Are Game Dynamics Jumping the Shark?

Giff Constable games, marketing, social games, virtual worlds

AdAge today asks “What’s saving the current crop of virtual games from becoming the next Second Life?”, with their answer being game dynamics. I am a huge believer in the power of creatively designed incentives and game-like compulsion loops, but I suspect enthusiasm for badges, levels and points have hit “fad” and “over-reliance” territory.  Foursquare, for example, used gaming very …