Gamification: can video games change our money habits?

• App makers are infusing game mechanics and game experiences with their products to add a level of thrill and instant gratification(with variable rewards) and make the experience similar to a slot machine.
• This helps increase engagement levels and people can save money while enjoying a game-like thrill.

Social media, fitness, education, crowdfunding, employee training and even social credit systems now deploy gamification enhancements to lure more and more people.

Gamification works on our motivational levels, satisfying our psychological needs, and providing us with a sense of reward.

The brain goes in a ‘neurologic immersion’ state where we crave more ‘variable rewards’ that are unpredictable, emotionally charged and engaging.

Example: Scratching a virtual scratch card after making a payment and winning a small cashback releases feel-good neurotransmitters inside the brain, like oxytocin and dopamine.

The lottery is a USD 70 billion industry.

Financial and banking apps use this interest for the lottery and incorporate small ‘games’ inside their apps that encourage customers to make automatic investments and win prizes without hurting their principal amount.

Though there is an amount of addiction associated with gamification, the concept is a positive implementation of an otherwise negative trait found in normal people: The thrill of gambling.