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Seth Priebatschwas an unusually precocious boy, but a boy nonetheless: one
who hated cleaning his room and wasn’t above tormenting his li le sister.
So to get him to behave, his parents devised a game. Every time he tidied up
a er himself or did his homework, he’d get a star-shaped sticker. Every time
he started a spat with his sister, one would be taken away. The more stars he
earned, themoremoney he received fromhis parents to spend on toys. Suffice
it to say, he bought a lot of toys.
Priebatsch had the star system inmindwhen, having enrolled at Princeton
in 2007, he decided to compete in the school’s annual business plan contest,
which offered a first prize of $5,000. Priebatsch figured he had it in the bag.
Drawing onhis parents’ belief that games could shape behavior, he put together
a proposal for a company that would lead people on scavenger hunts by send-
ing text messages to their cell phones. These texts would direct the players
to participating brick-and-mortar businesses, and for every clue found there,
they would receive points. Earn enough points, and the players would get
discounts on merchandise at a store of their choosing.
Priebatsch won the $5,000. A year later, he dropped out of Princeton to
launch his business. Today, his company, Scvngr, which uses a mobile app
instead of text messages, is valued at more than $100 million,
STATE OF
PLAY
HOWCOMPANIES
ARE SHAPING YOUR
BEHAVIOR BY TURNING
REAL LIFE INTOA GAME
BY PAUL KIX
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
JUNE 2012
•
ILLUSTRATION BY YAREK WASZUL
69
INDUSTRY