Comment on From games to reminders to drink water: The rise of 'streaks,' rewards that keep you hooked
GhostlyPixel@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Streak addiction is real, I had one Snapchat streak years ago that was over 1500, the person it was with and I would send one snap a day of nothing really just to keep the streak going and that was the only time I talked to that person, it was honestly a relief when it finally lapsed. I had a few times where I was camping with no signal and would literally go on hikes with no destination just to find phone signal to send my daily snap to them. Number go up makes monkey brain happy, even when you’re aware of how dumb it is.
Idle games like cookie clicker exploit this to a shocking degree.
Ironically, cookie clicker is actually a parody of idle games, and once you get far enough, there is genuine strategy (assuming you enjoy doing math).
Still doesn’t change the fact the objective is to make number go up
Every gamer should try cookie clicker once as it really does expose how many games work under the hood. If you play cookie clicker, you’ll notice those number-go-up mechanics everywhere and that really gives you another perspective on some modern grindfests. It also is a really good game
jol@discuss.tchncs.de 3 days ago
My duolingo strike addiction made me fucking miserable, but I just couldn’t stop. I knew that breaking it would plunge me into a horrible depressive state. I finally broke free after finishing the diamond league and make peace with “good enough”. I haven’t been able to use duolingo ever since, because there’s apparently no way of just using duolingo normally without gamification.
GhostlyPixel@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I’m switching over to Babbel when my duo subscription lapses in the fall, much less gamified, actual human speakers for the language I want to learn, and they aren’t trying to shovel AI into everything like duo is
rainwall@piefed.social 3 days ago
Check out mango. Its pleasant and has a really nice interface.
You can use your library card for free premium access.
GhostlyPixel@lemmy.world 3 days ago
My library district actually just got access to Mango in May, I downloaded it, but I haven’t had a chance to try it
Thanks!
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Sucks that you have to create a login to search if your library is included. I don’t care enough to create a login for something I might not use