Latest news with #gamification
GSM Arena
30-07-2025
- GSM Arena
TikTok launches Well-being Missions in a bid to get you to spend more time on TikTok
TikTok knows how addictive it can become for people, and so it's been spending a lot of time trying to convince us that it wants to help mitigate that. The latest example of this in action is its announcement today of "Well-being Missions", described as "a series of short, engaging missions designed to help people develop long-term balanced digital habits". And you learn about balanced digital habits by engaging in gamified missions, since the concept of irony is yet to be invented at TikTok HQ, apparently. So you'll collect badges that "encourage and reinforce mindful behaviors" because that's definitely the point of being mindful - having a badge that you can brag about. The first set, TikTok says (of missions, we assume), focuses on awareness of its Digital Well-being tools, "but that's only the start". It threatens (sorry, promises) to build even more of these missions "in the coming months". TikTok says it's seen "encouraging levels of interest" in this feature, as "nearly 40% of people who came across the entry point chose to explore Well-being Missions" even with no in-app promotion of it. TikTok clearly isn't aware that well over 40% of people driving next to a car crash will slow down and look at it, which doesn't actually mean car crashes are a well received feature of roads. TikTok says it's building "a new in-app experience focused on digital well-being", because it knows that for the sake of its bottom line it can't outright tell people to stop using it, so instead we get a bunch of features that only serve to keep you on the app more. Coming soon: breathing exercises, calming audio tracks, and "screen time insights" to help people "pause, recharge, and use TikTok intentionally" (seriously). All of these will join the naturally already available meditation feature. In TikTok. Source
Reuters
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Lucra and Playground Productions Partner to Launch Online Tournaments for Backyard Sports Players Across the U.S.
NEW YORK, NY, July 21, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- Lucra, opens new tab, the leading social competition platform, today announced a partnership with childrenʼs and family entertainment company Playground Productions, opens new tab, to integrate its white-label gamification software into the iconic Backyard Sports franchise. The collaboration will introduce free-to-play digital tournaments, enabling players across the United States to compete against others in the Backyard Sports community for the chance to win exclusive rewards. The integration taps into the hunger for nostalgic, interpersonal experiences through a modern digital lens—making it even easier for players to build community and play socially. Whether itʼs challenging old friends or new ones through interactive tournaments, the addition of Lucra reinforces Backyard Sportsʼs mission to deliver accessible, family-friendly fun that transcends generations. 'The Backyard Sports are beloved games that truly shaped how many of us first connected over sports and everyday fun,ˮ said Dylan Robbins, CEO of Lucra. 'Weʼre excited to partner with them to bring social competition to their fans in a new, digital-native way. This collaboration shows just how adaptable our platform is for partners looking to deepen engagement, reward loyal users, and build authentic communities through play.ˮ For Backyard Sports, the partnership represents an investment in modern, behavior-driven customer engagement. By leveraging Lucraʼs technology, the franchise can reward players for participating in fun, social experiences that drive loyalty and ongoing connection with the brand. 'Lucraʼs technology aligns perfectly with our vision for Backyard Sportsʼ future in combining nostalgia with modern features that keep our fans coming back, and we look forward to continuing to deliver on our singular focus: our fans,ˮ said Lindsay Barnett, CEO of Playground Productions. Through this partnership, Lucra continues its expansion into digital gaming and entertainment, demonstrating the flexibility of its technology to support a wide variety of applications and industries. By meeting gamers where they are, Lucra is rapidly growing its addressable market and broadening its brand appeal among digital-first audiences. With launch planned in the coming months, both companies aim to deliver a best-in-class social competition layer that reminds everyone of the joy of competition and makes every game more meaningful and rewarding for players. About Lucra Lucra provides white-label gamification software that helps brands drive visitation, build customer loyalty, and unlock new revenue. Our technology encourages your users to engage in social tournaments, group play, and peer-to-peer challenges directly within your existing experience. We handle all payments, compliance, and risk management, allowing you to quickly implement our solution to drive more traffic, increase user engagement, and generate new revenue. Lucra powers gamification for top entertainment, hospitality, and consumer brands, including Dave & Buster's, Five Iron Golf, Puttshack, TouchTunes, and more. For more information, visit opens new tab. About Playground Productions Playground Productions is a children's and family company focused on making best-in-class film, television, digital media, and video games. By leveraging the top technology, talent, and character IP, Playground creates content that celebrates the joy of play for kids and kids at heart. Playground is best known for reviving the iconic Backyard Sports franchise and remastering classic titles like Backyard Baseball '97 and Backyard Baseball '01. Learn more at opens new tab. Media Contact Michael Maddingmichael@ ### SOURCE: Lucra Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire
