# How Stack Overflow Uses Reputation as a Light Touch of Gamification

DevFeed: [How Stack Overflow Uses Reputation as a Light Touch of Gamification](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-dusting-of-gamification-37525.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2018/04/13/gamification/>)

Author: Joel Spolsky

Published: 2018-04-13T13:40:21Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Joel Spolsky](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/joel-spolsky.md>)

Topics: [Stack Overflow](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/stackoverflow.md>), [Reddit](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/reddit.md>)

Tags: [community](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/community.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [gamification](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gamification.md>), [news](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/news.md>), [stack-overflow](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/stack-overflow.md>), [standards](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/standards.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains how Stack Overflow uses reputation, voting, and small rewards to motivate contributors and surface useful answers. It presents this as a limited form of gamification that reinforces community norms and standards.

## Source excerpt

I had to think for a minute to realize that Stack Overflow has "gamification" too. Not a ton. Maybe a dusting of gamification, most of it around reputation. Read more "A Dusting of Gamification"