Seriously, games.

Chris Messina, Losing my religion:

I will say this: I’m an advocate for open source and open standards because I believe that open ecosystems — i.e. those with low barriers to entry (low startup costs; low friction to launch; public infrastructure for sustaining productivity) — are essential for competition at the level of user experience.

It may seem paradoxical, but open systems in which secretive design processes are used can result in better solutions, overall.

Thus when I talk about openness, I really mean openness from an economic/competitive perspective.

And how will we construct “open systems” using “secretive design processes”?

Games.

Seriously. Games:

  • A bounded set of social interactions that promote and incent gestures, behaviors and actions,
  • To build individual status and social capital,
  • Defined by a system of rules (i.e. game mechanics) and implicit and explicit economic incentives,
  • Leveraging the power of mystery, positive intermittent variable reinforcement and the serendipity behind “human collisions”,
  • Wrapped in a user-friendly design,
  • Creating an embedded holistic accounting system that captures unvalued externalities (i.e. broad value, not narrow profit; humanity, not massconomy),
  • … the secret to reconstructing capitalism.

Right?

Hello, I'm Taylor Davidson.
I'm an early-stage VC and a photographer. If you liked this post, please subscribe to this blog. For more like this, check out the archives, and follow me on Twitter @tdavidson.
  • http://www.ethanbauley.com Ethan Bauley

    Ya I think so :-)

  • http://www.taylordavidson.com/writing/ Taylor Davidson

    Haha… I'll admit it's a reach; but stretches in thought are fun :)

  • http://factoryjoe.com factoryjoe

    Hmm. But that's like including the word you're defining in your definition… How can you achieve good design if it requires a game “wrapped in a user-friendly design”? That's kind of the problem that I want to solve! ;)

  • http://www.ethanbauley.com Ethan Bauley

    I'm in new jersey right now watching “big brother”, you ever seen?
    Great “game dynamics”!!!

  • http://www.taylordavidson.com/writing/ Taylor Davidson

    Ok, not all games; point taken :)

  • http://www.taylordavidson.com/writing/ Taylor Davidson

    Good catch, it is a bit of a recursive thought.

    As you know, the problem you're looking to solve isn't just design, but how to structure, guide and incent the collaboration of the masses, with the recognition that some centralization (“benevolent dictatorship”) is necessary.

    It's a tough conflict I've been fighting through in my mind as well, although you've been dealing with it much deeper and longer than me.

    I just believe we can learn some lessons in bridging open/closed systems by understanding game mechanics. I'll admit it's a bit of a stretch, but stretches are fun :)

  • http://www.ethanbauley.com Ethan Bauley

    I don't remember what I said yesterday but I was serious about big bro

    Also I was playing sim city yesterday and it's got some great
    complicated rules

  • http://www.ethanbauley.com Ethan Bauley

    I don’t remember what I said yesterday but I was serious about big brornrnAlso I was playing sim city yesterday and it’s got some great rncomplicated rules

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