The term gamification has become synonymous with manipulation. It conjures up images of points and badges when most professionals will tell you that's the least of what you should be doing. For formally trained game designers, that word feels reductive and communicates false information about what a game is, and perhaps what we designers do and why.
However, there is also no agreement on what this domain should be called instead. I like to call myself an applied game designer. Others call these design patterns 'compulsion loops' or 'engagement optimization.' Some just call it game design, putting the lie to the insistence that 'gamification is not a game.'
Well, I'm here to tell you that despite all the resistance, 'gamification' has stuck. It's what this discipline is called, and that doesn't look like it's about to change. And frankly, I'm happy to use it. When people come to me with a problem, whether that problem is behavioral, educational, or one of engagement and retention, they tell me they are looking for gamification design.
I find it's a bad look to start this process by telling them they're wrong about what they want. 'Oh no no, you don't want gamification. Never gamification. What you need is an optimized engagement loop!' This makes them feel foolish and widens the gulf between us.
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