When Everyday Apps Became Games
Open your phone. Chances are, you'll find streaks to maintain, progress bars creeping toward completion, and achievements waiting to be unlocked—even in apps that have nothing to do with gaming.
Gamification has infiltrated nearly every corner of our digital lives. But does adding game elements to non-game apps actually help users—or is it just manipulation with better branding?
The Gamification Toolkit
Most gamified apps draw from the same playbook:
- Duolingo: XP, leagues, streaks, achievements, hearts
- Strava: Segment leaderboards, kudos, challenges
- LinkedIn: Profile completion meters, skill endorsements
- Habitica: Literal RPG systems for habit tracking
When Gamification Works vs. When It Fails
| When It Works ✓ | When It Fails ✗ |
|---|---|
| Your goals align with app goals | Optimizing points over actual goals |
| Building new habit needs scaffolding | External rewards kill intrinsic motivation |
| Progress is hard to perceive (learning) | Streak anxiety creates obligation |
| Makes necessary tasks tolerable | Optimizes time spent, not user welfare |
The Psychology Behind It
If you genuinely want to exercise more, a fitness app's badges provide external scaffolding for internal motivation. The game elements support your actual goals rather than replacing them.
Adding external rewards can decrease intrinsic motivation. If you exercised because you enjoyed it, adding badges might make it feel like obligation. The activity becomes about the reward, not the thing itself.
Streak anxiety is real. Users maintain behaviors from fear of losing progress, not positive motivation. This isn't engagement—it's hostage-taking. Duolingo sells streak freezes for a reason.
The Business Motivation
Why do apps gamify so aggressively? Because it works—for the business.
Evaluating App Gamification
When encountering gamified apps, ask yourself:
Designing Ethical Gamification
For developers, responsible gamification follows principles:
- Gamification is ubiquitous: 70%+ of apps use game mechanics
- Same toolkit: Points, levels, badges, streaks, leaderboards
- Can be helpful: When aligned with your actual goals
- Often manipulative: When optimizing business metrics over user welfare
- Ask yourself: Who's really winning this game?
The Bottom Line
Gamification is a tool. Like any tool, its value depends on how it's used. The best gamification works for users, providing structure and motivation for goals they've chosen. The worst gamification works on users, exploiting psychology to extract engagement regardless of benefit.
Before chasing the next badge, pause and ask: who's really winning this game?
- "Hooked" by Nir Eyal (and his later book "Indistractable")
- Center for Humane Technology Research
- "Punished by Rewards" by Alfie Kohn