kill switch everything’s a game… even baptisms
Jan 14, 2026
In this engaging conversation, philosopher C. Thi Nguyen uncovers the nuances of gamification and how it impacts our lives. He argues that scoring systems often hijack deeper values, transforming meaningful experiences into mere metrics. They explore examples like gamified baptisms and corporate leaderboards, revealing how these systems can misdirect our goals. Nguyen also discusses the addictive nature of play versus its potential for meaningful engagement, offering insights on how to reframe scoring systems to align with personal values and community needs.
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Scoring Systems Reshape What We Value
- Gamification centralizes behavior around a clear scoring system that reshapes motivations.
- C. Thi Nguyen shows scores can free play or collapse complex values into single targets.
Value Capture Collapses Complex Goals
- Value capture happens when rich goals collapse into simplified, countable targets.
- Nguyen explains this flips motivations from intrinsic reasons to hitting external metrics.
Leaderboard Baptisms Changed Sermons
- A pastor described tuning sermons for a baptism leaderboard rather than spiritual growth.
- Nguyen uses this to show religious life can be gamified into metrics that distort purpose.
