Most of us have a long list of things we'd like to do—get more exercise, keep a cleaner house, spend money more responsibly, and deal with e-mail more effectively. But it's notoriously hard to change behavior when it comes to such tiresome chores. On the other hand, a compelling computer game can inspire you to stay up late at night trying to complete a tricky, and essentially pointless, task.
Several successful startup companies, including Foursquare and SCVNGR, have harnessed the principles at work in games—so-called "game dynamics"—to motivate people to perform particular location-based tasks. And there is growing interest in finding other ways to harness game dynamics.
However, one startup's experience shows that game dynamics can be an unpredictable, and sometimes blunt, tool. Baydin, which makes plugins for Outlook and Gmail, is testing an e-mail game designed to help people achieve "inbox zero"—the state in which the user has dealt with all of his or her messages.
To read the full, original article click on this link: How Many Points for Inbox Zero? - Technology Review
Author: Erica Naone
