Ready, Set, Track: How Gamification Can Help Us Build Healthier Habits
Let me tell you a story about a smartwatch, a young woman, and a worldwide pandemic.
In March 2020, when staying indoors became normal and exercising with friends was taboo, I found that I needed some extra motivation to get outdoors and run. I bought myself a fancy Garmin watch that tracked runs, cycles, and walks, but also steps, elevation, calories burnt, heart rate, and sleep.
Every single one of these paradigms had a personalized daily goal — which became hard not to hit. I didn’t realize it then, but the designers of this clever tech had “gamified” exercise for me, turning every walk into a challenge to reach my elevation goal, and every night an opportunity to be congratulated for getting 8 hours’ sleep.
References
- Corepal et al. Exploring the use of a gamified intervention for encouraging physical activity in adolescents: a qualitative longitudinal study in Northern Ireland: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/4/e019663
- Griffin, A. Pokemon Go: Trainer who became first in UK to catch 'em all lost two stone while doing so: https://www.independent.co.uk/games/pokemon-go-man-loses-two-stone-while-becoming-first-to-catch-all-143-creatures-in-uk-a7161606.html
- Hartin et al. The empowering role of mobile apps in behavior change interventions: the Gray Matters randomized controlled trial: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4987494/
- He et al. App based education programme to reduce salt intake (AppSalt) in schoolchildren and their families in China: parallel, cluster randomised controlled trial: https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021-066982
- Niemiec et al. Aspiring to physical health: the role of aspirations for physical health in facilitating long-term tobacco abstinence: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18838243/
- Ntoumanis et al. A meta-analysis of self-determination theory-informed intervention studies in the health domain: effects on motivation, health behavior, physical, and psychological health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31983293/
- University of Leicester. Pokémon Go could ease Type 2 diabetes burden: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160725090154.htm
- Wansink. Mindless eating: From mindless eating to mindlessly eating better: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003193841000199X
About the Author
Rachel Donnison
Rachel Donnison studied Natural Sciences as an undergraduate and has a MSci in Behavioral Bioinnovation. She has an interest in health and sustainability behaviour change and works for the British Medical Journal on a clinical decision support tool called Best Practice, helping doctors make evidenced-based decisions at the point of care. She lives in London, but grew up in Aberystwyth on the coast of West Wales.
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