Why streaming services need to embrace game design — and give users the illusion of ownership
Long before Netflix unveiled interactive shows like "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" and "Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale," the service was experimenting with game-like techniques to keep viewers on its site. The very act of navigating the streamer was itself an elaborate strategy game.
Netflix, after all, isn't simply a place to binge watch. One can view it as a detailed personality engine, a trait I discovered the hard way when, after a few weeks of inactivity, my account was compromised. Where once had been a carefully sculpted yet imperfect roster of recommendations of Netflix originals, independent films and tons of animation was now all, more or less, "Desperate Housewives." So long, "Mary and the Witch's Flower," and hello, "NCIS."
Yes, I had to change my password. But worse, I had to start over
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