Do kids these days have short attention spans, or does the world just move too slow? Gabe Zichermann suggests that today's video games are making children smarter — and we should all embrace gamification.

Why you should listen

Gabe Zichermann is an entrepreneur and author whose work centers on gamification--and the power of games to help engage people and build strong organizations and communities. In 2010, he chaired the Gamification summit, a conference dedicated to gamification and “engagement mechanics.” An avid blogger on the subject, he co-authored the book Game-Based Marketing, which examines the innovative trend of using game mechanics to engage and build a customer base.

What others say

“If you haven’t applied games to advertising, marketing, or brand management, you’ll want to get and study this book -- or it could be game over for you.” — Jonathan Epstein CEO, Double Fusion, former EVP, IGN/Gamespy

Gabe Zichermann’s TED talk