JUDGMENT TIME, DEKARANGER.
No, wait, we’re talking about something entirely different today. I saw one of my friends over at Hirez post a link to Habitica.com today, where you turn your life into an RPG. The idea is that you reward yourself for completing tasks, gaining exp, gold, items, fighting monsters with your friends, things of this nature. It relies on you to be honest with yourself, and them when you click that you have done one of your daily habits, or tasks you’ve sat out to do. They recommend you start light, with only a few tasks a day so you don’t get overwhelmed and stressed about it, and I tried it. There’s stuff you can buy with “gems” to make yourself look cooler, but that’s not the issue I have. Now you have to log on daily, several times a day to add tasks, click that you’ve completed them, and gain the rewards you so richly deserve. The idea is to help you organize your life with RPG-like rewards, to motivate people who love gaming and RPGs. I love the concept, I do. For someone who is fairly well-adjusted, it’s gangbusters. It will potentially help their lives become more manageable.
But what about people with anxiety, depression, things of this nature? The first thought I had was “This is okay. I like this. I’m customizing a character and it’s really kind of neat.” but that thought steadily changed in just an hour or so. “What happens if I fail and don’t get this done?” I can’t help but judge and find myself lacking. Now I have to log on here several times a day in addition to all the other crap I do and admit to myself that I failed a task or succeeded. One of my co-workers/bosses and I were talking about it, and how they let it run their life. Every small failure was judged harshly, creating self-doubt, more stress, more panic. I can absolutely see that and it’s unfortunate. It’s a fantastic idea! I highly recommend people give it a whirl and see if it’s for them. I can’t handle it, but that’s no reason other folks can’t.
Do you guys have any games or game-like ideas that help you stay on task and rewarded, without it becoming a chore, or bribery? I’d love to hear about it!
