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Leveling Up Your Well-Being: Exploring Gamified Wellness Apps
- Kelsey Villacorte
- Sep 19, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 8, 2023
By Kelsey Villacorte and Booker Harrap
In our fast-paced lives, juggling work, family, and countless responsibilities often leaves our mental health neglected. However, it's now more crucial than ever to prioritize emotional well-being alongside physical health. Thanks to the growing awareness of mental health, numerous resources are available to help manage stress, anxiety, and depression. Mental health apps, in particular, offer convenient and affordable solutions.
But what if we told you that some of these apps are taking self-care to a whole new level? Imagine playing games as a way to support your emotional wellness. In this blog post, we'll not only explore the world of gamified mental health apps but also discover how these innovative platforms introduce a revolutionary approach to well-being—where the act of caring for something within the app can encourage nurturing your own emotional resilience. Our systematic review and desk research have led us to discover the best apps tailored to various unique needs.
So grab your phone and let’s embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through the worlds in these groundbreaking wellness apps. Together, we'll discover the exciting realm of gamified self-care and its impact on our overall well-being.
Apps Featured in this Review
Kinder World
"Take care of your plants and yourself in a comforting, relaxing and lush atmosphere of your own design, completing daily acts of self-love that make the world a kinder place.
Players will nurture their plants in-game by nurturing themselves in the real world, completing evidence-based wellbeing exercises like emotional naming and expressing gratitude.
Every plant in Kinder World is procedurally generated, so your growth is completely unique to you!"
Amaru
"Amaru is here to support your self-care!
Feed, pet, customize, and play minigames with the adorable Amaru while being rewarded for taking care of yourself! The game contains engaging goal-setting, mindful grounding exercises, and journal activities that provide a fun way to build focus and resilience to stress, anxiety, and depression."
Finch
"Meet your new self care best friend! Finch is a self care pet app that helps you feel prepared and positive, one day at a time. Take care of your pet by taking care of yourself! Choose from a wide variety of daily self care exercises personalized for you.
Finch makes self care finally feel rewarding, lightweight, and fun. Complete quick self care exercises to grow your pet, earn rewards, and improve mental health!"
Guardians: Unite the Realms
"The Guardians is not only a game about collecting and training pets. It is a tool you can use to build the skills you need to fight depression and improve your wellbeing.
Developed in the Affective Computing Group of the MIT Media Lab, The Guardians is a unique tool created using psychological techniques of mobile games to reward and encourage healthy habit formation and teach skills that are invaluable toward fighting depression.
The best way to help the creatures of the Realms is to help yourself live the best life you can!"
Tappy
"Immerse yourself in Tappy, the ultimate mindful fidgeting app! Tap, slide, and unlock the power of relaxation. Experience incredibly satisfying haptic feedback and immersive sound effects as you dive into a world of possibilities. Discover a range of features and tools designed to support mindfulness, reduce stress, ease anxiety, and enhance mental health."
Methodology
App Review
From the start, we knew we wanted to evaluate gamified mental health and wellness apps, but we needed to refine our objective. We restricted our evaluation to apps available on the Apple store, since we have iPhones.
After looking through many apps, we noticed that many of them involved taking care of a virtual “pet.” Finch stood out among these as one of the most popular gamified mental health apps on the market. We felt we had landed in a promising domain.
And so our focus shifted to gamified mental health apps that involve taking care of a virtual pet or being.
Feature Analysis
With our apps selected, we began listing the features available in the apps, and categorizing them. Our categories were:
Mood/Emotion, Goals, Journal, Relaxation, Rewards, Physical Activities, Guided Exercises, Other, and Taking Care of a “Pet.”
We then rated features on a scale of one to five and color coded those values.
See the feature analysis sheet below or click the link to view it in more detail.
User Assumptions
Our user assumptions were generated from our own hypothesizing, literature review, and desk research. The scope of and resources available for this review didn’t allow for persona validation, so we relied on our own insights and an extensive list of hypothesized needs to help cover the bases.
Feature-Need Mapping
After generating our list of user needs, we mapped the features to the user needs they applied to (if there was a fit at all), and summed up the feature scores that applied to each user need for a total need score. Each need had a different amount of features that mapped to it, so each need had a different amount of total available points. For interpretability, these points were scaled to ten so each need score could be presented as a score out of ten.
