How to turn your life into a video-game to win.

[@ondrikb]

Really nice video! The only thing I'd add is that there is another factor which makes video game mechanics addicting that you didn't mention, namely very visible and 'tangible' progress in the form of XP bars or a competitive rating going up after every game. This can be easily added to what you suggested by having for example a calendar where you can add a happy face if you did the task for that day, or write down exactly how much you did if it's something numbers-based like doing above a thousand steps every day. Just thought I'd mention it here if anyone else finds it helpful.

[@TheXxmadmanxxkkk]

Hi, I'd argue that in real life also progress is very visible without gamifying in most cases, so progress tracking might not be needed. Especially because sometimes your performance might be worse than before and that might discourage you. But what mystifies me is how games are so much more engaging, for example for me 1hr of piano practice feels like a thousand years, while 1hr of playing games goes by in an instant. I like and enjoy both. I guess it's hard work vs play, because also while learning, analyzing and trying to improve my ranked gameplay that is also not as engaging as actually playing the game. So I think it's the pure isolated play that makes things fully engaging, while doing the heavy lifting is boring and exhausting. Of course play releases feel good chemicals and that plays a big role in this.

[@Lurning-Curve]

Thank you very much for your comment! I see what you are saying, maybe I didn't clarify, but that's what I meant with the status bars of 100! But you can track any progress in a way that works for you, that's why I didn't cover it as deeply. So i'm glad that you found a way that works for you! :)

[@Lurning-Curve]

That's a very good point! Tracking progress is very relative to what activity you are tracking. In this case I would just use it when it is most beneficial and leave it aside when it overcomplicates things. It's true that play and work have to be differentiated, but that's why achievement in the form of action-based goals can be so effective.

[@Pilkas_Vilkas]

The "give yourself a medal" is a very interesting idea. I was playing a game with incremental achievements for mindlessly grinding the same content over and over and it had me hooked. Copying this game's system the IRL achievements for jogging would be: Run 1km, 2km, 10km Run 1km x10 times, x50 times Run 1km in 10 minutes, 6 minutes etc. To track it you could write down each goal step on a nice paper, stick it on the fridge and mark the progress when completed. Then treat yourself after reaching various milestones.

[@Lurning-Curve]

@@Pilkas_Vilkas spot on! This is how you apply it best, a combination of game mechanics to maximize the enjoyment you get out of pursuing harder tasks!

[@ThePainkiller9995]

MY LIFE IS LIKE A VIDEOGAME

[@Lurning-Curve]

haha is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[@paoloortiz5662]

Though I've fallen in the pit of self-improvement videos binging, this one does stand out as being different from the rest. Most of them, while talking the same points about creating a certain goal and tracking the results, never really made it apparent why these would be rewarding. In your explanation you provided concrete definitions on how these end up working, as meaningful rewards for you to observe in an abstract (levels, skills, numbers going up) yet also palpable (repetitions, knowledge, tangible statistics) metrics that allow you to understand your body, your soul and your mind. Though I never really liked medals, the point of creating badges or certain "memorials" (might not be the best word, not a native speaker, sorry) for the things you have achieved would indeed make you understand that you made things with the progress you've made, and the rarer these are, the more appreciation you can actually have for them instead of just collars for you to display and not wear. Struggling with self-confidence and pretty much loathing anything regarding hard work I've come to understand that this is not the product of anything else but my own inability to take action, and to see these spurts of action meaning something, plus having a sort of reward (maybe a treat, a night out, or just some time doing what you like) for achieving it would definitely make the path for improving oneself MUCH easier. Thanks for your video! Great work!

[@Lurning-Curve]

@@paoloortiz5662 wow!! I really appreciate your comment and am so glad that this video clarified some things! It’s a great mindset to shift from “hard work” to building up skill level because it does make it way more fun. Thank you very much for sharing! :)

[@xdlol59]

I thought the same thing!

[@thisisneil2.09]

Notes: Adequate efforts for Adequate results. Make common, uncommon, rare, epic & legendary challenges. Challenges have goals inside them. These should not be outside based. World stats are useless, base them on actions you have control of. Have skills and inside each skill have levels and exp. Have badges for completing challenges and medals for skills. Also medals can be in "medal X times". *Have friendly competitions.

[@Lurning-Curve]

Thanks for the notes!

[@thisisneil2.09]

@Lurning-Curve Great video. Thank YOU!

