How to Beat the Gamification of Our Lives with C. Thi Nguyen

The scoring mechanics of video games are ostensibly how the player is directed to have fun. Scores put interesting bounds on the experience of play, lead to creative solutions, and even inspire entirely new models of play, like speed running a video game. But when systems of metrics are applied to our actual lives, it’s… not as nice. “Gamification” is just one symptom of our society’s obsession with metrics, and while we tend to like to see Number Go Up, attempting to maximize our “scores” in various aspects of life only seems to make us unhappy. This week, Adam talks with C. Thi Nguyen, a professor of philosophy at the University of Utah and author of The Score: How to Stop Playing Someone Else’s Game. Together they unpack the hidden ways that metrics are used to control thought and limit perception of worth, and the life-affirming value of looking beyond the systems assembled around us. Find Thi's book at factuallypod.com/books -- SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: SEE ADAM ON TOUR:

You can listen to How to Beat the Gamification of Our Lives with C. Thi Nguyen online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How to Beat the Gamification of Our Lives with C. Thi Nguyen is an episode from Factually! with Adam Conover by Headgum.

This episode is 01:32:14 long.

This episode was published on Feb 11, 2026.

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