Four Apps to Gamify Your Life

As gamification continues to be a prominent topic of discussion in the workplace, it is simultaneously growing in the social world. With smart phones becoming a necessity in our lives, apps have become a useful tool to keep us organized, entertained and up to date in our fluctuating world. There are now apps that are designed to help you live the lifestyle you desire, and will reward you for every step towards that direction. Here are some notable apps that can help gamify your personal life. 

AchieveMint: If you have been struggling to keep a healthy lifestyle, this app may be exactly what you need. Whether you walk the dog, take the stairs over an elevator, shop healthy, or even tweet about something healthy, you get rewarded with points. Five thousand points earns you twenty five dollars, and you will soon be eager to do the activities that earn you the most points, like go on extensive runs or do yoga. Just link it up with mobile apps like RunKeeper, Fitbit, Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook and your healthy activities will be sent to AchieveMint.

RecycleBank: Similar to AchieveMint, this app rewards you with points and discounts for going green in any way possible. Bike to work, recycle, donate clothes, buy environmentally friendly products, share green tips and you will get rewarded. Even taking online ecology quizzes can earn you points.

#NwPlyng: Bringing gamification into the music world makes perfect sense. Rewarding people to share their favorite songs and artists with friends (something they do anyway) will give them even more of an incentive to do so. This app does precisely that.  You can share the current song playing on your iPhone with others, and as a result you are rewarded with “records” (badges). The more plays and shares of a certain artist, the higher title you are given (a different “record”), legitimizing your love and knowledge of that artist for people to see. You are also urged to share an artist’s lesser known songs and will get uniquely rewarded with special artist “records” for doing so.

Mobee: Companies who are in dire need of accurate feedback from their customers can turn to the gamification tactic for a solution. Mobee, a mobile app started by an MIT student, lets you, the “secret shopper”, take a unanimous survey of your current location about the experience you are having. A quick survey earns you a discount or free item, depending on the place.  It’s a win-win for both the company that needs consumer data and the shopper that can always use a discount.

The high ratings of the apps can be credited to the natural success of gamification. We are all instinctively competitors in one way or another, and want people to know what we have mastered and how educated we are in certain fields.  This system can be applicable to employees at work. Creating a system for employees to earn badges and rewards that praise them for their knowledge, skills and accomplishments raises morale and brings positive energy, confidence and diligence to their work ethics.  Gamification motivates employees to demonstrate their competencies and achievements, while continuing to develop their skills.  Through gamification work can become a place where we have a chance to show off our talents and create opportunities for our hard work to receive attention and recognition from managers and peers.