[@TheXxmadmanxxkkk]

Game mechanics are derived from real life, things that we find engaging, so applying those back to real life is somewhat foolish in my opinion. Rather learn to love what you do and engage in it fully, with love. You will be naturally drawn to what you love, you will not be able to wait for the next time you can engage in this activity, and this is the only way to achieve a good existence. Results are just the fruits of your labor, not something to be obsessed about. The desire for achievements, more money, more "success" shows your ego is out of control. You should be focused on perfecting your labor and nothing else. Expecting things only leads to disappointment. Remember how toxic people are in ranked games, because they're expecting a win, so any impediment or frustration is hyper inflamed. It is paradoxical that only when we're not obsessed and anxious about the outcome the outcome comes out better, but that is one of the mysteries of life.

[@Lurning-Curve]

I completely agree with you! That's why I try to put emphasis on the action-based goals rather than results-based goals, because you should be proud of the character you are building rather than the outcomes that that potentially generates. It's also important to note that these game mechanics are very useful in situations where you have to do things that you are not drawn to.

[@TheXxmadmanxxkkk]

​@@Lurning-Curve Good points, I would agree that if you have to do something you don't enjoy, you can gamify it and that way effectively fight the resistance in your mind. In my opinion, the only thing you must focus on is the present, give it your best shot, not just chores and tasks, but more importantly relationships and good deeds. I'm only speaking about all of this because I'm a gamer and I did apply game mechanics to real life the same way I do in games. I'm warning about the pitfalls of that kind of thinking, letting your ego take over and even develop some sort of superiority complex. I admit that happened for years in my life and it still happens, fixating upon an outcome in games or real life can just be heartbreaking and maddening. The only cure I found is love and not letting yourself entertain those toxic competitive thoughts. Thinking about the blessings you already received and what you're working on instead of fantasizing about an uncertain future. But that's how it goes in my crazy head, maybe it's all a bunch of baloney.

[@BeetheBardling]

Allow me to share a game-changing (literally) addition: I’ve been living my life like it’s the sims recently. I’ve been grinding my guitar skill like crazy because I want to master it and it raises my fun meter. I must be careful though, because sometimes setting goals for myself distracts from simple mastery, exp increase by exp increase, every day. I’ve also been grinding my cooking skill. Now instead of watching useless KZbin content when I’m lonely, I try watch content that plays into building exp for my skills. Like cooking tips videos in the background. I just cooked a bomb roast leg of lamb with potatoes and asparagus the other day. Level up. This applies in so many other areas. Do this. Win. Have fun. If goals freak you out, simply gain exp. By gaining exp, you’ll passively find yourself levelling up faster than you imagined. Good luck gamers

[@Lurning-Curve]

@@BeetheBardling ya love to see it!! You apply the concept so well! And I love the addition of experience points. That incorporates more continuous feedback. Thanks for sharing this! :)

[@xdlol59]

I love this video. Sub!

[@Lurning-Curve]

@@xdlol59 thank you very much!! Glad you enjoyed it! 🤩

[@Malgeris]

Interesting Video! Keep sharing good insights.

[@Lurning-Curve]

@@Malgeris really appreciate the comment! I’m glad you found it interesting! More to come for sure 🤩

[@capnbarky2682]

Gamifying requires attaching numbers to things. It's hard to do it for something like drawing which is very subjective, although you can definitely grind drawing out by setting achievements. Right now I'm tying my "strength" stat to my deadlift. All my other exercises tie back to my ability to deadlift, which I test every other workout and go up whenever I can do 5 reps. My formula is Str Level= (DL working weight-200)/5. This makes me level 23 at a 315 lb deadlift, and if I can do 5 reps I gain a level and 5 more pounds on the bar, and sets level 100 at a 700 pound deadlift, a ridiculous competition weight but I think it would also be a pretty good representation for "level 100", since at that point even extremely difficult tasks like moving appliances around would be trivialized. Pulling 500 lbs after a couple years would put me at 60, which coincides with a pretty healthy level in most RPGs, sometimes even being enough to finish the main story. Levelling up right now is still relatively fast, gaining one around every 2 weeks, but it will slow eventually, and will necessitate more complex and advanced training, just like levelling in a game. Anyway I played a LOT of MMOs when I was a kid and I've been getting crazy motivation thinking like this. Edit: as even more fun, with this formula the world record holder Hafthor, would be level 169, which, I mean, look at the guy and tell me he isn't level 169 in strength.

[@Lurning-Curve]

That's a very true observation, of course these game mechanics cannot be used on everything we do. But it is fun to use when it is applicable! I love that you were leveraging them already! Immersing yourself in how these game mechanics could work in real life is really beneficial to using them effectively, I notice too.

[@WaAaAaAaW]

Soulless, lol.

[@Lurning-Curve]

i'm sorry you feel that way.