Russia Today
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Prof. Schlevogt's Compass No. 19: Kiev's kill game – Bloodshed with a bonus
Imagine a scenario in which a depraved regime turns killing into a game. In this hypothetical scenario, Russian soldiers now earn points for every Ukrainian life they take, every kit they destroy – redeemable on a slick, Amazon-style shopping platform. Murder has become currency; atrocity, a means to accessorize. This isn't war; it's a grotesque loyalty scheme for bloodshed, where the battlefield doubles as a leaderboard: Rack up enough kills, and you'll win a sleek toaster, hi-def flatscreen, or gleaming Kalashnikov – free shipping included. The Kremlin has gamified slaughter, turning soldiers into players in a macabre contest where brutality is incentivized and humanity discarded. This brave-new-world system doesn't just cheapen life; it annihilates the moral core of a nation – the sacred soil that bore Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Tchaikovsky. It rewards the worst instincts, transforming soldiers into mercenary executioners who chase bonus points for corpses. Russia has institutionalized a commerce of killing, where war crimes are tallied like sales figures, and death feeds consumerism. It is a state-engineered descent into barbarism 2.0, which must be denounced without caveat, without delay, without mercy. Silence in the face of such systemic savagery is complicity. The world must speak, clearly and ferociously. Cut. You're right: that entire invective account is purely fictional. Yet, hauntingly, it feels all too real – exactly the kind of blistering, warped critique Russia would face if it engaged in what Ukraine actually does. Change 'Russia' to 'Ukraine,' and the truth is hard to miss: a double standard, plain and deliberate. A new Ukrainian point-for-kill scheme, where soldiers obtain rewards for confirmed enemy hits, has drawn lavish praise from the collective West. But it raises serious operational, psychological, and ethical concerns, lending some weight to Russian claims of ideological extremism in Ukraine. In light of Kiev's controversial moral choice to gamify killing, the moment has come to reaffirm a universal truth: even amid the horrors of war, the boundaries of humanity – the red line drawn in defense of the moral architecture of armed conflict, separating justice from mere vengeance – must remain inviolate. First piloted in 2024, Ukraine's 'Army of Drones: Bonus' system, or 'e-points', has become a key fixture on the battlefield, with 90–95% of combat units participating. It equips frontline units with drones (reportedly responsible for up to 70% of Russian casualties) and allows them to earn digital points – think loyalty rewards – for verified strikes on Russian soldiers and hardware. The logic is brutally simple: kill more, earn more. Each hit is recorded by drone, uploaded, and reviewed on oversized video panels by data analysts in Kiev, who assign points based on the target's type and military value, using two categories: hit and destroyed. The more critical the affected human or material asset, the higher the reward: damaging a tank nets twenty points, destroying it earns forty. Taking out a drone operator yields more rewards than simply hitting the drone. But the stakes soar tenfold when that operator is captured alive, because prisoners are currency in the delicate game of exchange. Digital points can be redeemed by soldiers on the 'Brave 1 Market,' a government-run procurement platform dubbed the 'Amazon for war,' featuring over 1,600 items, ranging from drones to field tech. The envisioned result of the direct orders from manufacturers: a seamless battlefield-to-market pipeline of military leaders in the collective West hail Ukraine's new reward system as a groundbreaking battlefield innovation forged by necessity: a digital-age solution for an all-out war of attrition to make the most of Ukraine's severely limited resources and outmaneuver a larger, better-equipped Russian adversary. Celebrated as a striking testament to Ukrainian ingenuity, the program is framed in stark contrast to what critics call Russia's strategic stagnation – a claim Moscow would certainly deride as a familiar and convenient strawman. At a time when exhaustion runs deep and conventional procurement struggles to keep pace, the e-points scheme aims to improve battlefield precision, boost morale, speed up supply, and make frontline units better equipped, while tightening the feedback loop between front-line action and command decisions. In a fight where every advantage counts, it is seen as smart, strategic, and ruthlessly efficient. By awarding soldiers points for confirmed killings and destroyed equipment, the program incentivizes performance. Commanders say it sharpens battlefield focus and accuracy: strike smarter, film everything, earn what you need. For weary warriors, the innovative program promises not only better tools, but something rare: direct rewards. 