Ludification of Culture: Effects on Everyday Life Practices

Running head: LUDIFICATION OF CULTURE
LUDIFICATION OF CULTURE
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1LUDIFICATION OF CULTURE
Ludic society is a vision related to ludification of play that has become increasingly
dominant as a mode of participation in communication, leisure or in study even while at work or
in maintaining of social relationships1. The companion concept of lucid society is a mindset of
playful nature. It is the way playfulness encourages testing and creative problem solving- not
only in entertainment games but also in everyday lives. The term gamification is a parallel
concept that highlights the different methods through which the elements of game and the
principles of gamefulness are utilized in designing services and products. In recent years, the
ludification of culture in general has gained notable significance. The essay aims to argue that
ludification or gamification of culture in terms of its effects on everyday life practices is actually
a marketing strategy.
Ludification of culture has become a strategic concept in order to understand and make
sense of current changes in contemporary culture. In their work titled Rethinking Gamification,
authors Mathias Fuchs, Sonia Fizek, Paolo Ruffino and Niklas Schrape explain gamification in
two ways. The first is that “gamification is the general process in which games and playful
experiences are understood as essential components of society and culture”2. They further
explain that it is largely possible the playful games are in fact inspired by the real life situations
and characters. Joost Raessens further explains that computer games have largely transformed
the “understanding of and the actual construction of personal and cultural identities”3. The author
states that technologies such as mobile phones along with internet and the computer games have
1Frissen, Valerie, Sybille Lammes, Michiel de Lange, Jos de Mul, and Joost Raessens, eds. Playful identities: The
ludification of digital media cultures. Amsterdam University Press, 2015.
2 Raessens, Joost. 2014. “The Ludification of Culture.” In Rethinking Gamification, edited by Mathias Fuchs, Sonia
Fizek, Paolo Ruffino and Niklas Schrape, 91-114. Luneburg: Meson Press. Retrieved from: http://meson.press/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/9783957960016-rethinking-gamification.pdf
3 Raessens, Joost. 2014. “The Ludification of Culture.” In Rethinking Gamification, edited by Mathias Fuchs, Sonia
Fizek, Paolo Ruffino and Niklas Schrape, 91-114. Luneburg: Meson Press. Retrieved from: http://meson.press/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/9783957960016-rethinking-gamification.pdf

2LUDIFICATION OF CULTURE
stimulated playful goals and facilitated the “construction of playful identities”. This has caused
the ludification of culture in the contemporary era.
Although video games or computer games are attracting attention, it is not the only
example of the ludification process. The emergence of the digitized world has resulted in the
increase in the number of people spending time in the digital space4. This is quite evident in the
everyday practices of people. From booking a cab to ordering pizza, from playing online
multiplayer games to participating in games shows, people now dedicate much of their time to
the digital world. However, not all agree that people are engaged in digital spaces but some argue
that those who benefit from making people engage in such practices. According to PJ Patella-
Rey, ludification or gamification are discussed by people in the business world more than those
who are related in any way to the gaming field. The author states that gamification has become
such a trend in the business world that a coveted magazine like Forbes has more articles
dedicated to gamification than the New York Times or even Wired5. The business giants are
interested in this because the gaming market is now a 25 billion dollar industry. Therefore, there
is no surprise in it that the businesspersons are more interested in gamification than others are.
Gamification is the one of the specific parts of the ludification of culture. In an attempt to
explain gamification more clearly, author K.M. Kapps clarifies that games and gamification are
two distinct concepts6. Learning games use original games to teach the players wherein the
learners are aware that they are in the game. On the other hand, gamification uses only certain
elements of gaming and learners only participate in various activities like earning points in
4 Koch, Gertraud, ed. Digitisation: Theories and Concepts for Empirical Cultural Research. Taylor & Francis, 2017.
5 Rey, P.J. 2012. “Gamification, Playbor and Exploitation”. Cyborgology, October 15, 2012. Retrieved from:
http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2012/10/15/gamification-playbor-exploitation-2/
6 Kapp, K. M. "What is gamification." The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and
Strategies for Training and Education (2012): 1-23.