Gamification
Life has a certain monotony to it. Many people complete the same tasks over and over until their corporal frame gives out and they can toil no longer. In order to add some meaning to seemingly meaningless tasks, certain app developers decided to try and give meaning to these chores. They did this by gamifying life — creating programs that reward players when they complete basic tasks. These tasks can be as simple as doing laundry or taking a moment to meditate. However, the programs may also attempt to gamify larger activities like dating and exercising. Gamification acts as a wonderful incentive for people to complete tasks they may otherwise put off, thus making the world a slightly more user-friendly experience.
The Theory Behind Gamification
But what is gamification? Gamification is, “the craft of deriving all the fun and engaging elements found in games and applying them to real-world or productive activities” (Chou). It is a means of designing an experience that helps people stay motivated and focused on their tasks. This idea of augmenting reality has been explored in “Trajectories Through Mixed Reality Performance” with regards to how experiences that augment reality utilize the program: “The essence of interactive experiences is that they enable each participant to control his or her own trajectory, making choices and following personal routes. Thus, participants on the streets of the city or in a virtual world can choose which way to turn and where to go next and those using a mobile phone can choose whether to attend to the experience at a given moment in time or deal with other more pressing matters” ( Benford and Giannachi 235). This section mostly focuses on augmented reality experiences. It shows the importance of the concept Yu-kai Chou later developed of “human-focused design”; the core principle of gamification. Chou lists eight design principles of game design that, when implemented, make a user’s experience of otherwise mundane activities more enjoyable.
Indirectly Changing One’s Perception of Reality
Apps that incentivize players through gameplay mechanics often appear as productivity programs. Apps like Habitica heavily implement this principle. Habitica defines itself as “A habit tracker app which treats your goals like a Role Playing Game” (Habitica). Users note which skills they wish to work on. It can be anything from sleeping at a specific time to finishing homework. When a user completes this task, they receive a reward in the form of inventory items that their avatar may use to fight in quests with other users. In terms of game design principles, Yu-kai Chou highlights that Habitica uses, “development & accomplishment, empowerment of creativity & feedback and social influence & relatedness” as a means of enticing players to keep engaging and remaining productive “(Chou). As such, people begin to view their tasks through this rewards system, thus changing their perception of reality. Per this article, Habitica’s website boasts “over 3 million Habiticans” using this app to remain on task. This shows a growing need for incentives as a means of enjoying one’s life.
However, not all of these experiences endeavor solely to help individuals with chores. Tinder gamifies the dating experience by treating potential partners as individual playing cards. It encourages participants to “keep playing” after they receive a potential match. However, a recent update now tells players to “keep swiping” when paired with another person. Yet, the principle of swiping and “winning” through matching with another person is still there. In a study on the game aspects of tinder, Polyanna and Rocha found in their case study “Gamification of love: a case study of Tinder in Oslo”, “ some of the informants — eleven out of sixteen — underline Tinder as a “passing time” tool…One of her friends, contributor (16) affirms that she never had the application, but she likes to play “her friends’ Tinder” when “they are out having some drinks” and she feels “bored”… According to one of the informants, it is clear that Tinder is a game” (Polyanna and Rocha 73–74). Participants in this study, while noting the purpose of the app was to acquire dates, felt more engaged with swiping through profiles with their friends. Tinder gamifies dating so well, that the process of choosing a date appears more like choosing an avatar in a fighting game than swiping on another actual person. However, as of August 2018, Tinder has an estimated 50 million users (Smith). This shows, while definitely a shift in previous dating habits, the success of implementing game mechanics in courtship rituals.
Directly Changing Reality
Some health apps go a step further and augment reality as a means of gamifying activity. This concept plays out in Zombies, Run! The app uses a player’s phone GPS and guides them through their hometown. Players take on the role of Runner Number 5. They receive “instructions” from the audio in the app on where to go and when to speed up during their run. According to Adrian Hon, a member of the development team, after its release, the app has had “almost 4 million downloads. By making the player feel like they are part of a zombie survival story, the developers encourage users to keep exercising. It adds a level of gravitas to work, something Chou mentions is a key human-design principle of gamification. An individual may just be going on a daily jog, but to the app listener, this makes them crucial to the survival of characters in an apocalypse.
Art that helps people deal with the monotony of life might seem like a cheap means of escape. Yet, that idea is inherently flawed. Yes, reality does not always need to be zombie chases and mindless sweeping on applications. However, if a little bit of entertainment can be garnered from doing these tasks, then that makes coping with reality all the better. No, a Habitica player will not ever actually join a party raid. Yet, the social aspect of joining communities all dedicated towards self-improvement is a net positive over all. People finding avenues of escape by pretending to be something or someone they are not, ultimately, grants them much needed escapism.
Work Cited
“50 Impressive Tinder Statistics.” DMR, 7 Apr. 2015, https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/tinder-statistics/.
Antonin Januska. My Habitica Setup 2018. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2EzaTe2Xmg. Accessed 20 Dec. 2018.
Benford, Steve, and Gabriella Giannachi. Performing Mixed Reality. The MIT Press, 2011.
“Gamification Examples: The Fully Comprehensive List (2018).” Yu-Kai Chou: Gamification & Behavioral Design, https://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
Habitica. https://habitica.com/apidoc/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
Habitica — Gamify Your Life. https://habitica.com/static/faq. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
“HabitRPG.” Kickstarter, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
“Hate It Or Love It, Tinder’s Right Swipe Limit Is Working.” TechCrunch, http://social.techcrunch.com/2015/03/12/hate-it-or-love-it-tinders-right-swipe-limit-is-working/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2018.
Hon, Adrian. “Five Years of Zombies, Run!” Adrian Hon, 27 Feb. 2017, https://medium.com/@adrianhon/five-years-of-zombies-run-6e090ef3fe4.
Kalamaroff, Alexander. “Gamify Your Life: A Guide to Incentivizing Everything.” Lifehacker, https://lifehacker.com/5975824/gamify-your-life-a-guide-to-incentivizing-everything. Accessed 20 Dec. 2018.
Loayza, Author Jun. “The 10 Best Productivity Apps That Use Gamification in 2018.” Yu-Kai Chou: Gamification & Behavioral Design, 24 Feb. 2017, https://yukaichou.com/lifestyle-gamification/the-top-ten-gamified-productivity-apps/.
“Octalysis: Complete Gamification Framework — Yu-Kai Chou.” Yu-Kai Chou: Gamification & Behavioral Design, 1 Mar. 2015, https://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/octalysis-complete-gamification-framework/.
Polyanna-Rocha.Pdf. https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/64406/Polyanna-Rocha.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 16 Dec. 2018.
Zombies, Run! All-New Zombies, Run! Trailer. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXV5akCoHSQ. Accessed 20 Dec. 2018.