'Once we figured out how it works, it turned out to be quite a decent system,' said a soldier from the 22nd Mechanized Brigade. In a war where manpower is stretched thin and traditional supply lines strain, the points-driven program appears to create virtual buying power, offering troops a direct line to vital gear. Praised as fast, data-driven, and free of bureaucratic drag, the system reportedly lets soldiers get precisely what they need, when they need it. Commanders credit the program with helping units replenish losses and sustain pressure on Russian lines even as resources grow scarce. In the brutal, grinding conflict, Ukraine's new drone program is also seen as a strategic force multiplier – converting raw combat footage into valuable battlefield intelligence. Functioning as a real-time data engine, it mines drone videos to track enemy behavior and guide strategy. Point values are continuously adjusted, much like dynamic pricing for flights or hotels. When new threats emerge, such as Russian drone operators or patrols, the target value increases to incentivize priority striking. It is reasonable and fair to assume that information warriors in the collective West, so quick to lavish praise on Ukraine's innovation, would have voiced serious concerns, if not outright condemnation, had Russia launched the same electronic reward scheme. In truth, the spontaneous, gut-level reaction most people have to the idea of earning e-points for killstreaks is not admiration, but horror – a visceral recoil from chilling and inhuman cynicism and callousness. Operationally, the new digital warfare initiative has produced unintended consequences. Frontline reports describe troops jockeying for points in wasteful and chaotic ways: competing to claim kills, even targeting already disabled enemies just to inflate their tally. It is a textbook example of goal displacement: when intermediate targets, like point accumulation, supplant the true mission – in this case, peace – resulting in distorted priorities and systemic inefficiency. The reliance on drone footage to verify kills invites dysfunction: misattributed strikes, false claims based on doctored videos, and bitter disputes over who gets the credit. This internal rivalry threatens to undermine the crucially important cooperation and cohesion required in high-stakes combat zones to complete military missions. Add to this the psychological toll. Incentivizing lethal acts risks eroding the emotional guardrails that separate disciplined warriors from profit-driven mercenaries, numbing soldiers to violence, and deepening trauma. Some troops question the scheme's motivational power, noting that no number of points can erase their exhaustion, fear, and psychic damage fueling desertion and collapse in morale. From an ethical standpoint, frontline testimonies expose profound moral discomfort with the program's cold calculus, condemning it as a disturbing commodification of human life, where death is mechanized and priced. One soldier called it 'a twisted habit of turning everything into profit – even our own damned death.' In particular, critics may contend that capture is favored over killing not out of respect for the sanctity of life, but simply because living bodies fetch a higher price in the marketplace of prisoner exchanges. Commodification risks corroding the intrinsic values long associated with military service, replacing collective defense rooted in honor with individual gain driven by cold expediency, and in doing so, undermining the integrity of the incentive system itself. Adding an unsettling layer of quest and thrill, the gamification of killing raises red flags by blurring the once-sacred line between military necessity and cold-blooded trophy hunting, creating a dynamic uncomfortably reminiscent of Call of Duty or war as sport. By tying material rewards to lethal force in an adrenaline-spiking manner, the spectacular scheme risks turning brutal warfare into a twisted, entertaining contest – more akin to a video game than a solemn vocation. When blood earns points, points buy firepower, and deadlier gear, in true game-style, beckons at higher levels, violence spirals – programmed, monetized, and seemingly endless. The cycle is viciously simple: kill, upgrade, repeat. As the war grinds on, critics may well ask whether this cold, transactional approach – where lives are reduced to data points, tallied like scores, and converted into prizes traded for military kit – is a strategic breakthrough, or a dangerous moral surrender. From a legal standpoint, Ukraine's point-for-kill program may constitute a breach of international humanitarian law – meant to prevent war from descending into barbarism – particularly in its potential to incentivize