When “Play” Becomes “Strategy”: Finding the Soul in Gamification
Nov 04, 2025It started with a post in our GamiCon inner circle from Christian Gossan about Harvard Business Review’s recent release: Press Play: Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy, by Bastian Bergmann.
The description promises an “eye-opening look at the rapidly rising growth of gaming” and how companies like Peloton, Burberry, the New York Times, and BMW are “using games to win over customers.”
But one comment from our Inner Circle stopped the scroll.
Artrell Williams said, “I wished he hadn’t called it ‘gaming’.”
That sparked Frank Parker to add:
“Yes, I had a similar sense. I think that sense is reflected in the original term ‘gamification,’ first used by Nick Pelling in commenting about the takeover of video games in our culture. This new piece may clarify how the language of ‘play’ has been captured by the language of ‘control.’
When ‘gaming’ becomes strategy, it is no longer about freedom, but about predictable loops of behavior that produce engagement metrics. Even the vocabulary has migrated: from ‘play’ (an experience) to ‘game’ (a structure, closed world) to ‘gamification’ (a design method) to ‘gaming strategy’ (a management doctrine). Each step loses a little soul.”
Each step loses a little soul.
That line lingers.
Because at Sententia, soul is precisely what we fight to preserve in the world of learning and engagement.
We don’t design “gaming strategies.”
We design playful experiences that create meaning, mastery, and motivation.
Where others see “users,” we see learners.
Where others optimize for metrics, we aim for transformation.
Play, when done right, is not manipulation. It’s liberation.
It’s curiosity unleashed.
It’s connection, discovery, and the kind of joyful engagement that awakens the human spirit.
That’s why our work at Sententia and GamiCon continues to champion the deliberate use of fun anchored in solid instructional design, behavioral psychology, and respect for the learner.
We invite you to be part of that movement.
Join the conversation.
Shape the future of learning with us.
Our community is migrating to an all-new platform inside Sententia World, where play meets purpose. You can get a 7-day free trial or become a full annual member and be first in line for the experience.
Join the Sententia World community today.
Because the future of play deserves soul.
Don't miss a beat!
New moves, motivation, and classes delivered to your inbox.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.