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How companies 'game' us into logging in and paying up : The Indicator from Planet Money "Gamification" as we know it has become increasingly common since the late 2000s. And proponents say adding game-like features to non-game activities — especially boring ones — can make us healthier, happier, and more productive. But Adrian Hon, who has made a career out of 'gamifying' mundane activities like jogging, says the trend has gone awry. Today on the show, Adrian argues that companies are using gamification to confuse, manipulate, or coerce people into doing things they wouldn't have done otherwise.

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The Indicator from Planet Money

Are you being tricked into working harder?

Are you being tricked into working harder?

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An Uber driver arrives to pick up a passenger in Chicago, Illinois.

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Since the late 2000s, companies and organizations have been experimenting with gamification - combining game-like features with non-game activities. In schools, it's been used as a tool to help students learn more easily. And in the workplace, employers are using it to try and make their employees more productive. But, Adrian Hon believes there could be a dark side to this "gamification" trend.

Adrian was an early adopter of gamification with his app, "Zombies, Run!" which makes jogging more fun, by making you think you're being chased by zombies. But, he argues in his new book You've Been Played that governments, businesses, and institutions are using gamification as a way to exploit workers.

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