Why Gamification?
Gamification is based on a simple desire: to find out what works in games, and applying that in order to turn a task into a game that you are motivated to play. The beauty of gamification is that the difficulty of a task (or how dreary it may seem) can be offset if you feel rewarded for completing it.
Gamification works because it creates a feeling of being rewarded each time we complete a task – however small it may be. It makes our progress feel tangible, and this spurs us to keep pushing.
How you can use it to boost productivity, set and accomplish big goals
Yu-kai Chou is a gamification expert and the author of Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards. Video games are much more than just stunning visuals and quality voice over work. Psychological traits possessed by all people are taken into account when creating video games. By touching on the eight core drives of gamification, Chou is able to brilliantly explain his theory of Octalysis, an in-depth framework that describes the different motivators humans share that can be influenced by gamification.
Most discussion around gamification revolves around increasing student retention in education, or making apps more addictive. However, the idea of this series arose from a difficult time in my own life, where I recognized that I wanted life to change but did not know what kind of life to build or how to get there.
By applying gamification techniques and tweaking the approach taken to achieving certain goals and aspirations, people can find the focus that has slipped from their grasp.
- Metaphor/microcosm of life
- Much like great stories in books and visual media, games allow us to enter worlds that we might otherwise never get to experience.
- I believe the people who become "successful" in life (by whatever criteria you decide) are able to treat it like a game: they understand how to latch onto a domain and do things the rest of us are not able to by seizing opportunities the rest of us miss.
- Games have also developed a unique vocabulary, both terminology and visual, which can reframe situations to our advantage.
- Adding structure where none exists
- For most of us, we spend the first part of our lives where things are decided for us. We long for the ability to satisfy our childlike desire to escape the rules imposed on us, which is where many of our first experiences with games begin.
- Growing older, we begin to have the opposite problem. Following the sheltered world of academics, we are thrust onto the job market. For many of us, this means entering a world of knowledge work, which while structured, it becomes unclear how to rise above the monotony and take on high-impact, creative tasks which allows us to ascend to a higher level.
- On the other hand, we are given the freedom to decide what to do in our free time. For former high achievers, finally having the time and money to do with our lives as we please doesn't automatically mean it will happen, and this is where motivation and energy become really important.
- Self-directed/maintaining, low effort (fun!)
- There's a reason why video game addiction is a very real problem. No one has to be out there to prod you to keep playing, you just do: one more match, one more move, one more day. Hours can go by and we can still find it in us to keep getting better at the game
- Understand how gamification works.
Gamification isn’t a gimmick – it works because it triggers powerful emotions. By using game mechanics in a non-game context, gamification makes tasks more fun and engaging. Think of how it feels when you’re transported to another world via an online video game. You find yourself immersed in a storyline where you’re conquering amazing challenges.
Along the way you’re incrementally rewarded as you build skills and achieve small, steady wins. This feeling of “winning” gives players a constant feeling of gratification and enjoyment. When we experience something we enjoy, our brains light up with a pleasure-producing chemical called dopamine. This is the brain’s version of a carrot – it keeps you motivated and focused.
At its core, gamification is a motivational technique to help people engage, feel motivated and stay on task. By providing a reward or incentive, gamification mimics how you might interact with a computer or online game.
Related: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less
I also think gamificatification also has a new-found importance:
- If we want to reduce our reliance on technology, we need to understand how technology companies have hooked into our brains, how to undo the damage as much as we can, and how we can transition to alternate systems that still work for those of us with reduced attention spans and need for instant gratification. The goal is not to cut out technology entirely: that is unrealistic for many of us and isn't necessary either, but rather to develop an intentional and constructive relationship where we use it strictly when it helps us. In doing so, we can reconnect with the world our parents and their parents knew through tradition.
- Loneliness crisis, bottom up
Mechanics: Why do games work?
- Know the elements of gamification.
Humans have evolved to be stimulated by problem-solving and learning, and gameplay is great at doing this, in part by doling out small rewards for incremental progress. This keeps our brains engaged and keeps us on our quests, said Tom Chatfield, an author and tech philosopher who has studied gamification and is an avid gamer himself. He breaks gamification down into a few key components:
- Experience bars – These measure our incremental progress and help us visualize how far we’ve come and how far we have to go.
