“In order for gamification to work well there's got to be an underlying experience that's actually good for the people and they know it if the gamification is used for you to watch more ads you may be successful shortterm but long term it's not going to work.”

Gamification Only Works If the Underlying Experience Is Genuinely Valuable

Anton warns against gamification as a manipulation layer on top of a mediocre product. Duolingo works because learning a language is intrinsically valuable; Sweatcoin works because walking is genuinely beneficial. When gamification serves an underlying experience users already believe in, the game mechanics amplify that belief. When gamification is purely extractive (designed to drive ad views or increase session time for its own sake), users eventually recognize it — and the backlash is proportional to how long they felt deceived.