See snapshot of the feature-need mapping sheet below, or click the link to view it in more detail.
Below the mapping sheet can be seen the calculation of need-scores for each app. See the snapshot of Finch's need-scores below or click the app name to see the need scores for each app: Finch, A Kinder World, Amaru, Guardians, Tappy.
Here is the comparison table, with the scores scaled out of ten.
Since the needs aggregated to different user goals, we also calculated a goal score (see sheet above). Instead of using the average of the relevant need scores (scaled out of ten), we simply divided the total points (before being scaled to ten) by the total available points, and multiplied that number by 10. Doing it this way, we were able to account for the different weights of different needs (e.g., the “Soundscapes” need only had one feature that mapped to it, while the “Engaging Play” need had 12 features map to it). It’s an imperfect solution, but we would have had to apply subjective weights to the needs, which didn’t feel appropriate given that we are working off of assumptions and not validated user needs.
Onboarding Evaluations
Early on we noticed some pretty steep differences in the attention to onboarding between the apps, and that it affected our level of engagement. So we decided to evaluate the onboarding of the apps. We generated questions and rating scales for different aspects of the onboarding process (e.g., “How does the onboarding process motivate users to engage with the app?” … “How would you rate the onboarding’s effectiveness in motivating users to engage with the app?”) and had two interns independently assess the onboarding experience. At any points of substantial disagreement, we asked them to discuss their findings and adjust them if warranted. This enabled us to get a reasonable assessment of the onboarding process, with some inter-rater reliability.
Best App Overall
Finch
Finch is more than just an app; it's a transformative companion that guides users toward understanding, enhancing, and mastering their mood and emotions. Its blend of gamified elements, therapeutic strategies, and customizable features culminate in a comprehensive well-being toolkit. Finch's unique approach of nurturing a bond between users and their virtual companion not only sets it apart but also solidifies its position as a leader in the realm of gamified mental health apps.
Engaging and Effective Stress Reduction
Finch's winning formula lies in its fusion of engaging gameplay and stress reduction techniques. By interweaving interactive tasks with strategies such as breathing and grounding exercises, the app seamlessly guides users toward managing and mitigating stress. Its success in this aspect stems from the app's commitment to reducing stress through a combination of engaging activities and therapeutic tools. Who said therapy can't be fun?
Broad Spectrum of Goals and Tasks
At the heart of Finch's effectiveness is its ability to address a wide range of well-being dimensions. From social and health goals to enhancing sleep quality, fostering cleanliness, and promoting creativity, Finch's diverse goal categories ensure that users can cultivate various aspects of their mental and emotional well-being.
No two well-being journeys are alike, and Finch fully understands this. With goals ranging from small, daily tasks to more ambitious, long-term objectives, the app allows users to personalize their experience to match their preferences and needs.
Versatile Journaling Prompts
Finch's journaling, AKA "Reflections," feature goes beyond the ordinary. Offering both freeform journaling and a rich variety of prompts, the app enables users to reflect on specific topics, making the self-exploration process even more profound. Have you ever found yourself with so many thoughts housed in your head that you need to just get them out but don't know where to start? Finch's prompts intend to help you out with that.
This versatility encourages users to gain insights into their emotions and experiences from multiple perspectives.
Establishing a Meaningful Bond
Finch emphasizes the importance of forming a bond with its virtual persona. This bond is nurtured through completing tasks that benefit the user's well-being. This unique approach encourages users to engage with the app on a personal level, resulting in a more meaningful and beneficial relationship.
The fun doesn't stop there. As you form a bond with your Finch friend, you can also watch your Finch's personality and interests flourish when you send it on adventures. As you answer questions in a "Choose your own adventure" style, your Finch companion cultivates itself into its own individual with likes, dislikes, and personality traits such as compassion, logic, curiosity, confidence and more!
By accumulating in-app currency through goal completion, users can also customize their Finch, further enhancing the personalized experience. This unique approach encourages users to engage with the app on a personal level, resulting in a more meaningful and beneficial relationship.
Comprehensive Stress Reduction Toolkit
Finch's "First Aid" section offers a comprehensive toolkit for stress reduction and grounding exercises. From breathing exercises to address anxiety and panic attacks, to quizzes that assess personal experiences and reflections to understand emotions, Finch covers a wide spectrum of stress management techniques.
