[ryanelkins]

The problem is that most feedback systems (which is mostly what gamification the way it's being implemented now really is) are measuring quantitative results. Bug tracking is a job that can be hard to quantify. All you can usually measure is quantity. There is virtually no quality metric involved. You have to make sure that the goal you're trying to accomplish by adding game mechanics doesn't get lost. Too often the game mechanics end up being there for their own sake.

As others have mentioned you also have to make sure to not create unintended negative consequences. For example, maybe people earn a badge for fixing 5 bugs in 20 minutes. What happens then if people stop committing bugs so they can "build up" fixes and turn them in at once? What if people start creating bugs for themselves to fix? You can very easily create more problems for yourself if every angle is not carefully thought out - and even then you'll probably still create some problems.

Keep in mind I say all of this not as a game mechanics cynic but as someone whose entire startup is based around helping other people incorporate game mechanics (http://iactionable.com).