I definitely think gamification is in a hype stage right now. Some people seem to think it fix anything and others are happy to take their money. Gamification is young and no one has a good grasp of what it actually is or how it can best be applied.
I like the idea that it can act as a better source of feedback. I think the Stack Exchange sites do a good of this. It obviously works - HN itself moved to make karma less noticeable because it was altering behaviors so much. The key will be to figure out how to best harness it apply it to a worthwhile end. We're working to use gamification to help people learn new systems faster, understand what is expected of them, and drive business goals. It's working pretty well towards those goals so far.
I like the idea that it can act as a better source of feedback. I think the Stack Exchange sites do a good of this. It obviously works - HN itself moved to make karma less noticeable because it was altering behaviors so much. The key will be to figure out how to best harness it apply it to a worthwhile end. We're working to use gamification to help people learn new systems faster, understand what is expected of them, and drive business goals. It's working pretty well towards those goals so far.