Guilt-Free Support and Motivation
Finch serves as a guilt-free, supportive companion on your well-being journey. The motivation and encouragement it provides are rooted in the growing bond between the user and their virtual companion, Finch. This unique dynamic, combined with Finch's growth through task completion, acts as a source of motivation and emotional support. Another plus is that your Finch will never die. The fun and support can last forever!
Best App per Goal
In evaluating these apps, we focused on seven core user goals under the domains of Mental Health and Wellness, and Life Skills:
Mental Health and Wellness: The Primary Issue
Reduce stress | Both immediate and long term sources of stress reduction, from the calming influence of the app experience, to the tools it provides for more permanent stress reduction. |
Promote and regulate self-care | From motivation and prompts to tracking tools. |
Develop coping skills | Guided exercises and educational content to help make it through tough times. |
Improve mood and happiness | From cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to physical exercises, personalized strategies and habit building. Research backed methods to improve mood and well-being. |
Life Skills: Amplifying Mental Health and Wellness
Enhance productivity and time-management | Time-management tools, motivation and rewards. |
Maintain high work performance while managing stress | More time-management tools with strategies for managing work related stress and creating healthy boundaries between work and life. |
Balanced lifestyle | Similar to the previous goal, but focused on life, not work. Physical activities, healthy habits, and a good social life were the focus of this goal. |
With our goals in mind, we’ll highlight the leading app in each goal, why it leads, and contenders (hint: Finch won out in every goal).
Mental Health and Wellness
Reduce Stress
Finch scored a 8.2/10 on this goal, with Amaru coming in at a not-too-shabby 5.8. Finch did well across the board in this category, but really shined with the tools it provided to reduce stress in the long-term, like helping the user understand triggers, develop coping mechanisms, and providing time management, routine building, and productivity tools to nip the sources of stress in the bud. Amaru excelled with providing coping mechanisms, but it was top of the pile (along with Tappy) on the external resources it provided to users. When it came to the calming atmosphere of the app experience, Amaru was second to none. As a last note, if you are looking for soundscapes, Finch, Amaru, and Tappy will be your go-to apps. See the chart for a full breakdown of the goal-need scores.
Promote and Regulate Self-care
Finch addressed this user goal with a whopping score of 9.8/10, with the closest contender being Amaru at 4.3. The lowest score that Finch got on the user needs that address this goal was a 9.5 in “prompts to engage in self-care.” Finch provides full marks on the goal-needs of guilt-free motivation, mapping actions to outcomes, reminders, and tracking tools. Amaru also provided on all these fronts except for “reminders” (0/10), scoring a 4 or 5 in the other needs.
Develop Coping Skills
You may have noticed coping skills as a need addressing stress reduction, but we felt it deserved a user goal of its own. Once again Finch came out on top with a 7.3/10 scoring around 7 in both guided exercises and educational content. Runners-up were Amaru and Guardians, both with a 3.6. Guardians edged out on Amaru on guided exercises, but Amaru included cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) information, adding to its educational content score.
Improve Mood and Happiness
Finch led this goal category with an 8.2, providing the full package in breathing exercises, yoga, and personalized strategies, and putting in a solid performance with CBT content, mood tracking, assistance in adaptive habit formation and positive affirmations. Amaru was the runner up, doing especially well in personalized strategies and mindfulness techniques.
Life Skills
Disclaimer: While some of the apps did offer features that relate to some of the needs to reach the life skills’ goals, these features are not purpose built for these needs in the same way that they were for the mental health and wellness goals. For example time management tools are comprised mostly of goal setting and goal tracking features, which are a useful step towards good time-management habits, but not on the same level as a purpose-built app like Todoist or the like. With this in mind we ask you to take the following scores with a grain of salt.
Enhance Productivity and Time Management
Finch took on this goal with a 9.8/10, scoring full marks on all of the features that mapped to time management tools and rewards for task completion, and coming close to full marks in motivation and encouragement. The runners up were Amaru and Guardians, both scoring 4.5/10, with Amaru excelling in rewards for task completion but providing none of the features that mapped to encouragement.
