Happiness

5 Steps to a Happier Life with Gamification

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Gamification for a happier life 5 Steps to a Happier Life with Gamification

Ok, this sounds a little “self helpy”, but it came to me when I was doing a lecture for a group of Masters students at Kings College recently. I ended the talk, rather by accident, with the following advice

“Always be sure you know why you are doing things, understand their purpose. It helps to then work towards small goals.  That way no task, no matter how big – even the crushing student debt you probably have right now – will be manageable”

Anyone who has seen me speak knows that I get quite passionate. What they may not know is that I react to the audience and adapt my talks accordingly. This group were great and it felt right to give them a little ad-hoc advice. it got me thinking, though, what lessons from gamification am I applying in my own life day to day? Read More ...

Gamification: A thought for those who don’t want it.

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One of the blockers for gamification is often staff feeling insulted in some way by it. Whether it is because they feel the money could have been better spent, that the concept is beneath them or just that they are resistant to any change at all.

It is true that gamification is often used in enterprise when someone feels there is a need to increase productivity in some way. That may be by using metrics delivered from a gamified environment to map pain points, or areas where there could be productivity increases. It could be by improving the training materials, or making them more palatable. The point is, these are all things that employees have to buy into for them to work. Read More ...

What Pure Joy Looks Like

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Anyone who has read my blog will know that my daughters are an inspiration to me on a regular basis. All of me research into play was initiated by watching them as was my little adventure into fun. Today I wanted to share with you an important lesson – what pure joy actually looks like.

The girls in a hurricane simulator at the London aquarium !

Posted by Andrzej Marczewski on Monday, 28 September 2015

This video was taken of my daughters at the London Aquarium in a hurricane Simulator. For £2, you lock the kids in for about 30 seconds and it simulates winds of around 80mph. Why? Because it is fun! It serves no purpose, there is no higher meaning, it is just (for some) an enjoyable experience.

It is good to be reminded that not everything needs to have a purpose to be important. That simple £2 investment gave my children an experience that cheered them up after a lot of walking and that created smiles and memories that are priceless. Read More ...

Altruism: Kindness begets kindness

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One of the ideas that has always fascinated me is altruism within random groups. The idea that if you do a good deed and others see it, they will also be more likely to do a good deed.

I have been testing this idea on my drive into work for a few months now. In a totally non scientific way, I have been alternately allowing people to cross past me at a junction and not letting them. When I let them cross, I keep an eye on the car behind me to see if they then let the next person through.

I would estimate that about 7 times out of 10, the person behind will let the next car through. When I don’t do it, then the car behind almost always follows suit and won’t let the someone past. Read More ...

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