social networking and game theory

amy jo kim has a really interesting set of slides posted about her work analyzing social networking sites using game theory.

the main take away for me was that within the context of a site, having measurable things like progress, connections, signs of expertese and establishment (customizations for example), etc. can be viewed as a kind of game and provide positive affect not only from functional or direct value but also secondarily from our innate desire to play games, accumulate things, and receive feedback. also having ways to progress in a site is a way to avoid boredom. that is to say to keep one’s involvement at a point where one feels engaged and challenged, including competition potentially.

interesting analogy to draw. what do you think?

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