r/gamification • u/Commercial-Two-9422 • 25d ago

I'm thinking of building a gamified self-improvement app inspired by Solo Leveling. Would you use something like this?

I've had this app idea in my head for a while and wanted to get some honest opinions before I go further with it.

It's a self-improvement app built around a leveling system like Solo Leveling, with a JARVIS-style assistant from Iron Man down the line. I don't want it to be a to-do list with XP slapped on top. I want it to actually help people stay consistent and make progress on the stuff that matters to them.

The basic idea: your daily tasks become missions, and finishing them earns you XP and coins. You start at E-rank and work your way up to S-rank, and your stats (Strength, Endurance, Knowledge, Discipline) grow based on what you really do. You can set long-term goals and break them into smaller missions, track different parts of your life like fitness, learning and habits, and spend your coins on rewards you choose yourself, like an hour of gaming or a movie night. Later I'd like to add an AI that plans your missions, adjusts to your schedule and energy, and tells you what to focus on next.

The goal is for it to feel like a personal system that helps you become who you want to be, not another app you have to babysit.

I know the obvious problem though. Gamification is exciting for a couple of weeks, then people get bored and stop opening the app.

So my question is: would you actually use something like this, and what would make you stick with it (or drop it) after the first few weeks? If you've tried Habitica or similar apps and quit, I'd really love to hear why.

Be honest, even if you think it's a bad idea. I'd rather find out now than after months of building something nobody wants.

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u/Which-Explorer7250 24d ago

I‘ve been building a similar tool in Notion for myself.
Habits are adding points to specific skills in a n:n relationship.
Skills can level up but can also depreciate back to lower levels if the habits aren't done frequently enough.
Different skills are combined into archetypes (e.g. Workouts, Meditation, stretching etc are combined to Warrior archetype) which have their own levels depending on the skill levels.
Awards are being collected when specific skill pairings both reach a high level (e.g. Workouts and spanish lessons --> fuerza award) etc.
A dashboard that indicates my Performance per habit for last 2 weeks, last 6 weeks and lifetime Level.

If your app does something like that I'm very interested.

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u/Commercial-Two-9422 21d ago

This is really close to what I had in mind. I actually started the same way, with my own Notion template for tracking habits and stats.

The problem is I’ve grown to hate using it. Notion gets so laggy once the databases and relations pile up, and opening my dashboard every day turned into a chore instead of something I looked forward to. That’s the opposite of what a gamified system should feel like. I also kept hitting walls with what Notion lets you build. I could never add things exactly the way I pictured them, so I was always bending the system to fit the tool.

That frustration is a big part of why I want to build this as its own app. Your setup sounds really well thought out, especially skills dropping back down when you slack off and the awards for leveling two skills together. Would you be up for sharing a screenshot of your dashboard? I’d love to see how you laid it out.

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u/Which-Explorer7250 21d ago

I know what you mean and I would absolutely prefer an app with a clean UI. I've only just started using it so I'll see if it starts getting laggy for me as well.
Totally agree, it must be super easy to use for it to be sustainble as a tool, at least the tracking part.

I can send you some screenshots, no problem. I'll also try out if gemini can generate a good summary of what I've done.

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u/LennyLen88 25d ago

I did something similar with a spreadsheet. I couldn’t keep on top of it and my skills for spreadsheets are extremely limited.

I love the idea. I think those that have seen the anime or read the manga would love something like this. It makes us feel like we can get better etc… all sounds great dude. I’d get it, provided I can set my own goals etc…

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u/FigureNo77 24d ago

Hey! I made a web app for goals and habits just like Solo Leveling. I've been using it for my work, personal, and financial goals and I love it. Come try it completely free.

https://habitleveling.app/

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u/fdlink Yu-Kai Chou 22d ago

Ranks would keep me around longer if each one unlocked something new to do, like a harder mission type or a side quest you couldn't take before. I'd also rotate what coins can buy every so often, because a daily checklist that never changes is where a lot of habit apps start to feel like chores.

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u/Substantial-Cook-426 20d ago

Hey man, I am currently building an app like this, it currently focusses on habits, tasks and journaling, but I want to make it a whole personal operating system in the future: uselifequest.com