Propaganda Games: Sesame Credit - The True Danger of Gamification - Extra Credits
What it is
An Extra Credits episode on China's Sesame Credit, which gamifies obedient citizenship through a social score. It covers how the system rewards conformity and pressures people through their friends' behavior.
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters use it as a short, accessible primer on social credit and surveillance-driven gamification, linking it in many privacy and China threads.
- 7 people recommended it
- 6 different months
- 0 strong recommendations
- first 2015, last 2018
What HN commenters said
“Explains how Sesame Credit turns friends against each other.”
pdkl95, 2015-12 · Recommendation · in “"Free Basics" - Myths and Facts”
“Check out this nightmare of a system China is implementing to use gamification to control populations”
Shows China using gamification to control populations.
samstave, 2016-01 · Recommendation · in “China Shows How Surveillance Leads to Intimidation and Software Censorship”
“it paints a rather dystopian picture of what's possible when you mix surveillance and gamification.”
Dystopian picture of surveillance mixed with gamification.
joeyespo, 2016-01 · Recommendation · in “Why privacy is important, and having “nothing to hide” is irrelevant”
“most easily-engaged piece I've seen on implications of social credit”
Most easily-engaged piece on implications of social credit.
heroprotagonist, 2017-11 · Recommendation · in “Tencent’s Just Getting Started on Online Advertising”
“It's 7.5 minutes long, and well worth the watch”
Short game-design take on Sesame Credit as gamified obedience.
maltalex, 2017-12 · Recommendation · in “Inside China's Vast New Experiment in Social Ranking”
“a great primer, and even if you know all about it, it is still great to watch”
A great primer on Sesame Credit, worth watching even if familiar.
hagbardceline, 2018-02 · Recommendation · in “Preparing for Malicious Uses of AI”
“I recommend watching”
Covers gamification and social pressure side rarely discussed elsewhere.
viraptor, 2018-04 · Recommendation · in “China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started”
Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.
Topics: sesame credit, social credit, gamification, surveillance, china
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