Gamification isn’t entirely a new term, but it rose to prominence in the early to mid-2010s, back when people thought the gig economy was a brave new frontier in revolutionizing work. The term refers to adding game mechanics to things that weren’t games. For example, take Uber and Lyft's famous (perhaps infamous) streak bonuses: a mechanic that rewarded rideshare drivers with real money for taking several rides in a row without canceling. Or Amazon’s literal mini-games that encouraged workers to move quicker.
