GameMechanics
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Achvr helps you discover and share your life goals
I had the opportunity to speak with Ryan Traeger, CEO of Achvr, last night at the Boston gdgt live event. First, the event is a mini-show that showcases a wide variety of products available or coming soon in the gadget accessory market. Events are held in a variety of cities throughout the year. Last night's event showcased Sonos, SkyDrive, Western Digital, Cobra Electronics, Escort, Flytenow, FormLabs, iRobot, Phiatron, Roku, SKIT!, Tagboard and Withings. Second, while not all the products are Macintosh- or iOS-relevant, there were quite a few that intersect with those markets. Boston-based Achvr, founded last year, is an iOS app and website in beta that is a new social media platform that focuses on things you want to accomplish, such as visit a different country, skydive, see a particular movie or knit a sweater. According to Ryan, folks list what they want to do and share it with their Facebook and email friends who will help to achieve and support the endeavors. You can sign into the site or use the iPhone app using either Facebook or your email address. The Achvr app comes with 15 life categories, including music, vehicles, science & tech, sports and travel. Each category is populated with different activities. The beta launch news released Oct. 9 focuses on the gaming aspect of Achvr. Ryan says that "We were inspired by the idea of gamifying every aspect of life ... by building game mechanics on top of existing social networks, we're finding new ways to motivate people to live happier lives." When I spoke with Ryan, he focused more on how Achvr brings together a variety of different services into one app and site and how it is easier to accomplish something you want to do when you have support from friends. You can also find like-minded friends not only to see what goals you have in common, but also to do things together. When you complete a task, you're awarded points. You can "use" those points as a self-reward or as a competitive measure against friends. I'm not crazy about the competitive aspect of the point system, because I'm not a very competitive person, but you might enjoy that aspect of Achvr. Ryan told me that they hope to include your friends and contacts from Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social media-oriented sites as the app develops. Another idea in the works is that the things you want to do that cost money can be tied into discount deals that can appear in your desired activities. It could be links to deals or coupons, but that part of the mix has yet to be added. Achvr is kind of a mix of Facebook, Schemer, Groupon and your bucket list all rolled into one. I think it will be popular because it puts a variety of activities in one place where you can find more information, get support and share your progress with others. It is a more targeted support system for your life. Currently the iOS app only runs on the iPhone (iOS 6 or later), but you can use your iPad or Mac to log into the website. The free Achvr app is available in the iTunes store. The tagline on the site sums up the Achvr intent: "First-time experiences are the key to living a happier, more fulfilled life. Turn 'I want to do it' into 'I've done it.'"
EVE Evolved: EVE Online's aggression mechanics
The aggression mechanics are something that every pilot in EVE Online should learn about. This is a set of rules that determines who you can attack in high security space, who can attack you and whether you can dock or use a stargate. Knowing them inside and out can mean the difference between losing your ship and keeping it in one piece, even if you have no intent of getting into a PvP situation. Nevertheless, it's a part of the game that a lot of players don't take the time to properly acquaint themselves with. In this technical article, I give some important tips that will improve your survival. Can you afford not to learn about EVE's aggression mechanics?
Under the hood: game mechanics
Lost Garden has posted a very interesting article about game mechanics and how they work. The core belief that they are trying to impart is taken from Ralph Koster's book A Theory of Fun, "Game mechanics are rule based systems / simulations that facilitate and encourage a user to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the use of feedback mechanisms."The article explains how feedback loops work in a game-related environment, and what makes them particularly useful in designing a space that also has to be educational on a fundamental level. For instance, how do I get up to that ledge to grab the rocket launcher? How can I open this door to keep progressing through this level? The gamespace and elements have to provide feedback to the user, to let them know how things work so that they can keep playing and hopefully have fun along the way.One of our favorite quotes -- "I can put a black box on the table with a hidden button. Unbeknownst to a potential user, pressing the button enough times and the black box will spew out a thousand shiny silver coins. This is not a game. This is a bizarre gizmo." It goes on to explain how a designer would take this and turn it into a game by encouraging discovery and exploration, and by hinting that something useful (the coins) will be a result. A lot of things in this article are simple enough to make you smack your forehead, but it's really interesting to see how they work together in a game design context, and to understand the work that goes into something as simple as trying to present a path to a player.Oh, and we want one of those black boxes with the coins inside.
