Playing the Right Games: Why Scores Quietly Replace Meaning | C. Thi Nguyen

Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen joins Bankless to discuss his book, *The Score: How to Stop Playing Someone Else's Game*, exploring how scoring systems and gamification influence behavior and values. Nguyen argues that many real-world systems, like social media and finance, adopt game-like scoring, which can lead individuals to outsource their values and pursue metrics that don't align with personal fulfillment. He introduces the concept of "reflective control," urging individuals to treat external metrics as game rules that can be modified or discarded. The conversation covers the portability theory of data, value capture, and the importance of playfulness to distance oneself from rigid scoring systems. Nguyen and the hosts examine the trade-offs between the benefits of scaled, metrified systems and the risk of losing sight of nuanced, personal values.