In recent years, gamification—the use of game-like elements such as points, badges, leaderboards, and streaks in non-game contexts—has exploded across digital platforms, education, fitness apps, workplace software, and social media. While gamification is often promoted as a motivational tool, critics argue that it functions as a sophisticated form of manipulation and surveillance, subtly shaping user behavior while extracting personal data.
In a well-argued essay of 1,700–2,000 words, analyze the extent to which gamification operates as a mechanism of behavioral control and digital surveillance. Using at least four credible sources—ranging from documentaries (e.g., The Social Dilemma), essays (e.g., Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism), or journalistic and scholarly articles—develop an argument that either supports or challenges the claim that gamification is not just playful engagement, but a system of psychological manipulation and covert monitoring.
Your essay should include:
- A clear thesis statement
- Analysis of at least two real-world examples of gamified platforms (e.g., Duolingo, Fitbit, ClassDojo, Uber)
- Discussion of the ethical implications of behavioral nudging and data extraction
- Consideration of counterarguments and a rebuttal
Is gamification enhancing human agency—or quietly eroding it?
Cinemorphosis 
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