Samuel Liberty
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Bringing rigor and responsibility to how games are used in real-world contexts
Samuel Liberty is a gamification expert, applied game designer, and consultant whose work spans healthcare, education, and public-sector innovation. His clients include The World Bank, Click Therapeutics, and DARPA, where he has designed games and systems that support behavior change, learning, and ethical decision-making. Sam teaches game design at Northeastern University and previously served as Lead Game Designer at Sidekick Health. He is the creator of the ETHIC framework for ethical gamification design and the WOW framework for badge and achievement systems.Â
Ethical Gamification
This session challenges the uncomfortable truth that gamification is often used to manipulate rather than support learners. Sparked by a real moment when Samuel Liberty saw a predatory app target his own child, the session reframes what responsible gamification should look like in learning, health, and engagement systems.
Samuel introduces the ETHIC framework, a practical model for designing gamification that prioritizes user autonomy, trust, and long-term value. Participants will explore the psychology behind dark patterns, examine the difference between “black hat” and ethical gamification techniques, and learn how to design systems that motivate without coercion or exploitation. This is not an anti-gamification talk. It is a call to design with care, intention, and responsibility.
Takeaway: Gamification is powerful. Ethics determine whether that power helps or harms.
