it seems difficult to conclude otherwise...love it or hate it, "gamification" is becoming "the way." yes, of course game mechanics tap into basic human psychology and have been used for years to get people to buy stuff and perhaps to do more than they would have done without the "game." but as the article demonstrates, the money-makers are catching on to ways to make it even more prevalent and more widely applicable. there is another ton of evidence just a few Google searches away.... not just the money-makers, but the movers-n-shakers as well: US Govt's "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top" for examples. and in education. not educational games, but real gamification of the school curriculum. i am trying to persuade educators and educational theorists to embrace the change and incorporated the game dynamics into the curriculum....to help transform the drudgery of traditional school learning into a challenging and rewarding set of interactions, behaviors, and progressions that make schooling more relevant to life, more fun, and less of a beatdown for so many students. i am a high school math teacher and curriculum theorist. i'd like to contribute to getting this education thing right! RKing