<P>What if our whole life were turned into a game? What sounds like the premise of ascience fiction novel is today becoming reality as "gamification." As more and moreorganizations, practices, products, and services are infused with elements from games and play tomake them more engaging, we are witnessing a veritable ludification ofculture.</P><P>Yet while some celebrate gamification as a possible answer to mankind'stoughest challenges and others condemn it as a marketing ruse, the question remains: what are theramifications of this "gameful world"? Can game design energize society and individuals,or will algorithmicincentive systems become our new robot overlords?</P><P>In this book,more than fifty luminaries from academia and industry examine the key challenges of gamification andthe ludification of culture -- including Ian Bogost, John M. Carroll, Bernie deKoven, Bill Gaver,Jane McGonigal, Frank Lantz, Jesse Schell, Kevin Slavin, McKenzie Wark, and Eric Zimmerman. Theyoutline major disciplinary approaches, including rhetorics, economics, psychology, and aesthetics;tackle issues like exploitation or privacy; and survey main application domains such as health,education, design, sustainability, or social media.</P>