How Is Family Time Different from Work When Being Turned into Fun Games?

Summary

The article discusses the application of gamification principles to family life, emphasizing the importance of appreciating time spent with loved ones over achieving goals.

Abstract

The author initially resisted gamifying personal and family life, considering it too sacred for such an approach. However, upon experimentation, it was found that gamification naturally enhanced the enjoyment of family time without the need for point-tracking. The concept of Self-Gamification, which combines anthropology, kaizen, and gamification, allowed the author to engage with family without guilt or the feeling of neglecting other responsibilities. The article reflects on personal experiences and insights from the "5 Minute Perseverance Game," highlighting the joy of unquantified time with family and the realization that heartfelt activities can overcome FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). The piece concludes with a note about the content's origin and related articles for further reading.

Opinions

The author initially believed that family time should not be gamified, viewing it as unethical and too precious.
After trying gamification with family, the author found that it was not necessary to track points as the enjoyment came naturally.
Self-Gamification helped the author to engage with family activities without feeling guilty about neglecting work or personal projects.
The author places significant value on appreciating moments with family, rather than focusing on ambition or productivity.
The article suggests that gamification can be a tool for awareness and appreciation, rather than just a method for motivation or achievement.
The author's experiences indicate that time spent with loved ones is both fulfilling and productive, despite not being traditionally quantifiable.
The article posits that the fear of missing out (FOMO) can be countered by focusing on activities that align with one's true interests and passions.

Is it ethical to turn family life into games?

“OK,” you might say. “You turn work and studies into games. But what about your personal life and your family?”

When first asked whether I was turning my personal and family life into games, my immediate answer was “No.” I thought my time with my family and friends was too “sacred” to be gamified (= turned into games). That it was unethical to turn it into games.

Enjoying time with my family

When I gave bringing games into my family time a try, I realized that I didn’t “play” the game to earn points when it came to playing with my children or spending time with my husband, extended family, or friends.

I discovered that I didn’t need to. These came naturally, and I enjoyed those times. But Self-Gamification (= art of turning life into games by bringing anthropology, kaizen, and gamification together) helped me take that time without self-reproach and do away with thoughts that I could better spend my time doing something else.

Not ambition, but appreciation

It also helped me become aware that I did take time for my family and appreciate those moments.

Here is what I wrote — among many other observations— in a blog post titled “Closing May Round and Starting June Round of the 5 Minute Perseverance Game” on June 5, 2017, about lessons learned in this area of my life:

(The beginning of the excerpt)

Meeting and communicating with family and friends.

I am happy about this one for two reasons. First, it reminded me to answer emails I had forgotten about in the busyness of everyday life. And secondly, I often wouldn’t notice that I had spent time with family and friends. I was simply there with them, enjoying them and my time with them.

Only on two days of this month did I not record a point for this activity. I suspect that I simply forgot to do so. When looking at my day and counting the points, the discovery that I took care of my loved ones and devoted time to them without watching the clock brought me much joy. This activity is one of the sweetest ones, and it showed me that my loved ones are not being neglected while I follow my passion for work and personal projects.

[A side-note: even though this project was placed almost last in the list of eleven projects, it still got nearly all possible points and earned more than any of the other projects in this round. Wherever it stands, the fact that I am drawn to do something here shows that my heart’s wishes are much stronger than my Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) or fear of doing something wrong.]

(The end of the excerpt)

How Is Family Time Different from Work When Being Turned into Fun Games?

It’s more about appreciation than ambition

Is it ethical to turn family life into games?

Enjoying time with my family

Not ambition, but appreciation

A note to this article:

Related articles:

Why Stopping Doing Something Doesn’t Mean You Give It Up

You can always switch to another project game and then come back

How To See What We Do As Games

And how to get inspired by and draw similarities from games

What Are Self-Motivational Games and Their Types?

The multidimensional relationship between the result of turning something into fun games and its source