7 Hidden Downsides of Gamifying Everything - And What To Do About It
What is gamification?
Gamifying (adding elements like points, badges, rewards, or competition to encourage engagement or motivation) has become more popular in recent years. On the surface, it can add fun, excitement, and eustress into tasks, promoting participation, motivation, and efficiency. Online and in apps, it can even provide companies with valuable data and insights into user behavior and engagement. But while it can work well in the short term, gamifying everything can have some sneaky downsides. Here are some potential drawbacks:
1. Undermines Intrinsic Motivation
When people are rewarded for everything (such as likes, streaks, or leaderboards), they may stop doing things for the joy or meaning of it.
For example: A student may stop reading for fun if they’re used to getting points for every book.
2. Shifts Focus from Purpose to Performance
People may focus more on "winning" or scoring than on doing something well or thoughtfully.
In wellness apps, for instance, people may exercise just to keep a streak alive - not because it feels good or helps them reconnect with their body.
3. Encourages Short-Term Thinking
Gamified systems tend to reward immediate actions (e.g., clicking, logging in daily) rather than long-term growth or reflection, fostering impulsiveness rather than deep engagement.
4. Creates a Culture of Constant Measurement
Life starts to feel like a scoreboard: steps walked, days meditated, books read - everything becomes monotonous data.
This often leads to anxiety, burnout, or a sense of inadequacy if you're not "winning" enough.
5. Dulls Emotional and Sensory Awareness
People may lose touch with how they feel about what they’re doing, because they’re focused on the reward or outcome.
It can disconnect us from intuition and bodily awareness, especially in experiences like grieving, creating, or healing - which don’t lend themselves to scoring.
6. Can Harm Relationships
When social interactions become gamified (e.g., follower counts, reply streaks), connection can start to feel transactional or competitive.
7. Fosters Dependence on External Validation
People may learn to look outside themselves (scores, stars, stats) to know how they’re doing - rather than checking in with their inner sense of meaning, fulfillment, or alignment.
So what can you do about it?
Start by noticing how gamification is affecting you. Does it motivate you in a supportive way - or does it create pressure, shame, or burnout when you miss a “streak” or fall behind? Or perhaps, a better question: At what point does it start to create those difficult feelings?
From there, try these steps:
1. Be Aware Of What You're Opting Into
Gamification (points, streaks, leaderboards, badges, etc.) is designed to hook your attention and reward you for certain behaviors - often to keep you engaged. Be aware of how and why a system is using gamification so you can consciously choose your relationship to it.
2. Anchor Your Motivation Internally
Instead of chasing external rewards, reconnect with your internal reasons:
Why do you care about this task or behavior?
What does success look like to you, beyond the app/points/streak?
When your "why" is internal, gamification becomes optional and not the driver.
3. Watch for Perfectionism or All-or-Nothing Thinking
If you feel shame or failure from “breaking a streak” or “falling behind,” that’s a sign to reevaluate. Real life isn’t linear - and healing, learning, or growing never look like a perfect streak.
Missing a day doesn’t erase your progress.
4. Take Intentional Breaks
Step away from gamified tools regularly to reset your relationship with them. See how your motivation holds up without them.
TL;DR:
Stay aware of how gamification affects your emotions and habits
Reconnect with your personal values and goals
Avoid letting metrics define your worth or progress
Give yourself permission to disengage when it’s no longer supportive
