C. Thi Nguyen

C. Thi Nguyen, a philosophy professor and author of The Score who studies games and play, explores how scoring and metrics have seeped into work and life. He explains why we keep score, how metrics can replace richer values, and the difference between playing to win and playing for the joy of struggle. The conversation looks at historical roots of quantification and practical ways to resist value capture.

C. Thi Nguyen, a philosopher specializing in the ethics of games, dives deep into the hidden dangers of modern scoring systems. He explores how social media and metrics can distort our values, transforming rich experiences into mere numbers. Nguyen challenges us to question the 'games' we participate in and highlights the pitfalls of 'value capture.' He advocates for playfulness and reflective control to reclaim our agency, suggesting that we should design our own rules that align with our true values. It's a thought-provoking discussion on finding meaning amid the metrics.

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.

C. Thi Nguyen, a games researcher and associate professor at the University of Utah, explores the fascinating world of scoring systems in our lives. He reveals how these metrics, while motivating in games, can diminish our value and experiences when applied outside gaming. Nguyen discusses the detrimental effects of rankings on personal purpose, illustrating the gap between meaningful human values and what is easily measurable. With intriguing examples from education to health care, he advocates for reflective control over our engagement with these systems.

C. Thi Nguyen, philosopher and author of The Score, explores how rankings and simple metrics can replace our deeper values. He contrasts playful, self-chosen scoring with institutional metrics that hijack meaning. Short, lively takes cover climbing, gamification, screen time, healthcare quotas, and why some measurements make life feel emptier.