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1. Embed this notice
   GuerillaGrue (guerillagrue@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:56:32 JST GuerillaGrue

   I know this is going to be an opinion that a lot of people disagree with, but hear me out:

   If you're going to "game-ify" your service... make it optional.

   I'm not talking "you can just ignore it" optional. I'm not talking "just don't take it seriously" optional.

   No. Let me disable it.

   I want to use DuoLingo and NOT know what my ranking is or who my stuff is being compared to or what my score is? Let me.

   I want to disable achievements on my Xbox or Steam? Let me.

   It's not that hard.

   1/2

   • GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     GuerillaGrue (guerillagrue@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:56:42 JST GuerillaGrue

     in reply to

     2/2

     I understand why companies do this. They consider the competition inherent in such social comparisons to be beneficial to their "engagement."

     Sure, okay. Whatever.

     That doesn't make that competitive or comparative drive in all your users *healthy* though, for either the users themselves, or for your service.

     "Game-ify"-ing things often has the same negative impact as any other "engagement" incentive: it takes something someone should like doing and makes it a job, not a joy.

     Fudge that.

   • Embed this notice
     GuerillaGrue (guerillagrue@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:57:08 JST GuerillaGrue

     in reply to

     • Sasha Göbbels 🐿️

     @sashag

     Most businesses (in my experience) hate competition when it comes to the business itself, but love it when it comes to their employees, mostly because they always see that competition as a way to squeeze more out of their workers while short-changing them at every opportunity.

     Then again, going down THAT rabbit hole will lead to a whole socioeconomic discussion I am entirely too short on spoons to handle right now, since it's 3 AM and I should be in bed :)

   • Embed this notice
     Sasha Göbbels 🐿️ (sashag@chaosfem.tw)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:57:09 JST Sasha Göbbels 🐿️

     in reply to

     @GuerillaGrue "No progress without competition" is one of the worst management strategies I know. Whenever I work with teams (which is my job) I make sure, they can work without competition.

     I once saw a job posting for an engineering manager and they quoted the credo of their CTO, which was "the best team wins". Thank you, I'm out.

     GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     GuerillaGrue (guerillagrue@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:57:10 JST GuerillaGrue

     in reply to

     • Sasha Göbbels 🐿️

     @sashag

     Same!

     Nothing annoys me more than when people insist that competition is always beneficial or, worse yet, EVER necessary.

   • Embed this notice
     Sasha Göbbels 🐿️ (sashag@chaosfem.tw)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:57:11 JST Sasha Göbbels 🐿️

     in reply to

     @GuerillaGrue As someone who wholeheartedly hates any form of competition: thank you!

     "Comparison is the death of joy." (Mark Twain)

   • Embed this notice
     GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) (greenskyoverme@ohai.social)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 15:59:05 JST GreenSkyOverMe (Monika)

     in reply to

     @GuerillaGrue In Duolingo I made my profile private so I don’t have the leagues anymore, they were so distracting - getting me to do fast simple lessons instead of what would have been sensible