Maintain High Work Performance While Managing Stress
Here Finch got full marks with a 10/10 scoring maximum points on all of the features that mapped to time management tools, healthy lifestyle guidance, strategies for managing work-related stress, and strategies for creating work/life boundaries. Guardians was the runner up with a 5/10, with middling scores across all needs.
Balanced lifestyle
Finch scored 8.5/10 here, getting full marks on time management tools; techniques and tools to balance work, leisure, and self care; resources and tools for personal growth, social connections, and hobbies outside of work; and a personalized approach to lifestyle balance. Finch scored a 6 and a 5 on physical activities and guidance on maintaining healthy habits. The runner up was Guardians with a respectable 6/10, providing ample support with physical activities; resources and tools for personal growth, social connections, and hobbies outside of work; and a personalized approach to lifestyle balance. Guardians also offered some techniques and tools to balance work, leisure, and self-care.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Finch is not the end all, be all. While it is a wonderful wellness app with a plethora of helpful features, these other apps are helpful in different ways that may suit different needs better! Take a look at each of these apps' strengths and weaknesses to get an idea of what could work for you.
Kinder World
Strengths:
Great for Short Sessions: A Kinder World is well-suited for users who have limited time for self-care. Its short, focused sessions make it accessible for busy individuals seeking quick mental health breaks throughout the day.
Ideal for Beginners: This app is tailored to those who are new to wellness apps and mental health practices. The straightforward interface and onboarding process provide a gentle introduction to the world of self-care.
Low Maintenance: With its plant-growing mechanics, A Kinder World requires minimal effort to maintain. Users can enjoy the benefits of a gamified experience without feeling overwhelmed by complex features or time-consuming tasks.
Routine Building: By scheduling plant growth at specified times twice a day, the app encourages users to establish a daily routine. This can be particularly helpful for individuals seeking structure and consistency in their mental health practices.
Cute and Engaging Design: A Kinder World's adorable aesthetics and charming gameplay create an enjoyable and visually appealing experience. The app's endearing visuals add an element of fun and emotional connection to self-care activities.
Unlockable Rewards: The app motivates users to engage in more self-care by offering the incentive of unlocking different plants. This gamification element provides a sense of achievement and progress as users take better care of themselves.
Effective Onboarding Process: A Kinder World introduces users to its features and gameplay seamlessly through onboarding. This ensures that even newcomers to the app can quickly understand how to make the most of its functionalities.
Free with In-App Purchases: The app is available for free, allowing users to try it out before committing to any purchases. Additionally, the in-app purchases offer further content and features for those who wish to enhance their experience.
Weaknesses:
Limited Features: While the app's simplicity is an advantage for beginners, it may become a limitation for more experienced users seeking a comprehensive mental health toolkit. The lack of advanced features may not fully cater to diverse needs.
Limited Interactivity: Once users complete the initial onboarding and schedule their plant growth, there is relatively little interactive engagement beyond waiting for the plants to grow.
Lack of Goal Setting: A Kinder World does not provide a goal-setting feature, which could hinder users who prefer setting specific targets and tracking progress in their self-improvement journey.
Complementary App Need: Due to its limited scope, some users may find that A Kinder World is more effective when used in conjunction with other mental health apps or resources that offer a broader range of features and support.
Amaru
Strengths:
Guided Grounding and Breathing Exercises: The app provides users with guided exercises that aid in grounding and controlled breathing, promoting active engagement in mental well-being.
Emphasis on the Little Things: Sometimes the smallest tasks feel the hardest. Amaru’s list of goals intends to push you over that hill by encouraging you to go outside, move a little, put your phone away, even feed and hydrate yourself. We live in a fast world and it can be easy to get sucked into the pressures of productivity.
Journaling: Amaru has a handful of different journaling options. You have the option to follow prompts such as expressing gratitude or through the G.L.A.D. journal where you list one thing you're grateful for, one thing you learned, achieved, and took delight in. There's also the option to write freely about anything you want. You can even use a burn journal to get all of those negative and ruminating thoughts out.
Sleep Improvement: Users are asked to set bedtime goals, which in turn becomes the Amaru’s bedtime goal. Once bedtime comes around, gameplay becomes limited as Amaru urges you to rest your head and have sweet dreams.
