‘Ludefaction’ defined

If you haven’t come across the word ‘Ludefaction’ before, it may be because you haven’t seen the latest issue of the scholarly journal games and culture. There, the word is described by Graeme Kirkpatrick, Professor in Media Arts, Aesthetics & Narration at the University of Skövde, Sweden. as “the negative underside of ludification.” (see: Ludefaction : Fracking of the Radical Imaginary )

The professor coined the word at the Clash of Realities 5th International Computer Game Conference in 2014 :

“[…] the play of joyless, repetitious routines, which drain the creative resources of the player. I call this ludefaction: an employment of the play principle that undermines our collective ability to imagine a better life.”