The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game w/ C. The Nguyen

The podcast explores the nature of scoring systems and their impact on agency and values, questioning why they enhance playfulness in games but often deaden experiences in institutions. It introduces the concept of "value capture," where simplified, quantified values take over richer, more subtle personal values, disrupting self-determination. Games are presented as an art form that cultivates agency through unnecessary obstacles and constraints, allowing players to experience agential fluidity. Institutional metrics, conversely, are criticized for their decontextualization and insensitivity, designed for portability rather than tailored meaning. The discussion touches on value trade-offs, transparency, trust, and the tension between expertise and accessibility in various contexts, including public health and NGOs.