Unique Virtual Pet Connection: Amaru encourages users to build a deep bond with a virtual pet, intertwining the concept of self-care with the care of their pet. The effect that the user has on their pet is much more evident with Amaru. Your Amaru friend comes out of its shell and becomes more playful as you continue to nurture your well-being.
Positive Reinforcement: A standout feature is the app's ability to make users feel accomplished by nurturing their virtual pet, thus reinforcing positive emotions. After you complete a goal, a glimmer appears next to your Amaru containing an in-app reward and an encouraging message to get you through the day.
Narrative Immersion: With its storytelling focus, Amaru appeals to users who enjoy a narrative-driven experience alongside their mental health practices. Amaru lives in an ever expanding world that it can explore.
Weaknesses:
Lengthy Onboarding Process: The app's onboarding might be considered lengthy and less engaging by some users, potentially affecting the initial user experience and deterring users from exploring further after onboarding.
Time Management Tools: Amaru is not as focused on productivity and time management. Although you can create your own goals to include productivity, there aren’t any prompts to help you stay on track with your chores or work. Amaru is more for those that are seeking to nourish the non-work related aspects of life.
Guardians: Unite the Realms
Strengths:
Engaging Play: The app offers engaging gameplay that combines productivity strategies with gamification, making tasks more enjoyable and motivating users to stay on track. Users send their creatures on adventures that last as long as the activity you have chosen to do. While you’re brushing your teeth, the creatures are out looking for more friends to help unite the realm.
Pokemon-Like Concept: Drawing inspiration from the popular Pokemon franchise, Guardians: Unite the Realms provides users with a gamified experience that revolves around collecting and nurturing virtual creatures. Who doesn’t like a little nostalgia to keep the ball rolling?
Productivity and Time Management Focus: Guardians wants to be the push that you need to get those tedious daily chores out of the way. Activities range from something as small as brushing your teeth to something as big as writing a 500 word story. It can be a very helpful tool for individuals that are looking to enhance their focus and productivity.
Promotes a Balanced Lifestyle: Guardians encourages users to strike a balance between work and personal life, fostering a healthier overall lifestyle. While it may be important to get that closet cleaned or those files organized, it’s also essential to spend time outside, listen to music, or create art. You don’t have to be productive 24/7. It’s okay to stop and smell the roses once in a while. You’ll feel better too!
Weaknesses:
Less Focus on Mood and Emotions: While Guardians excels in productivity and time management, its focus on mood and emotional well-being is comparatively limited.
Insufficient Resources for Understanding Moods: The app might lack comprehensive resources for helping users understand and manage their moods and emotions effectively.
Tappy
Strengths:
Fidgeting Focus: Tappy excels as a fidgeting tool, catering to users who find comfort and relief through fidgeting activities. The app is particularly well-suited for individuals with stimming needs, offering a supportive outlet for managing sensory sensitivities.
Stress Relief: Tappy is here for quick and easy stress relief. Nothing complicated. Imagine you have a big job interview coming up in an hour and you’re feeling extremely restless. Tappy helps you get those nerves out through the various forms of tapping and there are even meditations with soundscapes to bring you back down.
Engaging Play: Tappy provides engaging and interactive gameplay, making it enjoyable and motivating for users to engage with its features.
Variety of Tapping Methods: The app offers users different ways to engage in tapping activities, allowing for customization and variety in their experience.
Mini-Games: Tappy enhances its appeal with mini-games, offering users an added layer of entertainment and engagement within the app.
Weaknesses:
Limited Self-Care Features in Free Version: While tapping activities are available for free, other self-care features beyond tapping are restricted to the premium version of the app. This includes journaling, mood tracking, and access to all content within the free activities.
In conclusion, as we wrap up this exploration of gamified mental health apps, we hope you've gained valuable insights into the world of innovative self-care. Remember, your mental well-being is a precious asset, and these apps can offer a unique and engaging way to prioritize it in your daily life.
We encourage you to take the next step by trying out some of the recommended apps we've discussed today. Whether you seek stress relief, anxiety management, or simply a fun way to boost your emotional resilience, there's an app tailored to your needs.
Thank you for joining us on this exploration, and remember that you have the power to nurture your emotional resilience right at your fingertips. Here's to a healthier, happier, and more balanced you!
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