So, is gamification a generational thing?

When the option of using gamification for workforce engagement became “hot”, most industry pundits explained gamification along generational lines.

The generational argument goes like this:

Employees are disengaged
The Y generation is even more disengaged, having grown up alongside technology and gaming (and having grown up with a strong sense of entitlement)
While other generations can be engaged through their acceptance of hierarchies, focus on competition (or anything else, for that matter), generation Ys (aka Millennials) are unique in their need for “digital” engagement
Therefore, gamification works well for Generation Y.
But in reality workforces are a cross-generational affair – mixing Gen Xers, Millennials and even Baby Boomers. That’s why I often hear a question that makes a lot of sense given the frame of mind described above: “will gamification work to engage all my employees or just work on my Gen Y staff?”. The question is legitimate, but the discussion that frames gamification along generational lines is confusing and not correct.

The short answer is that gamification works across all generations. This article explains how and why.