How gamified apps are making everyday tasks exciting

How do you get your roommate to do the dishes Rather than a confrontation Max Kolomatsky an artist based in New York came up with an innovative solution He created a game pinned it to his refrigerator The next morning before he could even get around to telling his roommate about it he found him already cleaning the dishes as part of the gameThis could well be a story created by Kolomatsky to make his content on Instagram more engaging but the comments on his video are all desperate pleas to make chores more gamelike Some even asked Kolomatsky to make the game printable for anyone to download and useThe truth is that chores and everyday selfcare habits can be mindnumbingly boring to get through So if one can make a game of it why notldquoRewarding helps Your brain releases dopamine a neurotransmitter that plays a role in the brainrsquos reward system But you canrsquot base everything on rewards as it can cause an imbalancerdquo explains Sohini Rohra a counselling psychologistHabitica is popular for its retro RPG elements and has been effective for those with Attentiondeficithyperactivity disorderGamifying your routine makes the day seem engaging and fun rather than monotonous In the age of technology Ranjana Aanjjan Srivastava a theatre artiste has resorted to Finch Care a selfcare app that helps you get through tasks using gamelike elements ldquoI am not so much into an app telling you what to do I downloaded it more for the game experiencerdquo she says after eight days of using the app adding that shersquos increasingly inclined to use it for its characterFinch Carersquos main character is a ldquobirbrdquo a cute Internet term for bird When you start on the app you choose one of six coloured eggs to hatch This indicates the colour your digital pet is going to be You get to name your birb choose its pronouns and tell it your name too To help you start your selfcare journey the birb lists out some easy tasks for you to do Take a bath brush your teeth make your bed and so on Each task you tick off gives your feathered friend energy to travel a distance Therersquos also a shop that allows you to purchase different items for it to wear using game pointsldquoI am someone who can never refuse water to anyone and I always have a bottle on me So I have made sure my birb also has a bottle on her Itrsquos cute to see her fly around with a water bottle in handrdquo laughs SrivastavaAnother user software professional Dielle Coutinho says she has been using the app for over 80 days because ldquoItrsquos awoken some maternal instinct in me to care for this birb A few friends who also use Finch were telling me how they feel guilty for sending the birb outside alone after darkrdquoOne reason why Finch has been largely successful is because users feel attached to their lsquobirbrsquo their cute virtual petThe app launched in 2021 and became a popular download especially as the pandemic gave rise to mental health challenges One reason why Finch has been largely successfulmdashthey have over five lakh fivestar ratings on iOS and Google Playmdashcould be because of the psychology of cuteness A 2022 series of studies by USbased researchers Makenzie OrsquoNeil from Saint Maryrsquos College of California and Michelle Lani Shiota from Arizona State University revealed that when we see something cute our brains release feelgood chemicals which can improve our mood and reduce stress Srivastava supports this ldquoI think I go back to the app because of its cuteness If it was a straightforward app asking me how I was feeling I would say lsquoWho are yoursquordquoFor Coutinho who has used several organising and productivity systems the app has become a goto for listing down nonworkrelated tasks ldquoTaking care of the virtual pet has added a layer of tangible satisfactionrdquo she saysBut the app does more than that each time your birb gains energy and travels it returns after having learnt something At times it will pose a question and your answer will help it develop its personality Other times it will give you an affirmation or check in on your mood This makes it a great emotion and habittracking app as wellFinch is not the only selfcare app out there that gamifies tasks A gaming site lists over 100 such apps each offering different features and a completely different gaming experience Habitica is a popular app that uses retro RPG roleplaying game elements and has been effective for those with AttentionDeficitHyperactivity Disorder ADHD Yet another app Forest lets you stay focused encouraging you to keep your devices aside and has proved helpful for those who struggle with procrastination Habits Garden helps you grow habits while SuperBetter supports your mental health journey and Decision Game improves decisionmaking skills There are also apps focused on building exercise habits such as Zwift which improves cycling staminaItrsquos naturally cool to play a game but do these apps really help Dr Sanjay Kumavat consultant psychiatrist at Fortis Hospital Mulund lists three reasons why such apps are increasingly popular ldquoThey are easy to use keep you engaged and offer entertainment Todayrsquos generation is reluctant to take medicines for mental health What these apps do is offer positive reinforcement and feedback so it keeps the user goingrdquo Anything that keeps you engaged improves focus and games in general improve cognitive skills he says though warning that these tools should be used judiciously only as far as they actually help increase focus On the other hand Tara Mehta clinical psychologist at S L Raheja Hospital Mahim worries about increasing dependence on technology She says ldquoGamified apps can be mildly beneficial for someone just needs some motivation Ultimately though tech has an addictive nature Apps make life easier but they also deprive you of doing certain things Let our brains do the job they need to dordquoThe common thread tying most of these gamified apps together is that they have been created by game developers who have struggled with mental health in some manner On Finch Carersquos Medium blog cofounder Stephanie Yuan writes ldquoNino Fellow founder Thomas Aquinas Nugraha Budi and I started Finch with the mission to help others on their mental health journeys We struggled with depression and anxiety for years with disdain toward ourselves dread for the future and unexpected breakdowns Yet our experience wasnrsquot unique as we saw others share similar challengesrdquoYuan goes on to explain that she and Nino had developed eight versions of Finch that failed and the final version with the virtual pet was their last attemptShe further writes ldquoCan we truly normalise mental health for everyone Today we still grapple with these questions But we are fortunate enough to have a small team of volunteer moderators and employees who do so much behind the scenes to continuously evolve the community and productrdquoSo is it really troubling to depend on an app thatrsquos working to help you manage life a little better Rohra puts it well ldquoSelfcare is the crux of our life So if an app journalling or a person is helping you please utilise them But just use it as a resourcerdquo