The intense interest in gamification has provoked significant backlash, with the most prominent detractors including vocal gaming devotees and developers. These critics are not arguing against the use of games and game mechanics in the workplace. On the contrary, they argue that the first wave of gamification is exercising too limited a repertoire of game-design techniques, and is not ambitious enough.
The basic gamification techniques listed above seem best suited to incentivize behaviors which employees already know they should perform, but which they typically delay or ignore. Such tasks might include answering surveys or filing out expense forms on time, perhaps even speeding the checkout lane a bit. The techniques that keep Farmville players working on their plots seem to work as well for these workplace tasks.
Great games are more than simple mechanics that are easily imported into existing enterprise applications: they generally involve interesting stories, complex simulations, and/or other elements. And they can do much to engage, educate and inspire new behaviors.