Tiger Sheep

Can gaming create good habits?
 
Gaming doesn't just consist of sitting down at your PC or Xbox to play ten straight hours of Skyrim; it can also be intermittent (as I mentioned in my previous post), or even achievable while you’re doing something that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a screen for ten hours. Like, y’know, exercise or cooking or something. I mean, I love gaming, but let’s be honest, I could definitely squeeze more positive habits into the space between all the terrible RPGs I play.
 
Most games meant to improve your life are set up around a basic idea: by accomplishing certain positive things, you can earn points and level up, mentally rewarding yourself. As many game addicts know, this is a really effective method. Just one more level…just one more level…and suddenly it’s three in the morning. Thankfully, life improvement games aren’t nearly that addicting, but they use many of the same tactics to get you to stick to your goals.
 
Another neat thing about these games is that most are available in a mobile version, giving you the capability to update on the go, for example, if you’re at the gym. This can also be easier than sitting down in front of a monitor once a day and tracking everything you need to track (often realizing you’ve forgotten things over the course of the day).
 
The idea behind changing your life using game mechanics is not a new one. Big Fish Games has a pretty good article about the basics of game mechanics and how to positively implement them in your life.
 
What follows is a list of suggestions to check out if you think a game might be a great way to kick your life in the butt a little bit.
 
Obligatory links
 
Of course, we all know about the Wii Fit. Many of us have a Wii Fit board abandoned under a bed somewhere (I’m sorry Wii Zumba! I’ll be with you again someday). This is a direct way to improve your life habits, as the tracking and implementation of exercise is all wrapped up in one package.
 
Perhaps one of the most famous motivational tools out there, Fitocracy is a program that tracks your exercise routine and awards you levels as you progress. It also has social components that keep you motivated or inspired.
 
Goodread’s yearly Reading Challenge uses a more subtle gaming mechanic, but I can verify it has worked on me. You set the amount of books you intend to read this year, and a bar tracks your progress as you enter each book you’ve successfully finished.
 
Mindbloom’s Life Game is an overall motivational tool that nudges you towards improving and rounding out all factors of your life by achieving specific goals. You have a tree that you can water with these achievements, ultimately growing it tall. It’s like a more productive Tree of Wisdom from Plants vs. Zombies.
 
Habitrpg puts an interesting twist on the leveling up concept. You can lose life by not accomplishing daily activities, and you can list “bad habits” (such as eating more than one donut a day) as well, which also deplete your life whenever you do them. When you lose all your health, you go down a level. Talk about motivation!