Want to Build a Better You? Try One of These Game-Based Self-Improvement Apps
You can’t blame people for thinking that playing games and being healthy are mutually exclusive. The stereotype of the overweight, bleary-eyed gamer stuck in his chair has been hammered into the public consciousness for years — and game publishers haven’t done much to dispel it. It’s not like you see a lot of video game/health food tie-ins. Dig Call of Duty? Then I hope you like Doritos and Mountain Dew too, you powder-fingered, caffeinated sugar freak, you.
But the truth is that games can actually be enormously useful in helping you live a healthier life. “Gamification” — adding gamelike elements to nongame activities — has changed the way we exercise, communicate, and deal with our day-to-day tasks. If you’re looking to get motivated on your self-improvement goals but also have a little fun doing it, check out these gamified apps.
Zombies, Run!
Good advice, and a great app. One of the first big mobile exergames, Zombies, Run! is still a terrific way to stick with a jogging regimen. Now in its fourth season, the newly free-to-play game turns your run into a mission to gather supplies for your base of survivors. Narrative bits are jammed into your own music playlist, so you won’t sacrifice your killer running mix just to flee the undead. It’s a legit jogging tool too, syncing with your device’s GPS to record your time, distance, caloric burn, and pace. Though Zombies, Run! is not quite as robust as a dedicated jogging app, you don’t need brains to know that it’s a helluva lot more fun. (iOS, Android | Free)
Forest
How many times have you checked your phone since opening this story? If you’re anything like me, the answer is somewhere between 4 and 50. Forest helps you stay focused by having you plant a virtual tree and setting a growth timer. Leave the app running, and the seed will eventually sprout into a lush tree; leave the app to, say, check your mail, and the plant will wither and die. Even glancing at the phone keeps you on task, as the app pops up encouraging (“Stay Focused!”) and accusatory (“Stop Phubbing!”) messages. Does it work? It got me through this paragraph, so that’s something. (iOS, Android | Free)
Habitica
Life is the ultimate role-playing game (though if you wander around hitting things with a sword or casting fireballs, you’ll probably get into trouble). Habitica is much safer, turning your daily tasks into RPG goals. You might start with something simple — “set up a workout schedule” or “organize closet,” for example. Then, as you check items off your list, your character gains gold and experience. Ten minutes of cardio? You just earned some XP. It also doles out random daily tasks based on the parts of your life you’d like to improve, encouraging you to stretch, do the dishes, or practice guitar. Stick with it and you can unlock new gear, items, and even pets. Just don’t let your real-world cat notice how excited you are about your virtual one. (iOS, Android | Free)
SaveUp
If balancing your monthly budget is giving you fits, SaveUp might do the trick. The idea is simple: Link it to your various accounts, then earn points by spending smartly. Pay off a student loan? Make a deposit into your retirement account? You’ll earn lots of points for both. You can then use those points in a virtual slot machine that yields gift cards, services, and occasionally straight-up cash. It feels a bit like gambling, just without the part where you actually lose money. So maybe healthy gambling, if there is such a thing. (iOS | Free)
SuperBetter
Game designer Jane McGonigal helped put gamification on the map when she gave one of the most watched TED talks ever. McGonigal used game theory to heal her mind and body following a terrible accident, and that eventually morphed into SuperBetter. Essentially, it turns any real-life issue — anxiety, depression, obesity — into a game filled with quests, power-ups, enemies, and allies. Trying to lose weight? Then you might have to power up by chugging a glass of water before battling the Sticky Chair (stand up and move around). A slick mashup of game-y concepts and self-help principles, it might, in fact, make you feel better. (iOS, Android | Free)
Ben could probably outrun a zombie — a slow one, anyway. He’s on Twitter at @ben_silverman.