- Multiple long- and short-term goals – These are our main quests and side quests, which are broken down into smaller tasks.
- Rewards for effort – Every bit of effort exerted in a game is rewarded through credit, such as gold, loot and experience.
- Rapid, frequent and clear feedback – This clearly links actions to consequences, which makes learning easier and faster.
- The element of uncertainty – This is the neurological gold mine: we keep going because we want to find out what’s next.
- Windows of enhanced attention – Gameplay helps boost memory and confidence. Game players are more willing to take risks and pursue difficult tasks.
- Other people – Gameplay gives us a chance to connect with multiple players online.
Play, fun, and variety
Five more quick ways to make the mundane tasks fun:
- Speed it up - set yourself a time trial for how fast you can do something. I personally love this one, because it's like bending time - the task is just DONE and I can move on.
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Slow it down - doing things verrrrry slowly can allow space for observation and mindfulness. It's not the aim of the game, but maybe you'll realise the way you do something could be improved when you slow it down and become fully aware of each step. Doing things very slowly can also help to quieten our minds if they're running a million miles an hour.
- Add a sporting element - can you score a goal when you throw your laundry into the basket? Can you "skate" through the house in your socks, sliding and gliding around as you go about your day?
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Dance or sing while you do something - whether it's clipping the kids into their car seat, making dinner or mopping, adding music, movement and/or singing to the game makes it more enjoyable and helps you to release feel good hormones.
- Do it differently - challenge yourself to do whatever you are doing in a new or different way. Could you do it in reverse or upside down? What would it be like if you did it the way your mother does it? what might you discover if you drive or walk a different route to your destination? What if you brushed your teeth with the opposite hand?
Sidequests
Skill Tree & Learning
Gamification has also been shown to be beneficial to learning by creating experiences that more fully engage learners, hold their attention and motivate them to keep striving to reach a goal.
Gamification can make learning more informative and fun, and because you’re more actively involved in the process, the information is more likely to be committed to your long-term memory. Gamification also lends itself to interactive learning elements, which creates feelings of immersion, so learners feel more integrated into the learning process.
When you break it down, gamification can spur innovation by creating unique ways for people to be more invested in their performance and feel more motivated and focused on their goals. At its core, gamification is our ability to harness our psychology to improve ourselves.
Meet your player
Reward Pathway & Habits
James Clear
- Boost productivity through “mini-games.
You can use gamification to increase your productivity by making “mini-games” while doing chores or ticking off daily tasks. Try assigning a point for each dish washed, or 5 points for each page completed for a report or for each email sent. Time yourself going through the grocery store – can you beat your old record? Or how quickly can you fold and put away a load of laundry? By keeping track of these things, you incentivize getting through the work more quickly, and you’ll be amazed by how much more productive you can be.
Checklists are another form of everyday “mini-games” you can play to stay on task. Ticking off checklist items triggers the same dopamine release as achieving a game objective, and if you give yourself a small reward after each item is checked, you’ll reinforce your motivation to keep going.
Come up with a list of small rewards, such as a snack you enjoy, taking a 15-minute break or watching a favorite show or YouTube channel. Try rolling the dice when you complete a task and check it off your list. Whatever number you roll, give yourself the corresponding reward.
Procrastination & Goals
The Procrastination Equation
- Create your own gamification system.
There are simple, low-tech ways to gamify your life and work to supercharge your motivation and get more done. The first step is to define your goals. These should be specific, so you know when you have reached each one. Then attach a certain number of points to each goal correlating to how important (or difficult) each goal is to accomplish.
For example, if you’re hoping to run a marathon or write a book, you might assign 500 points to accomplishing that goal. You’d then break this larger goal into smaller “missions,” which you work at daily or weekly, such as accomplishing three to five runs per week, which steadily increase in mileage – and each run is worth 20 points.
Track your progress by writing down your daily accomplishments and then comparing your progress over time. Reward yourself once you reach a set number of points. Maybe you’ll treat yourself to a dinner out after you’ve earned 200 points, or take a trip to your favorite store after 300 points, or a day at the spa after 500 points.
Related: How to Accomplish More in 4 Days Than Most People Do in 4 Weeks