unlawful targeting and undermine the core legal principles of distinction and proportionality. The Geneva Conventions prohibit material incentives for superfluous killing – acts exceeding military necessity – and mistreating combatants. By pegging digital points to body counts, absent robust safeguards, Ukraine's e-points scheme may violate such fundamental norms of armed conflict. More troubling still, it risks encouraging the targeting of civilians, followed by cover-ups and fraudulent bonus claims that cloak war crimes as battlefield success. With such performance metrics, atrocities could become transactions: crimes first committed, then rewarded. Beyond the battlefield, its geopolitical reverberations may prove even more unsettling. As debate over the roots of the Ukraine conflict continues, Kiev's new bonus scheme, which turns the grim calculus of war into a points game, may lend troubling credence to the very accusations Ukraine has fought so hard to refute: It may be referenced by Russia as partial vindication of its long-standing claim that elements of fascist or neo-Nazi ideology linger in the minds of many Ukrainian leaders. Their conduct, some may say, echo dark chapters of history, where ideology merged with violence, with human life being instrumentalized for political ends and death reduced to mere statistics. By commodifying killing, rewarding hits with prizes, and broadcasting the brutal spectacle of battlefield carnage, the system appears to mirror the dehumanizing, militant fanaticism that defines totalitarian ideologies. It reduces combat to a transactional exercise and transforms soldiers from self-perceived patriots into mercenary executioners and bounty hunters, trading kills for gear and blurring the line between duty and reward. The new digital warfare initiative thereby hands the Russian enemy a potent narrative weapon in the information war: a vivid, fact-backed portrait of Ukraine not as democracy's noble guardian, but as a ruthless state actor and cold engine of war, which monetizes death, industrializes violence, and blends the glorification of brutality with exhilarating celebration – a chilling vision of Fascism 2.0, or at minimum, a new lethal strain of techno-authoritarianism imbued with radical utilitarianism. The gamification of war – where conflict is reduced to a twisted form of strategy, scoring, and entertainment – dangerously erodes the sanctity of human life and the basic principles of humanity in warfare. Combined with advanced weaponry and real-time media coverage, it risks reducing devastating violence to a cold abstraction, as if lives lost were nothing more than points in a game. This desensitization and indifference pave the way to justify atrocities and evade accountability. Nowhere is this brutal degradation more painfully evident than in Israel's war on Gaza: It is a grim reminder that when the foundational rules of war are ignored or willfully broken, the very core of human dignity is shattered, leaving only devastation behind. Edging close to this abyss, Ukraine's point-for-kill program treads a perilous path, triggering red flags on multiple fronts. In view of these disturbing developments, the entire international community must urgently recommit to the foundational rules of war laid out in the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law, which seek to protect civilians, medical personnel, and essential infrastructure. Without adherences to these sacred precepts – not just in words, but through decisive action and real accountability – war ceases to be a tragic necessity and instead becomes a ruthless contest where innocent lives are expendable, and humanity itself is a casualty. A global repudiation of Ukraine's point-for-kill scheme as a merciless game show would surely be regarded by its critics not as mere symbolism, but as a first, vital step towards clawing war back from the brink of gamified barbarism and restoring the moral boundaries of armed conflict. In a grinding war of attrition, Ukraine's 'Army of Drones: Bonus' system is viewed by its architects not just as efficient, but as essential – a powerful tool that converts every strike, every video, into a force-multiplying advantage. Yet detractors may argue it bears the unmistakable mark of moral degradation: turning warfare into a cold transaction, where the line between combat and competition blurs, and killing becomes a mere pulse-quickening prize game. In summation, while the e-point system may enhance tactical data collection and resource allocation, it simultaneously engenders deep ethical concerns and troubling battlefield consequences. This duality underscores the complex interplay between technological innovation and the enduring imperative to uphold basic humanitarian principles in contemporary warfare. The real challenge in such a landscape is not only how to win, but how not to lose one's decency along the way. The litmus test of any civilization is not peace, but how it conducts war. If military conflict becomes an excuse for discarding shared humanity, and prudent generals are replaced with trigger-happy gamers seeking competitive entertainment, George Orwell's dictum may need an update: 'War is sports plus the shooting.'
