I agree. It seems that often people deeply misunderstand games. It is not bonus points, achievements that make a game great.
Especially as playing (in general) is a way people and animal start learning the world (physical and social), by interactions, trials and errors. Wolf pubs are not getting awards in a hunt-training. They, well, play.
Man-made games are 'abstractions' of such things (much like sweets are 'abstractions' fruits).
Too bad that current education misses the fact that children have natural curiosity. And builds the whole system around forcing them to learn or (as with bad gamifications) tricking them into it.
Especially as playing (in general) is a way people and animal start learning the world (physical and social), by interactions, trials and errors. Wolf pubs are not getting awards in a hunt-training. They, well, play.
Man-made games are 'abstractions' of such things (much like sweets are 'abstractions' fruits).
Too bad that current education misses the fact that children have natural curiosity. And builds the whole system around forcing them to learn or (as with bad gamifications) tricking them into it.
Sometimes giving opportunity to learn but not forcing it is the best way to go, see e.g. http://www.economist.com/node/18741484.