Books

‘You’ve Been Played manages to be as addictive, infuriating, and strangely gratifying as the games (and gamification) Hon writes about. Honestly, reading this book felt like switching on a light: I’ll never be able to look at the apps on my phone, or the screen of my Peloton, or even my Delta Skymiles Account the same way again’ – Anne Helen Petersen, author of Can’t Even

‘[E]xcellent … [Hon] has intelligent suggestions about curbing the worst excesses of gamification – correctly conscious that the challenge is formidable, and getting more so with each passing month’ – Matt d’Ancona, Tortoise Media

‘This expansive, fascinating study, equal parts dismal and dizzying in its implications, is a valuable testament to the era we’re in, and an aid for unravelling the spirit of competition that runs through our culture, and which we are so often sold as self-worth’ – Roisin Kiberd, Irish Independent

‘Hon raises important questions, that need to be asked’ – Irish Tech News

‘Thought-provoking … Hon observes, games are a lot less enjoyable if you have no choice over whether to take part’ – The Economist

‘You’ve Been Played is the urgent wake-up call we need to the dangers of the gamification run amok, where manipulation masquerades as fun and politics and profit are the only real winners. Essential reading for lovers of games, human freedom, and anyone who still believes that playing should be fun’ – David Sax, bestselling author of The Revenge of Analog

‘[Hon] warns in this convincing survey that gamification … has “become the twenty-first century’s most advanced form of behavioural control” … This passionate survey is a wake-up call for workers and political leaders alike’ – Publishers Weekly

‘You’ve Been Played is a must-read examination of the rise of gamification and how technologies that subtly interface directly with our minds are being deployed in ways that are exploitative and dehumanizing’ – Martin Ford, bestselling author of Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future