LONDON may seem like an untameable beast of a city, and it certainly feels that way when you look at Tube maps. There are 272 stations on the Underground, giving the sense that the capital is much bigger than it is. Indeed, for people who only take the train, it’s hard to get a grasp of the city’s real layout.
When you take the healthy option and walk around London, on the other hand, you can get a true sense of its size. Yes, it’s big, but it’s still possible to traverse on foot. Now, there are apps that use gamification techniques to encourage more people to walk, and many people are seeing the Big Smoke in a whole new light.
Tapping Into People’s Need for Rewards and Random Outcomes
No matter where you look online nowadays, there are activities designed to appeal to people’s enjoyment of random outcomes. The best example of this is in the online casino industry, where options like the Slingo classic Slingo Starburst are impossible to predict. Players have to match lines with traditional slot formats, yet with the unpredictability of both slots and bingo, and watch to see if any winning combinations are made. These new innovations seek to create new methods of gameplay, with the same unpredictability as classic formats.
Random reward mechanics can be found elsewhere as well, such as in fitness apps that use mystery rewards to keep people engaged. For example, Sweatcoin has its own digital currency that can be spent on random offers in its own marketplace. Language apps have also started to offer random rewards, with Duolingo’s energy system a great example of this.
Apps that try to encourage people to walk more in London are tapping into this need for rewards and random outcomes too, and there are loads of innovative ideas in place. Some, such as Paace, allow users to earn points from steps, which can then be used to get money off at partnered cafes and restaurants in London.
Turning the City into a Game Board
There are a few apps in London that are aiming to turn the city into a walkable game board, with Go Jauntly being the best example. The app offers a Walk London Challenge, which
aims to get people walking at least 20 minutes per day. Users can unlock badges and milestones as they progress, giving them something to work towards and a way of tracking their progress.
There are challenges in the app designed to encourage people to try out new walking routes, and these act like missions in a game. There are short-term targets, such as visiting a spot like the Jubilee Walkway or the Thames Path, and long-term goals, such as completing multi-stage walking trails as well.
There has already been a huge increase in people walking in the capital, and apps with gamified elements are helping to get more Londoners on board. In the future, technology such as augmented reality could be integrated as well, superimposing digital elements on real-world surroundings to add to the gamified experience.
Article written by Ben Spencer
