There he developed the taste of a Francophile. After college at the University of Pennsylvania he tried his hand at the retail business in the training program at Bloomingdales but decided that was not his passion. From there he moved into restaurant management, gaining experience at Eleven Madison Park and Simon and the Whale.
Fast forward, he got married, started a family and decided to move back to Scarsdale. He quickly realized that there was great demand for good food and limited choices in town. After securing the Metro Diner he embarked on a major renovation and redesign of the space and partnered with chef Joshua Capone to embark on planning Micheline on Scarsdale Avenue.
Butter lettuce saladWe asked Aubrey to help us select the best of the best from the menu and we followed his recommendations. For starters we chose the Butter Lettuce Salad with goat cheese, and pears in a pomegranate reduction. The herb dressing was light, the salad was crisp and well complemented by sweet pears and tangy goat cheese.
The Spanish Mackeral on Toast was topped with saved radishes, arugula and pesto. The fish was cured and tasty and it was a light and tasty appetizer. Upon Aubrey’s urging, we also sampled the escargot. These arrived out of the shell, in a flavorful sauce of parsley, garlic and lemon. I must admit I had not gravitated toward snails – but this is an outstanding dish to accompany your wine or cocktail.
The entrees include a Chicken with Herbs de Provence, Honey Brined Pork, a Micheline Burger and a new Hazelnut Dusted Hake. We went for the Steak Au Poivre – which can be made with your choice of flank steak, strip steak or filet mignon. My dining companion was particular about how she liked the steak cooked and it arrived perfectly done – charred on the outside, slightly pink on the inside and encrusted in a tasty peppercorn crust. The fries on the side were hard to resist.
Wild Striped Bass
Another outstanding dish was the Wild Striped Bass that was served with red flint grits, Swiss chard, leeks and honey nut squash. We also enjoyed a side of sweet and buttery rainbow carrots with chives.
For dessert we were tempted by the crème brulee, warm apple tarte, warm bittersweet chocolate tart, the Baba Au Rum and the homemade ice creams but agreed we had better save those for our next visit…. which will be soon!
We left the restaurant and expected to step out onto the Boulevard Saint-Germaine. Alas we were still on Scarsdale Avenue.
So if you’re yearning for a vacation – or just a good dinner, check out Micheline…. for Parisian food, easy parking and a warm welcome.
Micheline
878 Scarsdale Avenue
Scarsdale
Dinner Wednesday – Sunday from 5:30 pm to 10 pm
Click here for reservations
Steak Au Poivre
