C. Thi Nguyen: Enjoyment of activities should not be sacrificed for efficiency, the difference between games and activities is important, and social media games are a bad representation of participation.

Important takeaways

• Enjoying activities should not be sacrificed for success or high scores.
• Games are defined by willingly taking obstacles to create struggle.
• Not all life activities can be organized as sports.
• Activities differ from game activities in their goals and motivations.
• Intrinsic motivation is key to activities like mountain climbing, refusing shortcuts.
• Motivation separates sports from non-sports, focusing on the process rather than the outcome.
• Social media ratings influence behavior without being true sports.
• Scoring systems in games provide objective performance ratings.
• Scoring systems can misrepresent the complexity of communication and creativity.
• Metrics often replace few insights with simplified measures.
• Externalizing values ​​can lead to a lack of personal understanding.
• Health and well-being metrics are context dependent and difficult to measure.

Guest introduction

UC. Thi Nguyen is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah. He is the author of Games: Agency as Art, which examines games as an art form that focuses on human agency and struggle. His latest book, The Score, explores how scores and metrics capture our values ​​and reshape what matters most.

A balance between fun and efficiency

• “The fun of the game should not be sacrificed for success or high scores.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Efficiency often conflicts with the intrinsic joy of work.
• “I find it painful … but you have to do it because you catch a lot of fish.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• The pursuit of high scores can defeat the original purpose of the job.
• Efficiency-driven approaches may lead to a loss of meaning in recreational activities.
• A balance between enjoyment and efficiency is essential for maintaining motivation.
• “What’s the goddamn point?” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Understanding this balance is the key to satisfaction in both sports and life.

Explaining sports and their role in life

• “Sports involve willingly taking on unnecessary obstacles to create opportunities for struggle.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• The definition of games helps to analyze behavior and choices in life.
• Not all activities can be considered sports, the challenge is to balance life.
• “I don’t think everything is a game.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Sports are different from other activities in life based on their motivations.
• The philosophical explanation of games applies to various aspects of life.
• Games create opportunities for struggle and personal growth.
• Understanding the role of games in life can improve decision-making and engagement.

The difference between practical and recreational activities

• “The world just quickly splits into what you call normal normal work and game work.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Practical activities focus on efficiency and goal achievement.
• Game activities emphasize fun and challenge.
• “In a normal working job there is a certain goal you want and you just do it as efficiently as possible.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• The distinction helps to analyze the motives behind the actions.
• Understanding these differences is important in assessing value in different contexts.
• Practical tasks prioritize results, while game tasks value process.
• Recognizing these differences can improve satisfaction in a variety of ways.

Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation in activities

• “A sport climber will reject a helicopter.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Intrinsic motivation focuses on process rather than immediate rewards.
• The mountain climbing metaphor shows both internal and external motivation.
• Intrinsic motivation enhances the enjoyment and meaning of work.
• Extrinsic rewards can interfere with the satisfaction of achieving goals.
• Understanding the types of motivation can improve engagement in various activities.
• Rejecting shortcuts highlights the importance of intrinsic motivation.
• The distinction between motives is important for personal fulfillment.

The impact of gamification on social media

• “Social media operates like a game machine, especially with its scoring systems.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Gamification influences behavior without being true games.
• Scoring systems encourage behavior in game-like ways.
• “It’s not a serious game, it’s just a game.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Social media gamification can negatively impact user engagement.
• Understanding this impact is important in analyzing the impact of social media.
• Scoring systems shape users’ perceptions of effectiveness and value.
• The difference between real games and gamified systems is important.

The role of scoring systems in games and social interaction

• “A clear scoring system in games provides a more accurate measure of performance.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Scoring systems eliminate ambiguity in competition.
• “Real games have a lot of those, but you don’t have to have them.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Scoring systems create clarity and consistency in competitive conditions.
• The role of scoring systems is relevant to both sports and social media.
• Scoring systems can misrepresent the complexity of communication and creativity.
• Understanding the impact of points systems is critical to evaluating engagement.
• Scoring systems influence perceptions of success and value.

Limitations of quantitative metrics

• “Rating metrics can be misleading if used improperly.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Metrics often lack the context necessary for proper understanding.
• “The problem comes when we don’t like to find the right or balance.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Quantitative metrics can obscure important qualitative aspects.
• Understanding the limitations of metrics is essential to making informed decisions.
• Metrics can replace little understanding with simplified measures.
• The balance between quality and price details is important.
• Recognizing the limitations of metrics can improve decision-making and understanding.

The influence of values ​​and outsourcing decisions

• “Exclusionary values ​​lead to people’s lack of understanding of what is really important.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• External value systems can influence individuals and priorities.
• “You have no sense of what is important to you.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Outsourcing decisions can lead to meaningless actions.
• Understanding what value outsourcing means is important for personal development.
• External influences can shape personal values ​​and decisions.
• Realizing the impact of outsourcing can improve personal satisfaction.
• A balance between external and personal values ​​is essential for satisfaction.

The impact of social scoring systems

• “The scoring systems we work with can control us or act as tools for our own gain.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Social metrics influence individual behavior and decision making.
• “Many goal scoring systems in the world have a big impact on us.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Recognizing the impact of social metrics is critical to personal agency.
• Social scoring systems can impact personal goals and satisfaction.
• Understanding what external metrics mean can improve personal fulfillment.
• A balance between societal expectations and personal goals is important.
• Navigating social metrics requires awareness and practice.

A role to play in navigating social pressures

• “Gaming can help people distance themselves from social scoring systems.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Play encourages the shift of mind to joy and creativity.
• “Playing is a habit that can help you stay away from yourself.” – C. Thi Nguyen
• Understanding the role of play is critical to dealing with metrics-driven environments.
• Play allows flexibility in defining rules and engagement.
• Realizing the impact of play can improve satisfaction and creativity.
• Play can reduce the pressures of social metrics.
• Encouraging play can improve engagement and personal satisfaction.