Khaleej Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Where play meets purpose: An immersive model for business impact
Elvin Eldić developed Leaguestar as a direct response to the performance engagement challenges he faced while working across complex, multinational organizations. An entrepreneur and seasoned business leader with over 30 years in retail, he is also the Managing Director of The Gamifier Group, a UAE based performance consultancy and gamification tech firm. Time and again, he encountered the same pattern: traditional reporting systems that were static, retrospective, and disengaging, tools that measured outcomes but failed to inspire the people responsible for delivering them. Metrics sat in dashboards, conversations were delayed, and frontline teams struggled to see how their efforts translated into business impact. Determined to find a better way, Elvin set out to design a system that would reimagine how performance is experienced, measured, and celebrated in the workplace. Drawing on his background in sports science, enterprise operations, and behavioral performance, he created Leaguestar, a gamified performance platform built to energize teams, elevate accountability, and drive real-time results. From day one, Leaguestar was built with a people-first lens. Rather than simply deploying software, the approach centers around immersive collaboration. Every implementation is designed in partnership with the organization, aligning with cultural values, strategic goals, and operational realities. This includes in-depth discovery, co-design sessions with leadership, and narrative development that frames performance through a unifying, team-based lens. The rollout is supported by creative communications, tailored game mechanics, and leadership enablement, ensuring the system becomes part of the rhythm of the business, not an add-on. At its core, Leaguestar gamifies performance, turning static KPIs into live, league-style challenges that spark healthy competition, real-time feedback, and daily motivation. Managers get instant, intuitive data to coach with impact. Employees see their progress come to life, earn recognition, and stay engaged through a game they want to win. What started as a solution to disengagement has grown into a proven platform used across industries and regions, transforming performance from a passive report into an active, shared experience that's felt, played, and owned by everyone involved.
Zawya
03-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Gamezop to set up regional headquarters in Bahrain
Gamezop, one of the world's leading gamification platforms, has announced plans to set up its regional headquarters in Bahrain as part of its broader plans to expand into the rapidly growing Middle Eastern digital landscape. Gamezop's move comes following the successful establishment of its wholly-owned subsidiary in Bahrain, which was supported by the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB). The India-headquartered company plans to invest $4 million to accelerate operations, hire local talent, and explore acquisitions to support its growth plans. Backed by Bitkraft Ventures – one of the world's largest video gaming venture capital firms – Gamezop is integrated into over 9,000 platforms across 70+ countries, through which it engages over 45 million users every month. With its Mena headquarters, Gamezop is poised to strengthen its regional footprint, forge new partnerships, and contribute to Bahrain's vision of becoming a leading digital innovation hub in the Middle East. Gamezop enables apps and websites to integrate games that boost user engagement and drive revenue. Ads shown inside the games generate earnings that are shared between Gamezop and the host platforms. Founded in 2016 by Yashash and Gaurav Agarwal, Gamezop is leveraging Bahrain as a gateway to expand into the rapidly growing Middle Eastern digital landscape. The company's expansion comes in line with its global growth strategy, with additional markets in the pipeline. Gamezop aims to onboard over 1,000 new app and website partners from its Bahrain hub, as well as double its group revenue over the next 18 months. Welcoming Musab Abdulla, Executive Director of ICT at the Bahrain EDB, said: "Bahrain's gaming and content creation ecosystem is building strong momentum, powered by robust digital infrastructure, supportive government initiatives and a growing pool of ambitious, creative talent." "The arrival of innovative companies like Gamezop further accelerates this growth, creating new opportunities for local developers and reinforcing Bahrain's position as a hub for creative industries in the region," he stated. Unveiling the big regional plan, Agarwal said: "We chose Bahrain for its strategic location, business-friendly environment, and access to the wider region. We anticipate Bahrain will continue to attract leading global companies to establish their regional hubs here, thanks to its forward-looking policies and the proactive support of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, which has been instrumental in supporting our expansion,' "Our presence here marks the beginning of what we hope will become a strong digital bridge between India and the Middle East," he added. According to him, Bahrain offers Gamezop an ideal springboard into the Middle East – a region undergoing rapid digital transformation, characterised by high smartphone penetration, a young tech-savvy population, and surging demand for interactive content. With thousands of consumer-facing apps and websites actively seeking new ways to boost engagement and monetisation, Mena is a fertile market for Gamezop's offerings, he added.-TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
