The Quest for a Better Health Journey - How Gamification Can Take You from NPC to Hero
The Problem
Healthy living is a journey, and unfortunately the path to our goals can feel as arduous and distant as Frodo’s trek into Mordor. It doesn’t simply happen overnight.
Why yes, this IS a meme from the early 2000’s. Thanks for noticing.
To make it worse, the goal to get healthier also feels way less badass than destroying the One Ring to save all free peoples of Middle Earth from Sauron’s iron fist.
Hell, if it’s between spending my free time eating kale and doing cardio (y’know, the usual stereotype of healthy living), or playing a game where I COULD do that kind of stuff, I think I’d rather just play a game & do the badass stuff. Doubt I’m alone in that.
At FortifySTR this is part of the problem we are trying to solve.
How do we make the long journey of living a healthier life FEEL as rewarding and badass as some of the heroic feats you can perform in gaming? Or even MORE rewarding and badass, since WE’RE the ones doing it, not just living vicariously through a character we’ve developed.
Thankfully there’s this great framework called Gamification.
Gamification refers to the implementation of game elements and principles to influence human behavior. And it’s not as far of a reach as you’d think.
Most of us are fans of RPGs (role-playing games). Let’s take a look at the basic formula of an RPG.
A Challenge Looms ( A Quest/ Big Problem/ Big Bad Evil Guy)
Hero(s) step up to face this challenge.
Hero(s) realize they are not badass enough to succeed.
Hero(s) embark on a journey where various trials and mentors teach them new skills, address their weaknesses and prepare them to face the challenge.
Hero(s) overcome the challenge.
Hell, RPGs are just fantasy-themed self-help books. They just tell a more interesting story.
What if our cardio fueled travel through dangerous woods, with random encounters lying in wait?
What if completing a series of push-ups activated a powerful cleave to fend off vicious goblins waylaying you as you journey in those woods?
What if you required healing after your combat, so you cooked a new healthy recipe and began unraveling the secrets of alchemy?
What if all those things were occuring within a narrative, with each passing day leading you one step closer to over-throwing the corrupt baron of the land.
Well that’s EXACTLY the kind of system we’ve been designing. And we’ve got just such a narrative brewing to get you started on YOUR Hero’s Journey.
Check out our teaser trailer below for our upcoming Module - The Saga of the Berövad
Follow this blog series for the latest scoop on taking a health journey that takes you from NPC to HERO status. Don’t miss out!
PS. Also check out this blog post on how to identify with the hero within!