Our Facebook group, Artur Express Gets Healthy, has entered its third month. Truck drivers and office staff alike have been participating in different challenges to meet their personal health and wellness goals. The challenge for March involves taking more steps in a day, which is more difficult than you may think. As a way to make walking and exercise more fun, we have compiled a list of apps that gamify your health and wellness journey.
What Does “Gamify” Mean?
To “gamify” something is to apply traditional elements of game to an activity. This could be as simple as a competition, but it can also include things like scoring points, setting rules to play, or integrating a storyline. The Facebook group itself is a form of gamification by creating a competitive atmosphere with prizes and rankings.
Terms
Below are some of the terms used to classify the different apps.
Location-Based ARG
ARG stands for “Augmented Reality Game,” which means using your surroundings to play a game. Unlike virtual reality, ARGs utilize the world around you with some slight augmentations. Think of Pokémon Go (which is on this list). You walk around real locations and use your device to “find” the Pokémon nearby.
Fitness RPG
RPG stands for “role playing game,” and requires some imagination. Usually, they rely on a storyline and the decisions of the player to make the game more fun. Think of Dungeons and Dragons. There is an overarching story, but you get to decide how the story is told.
Social
Whether it’s a hardcore competition or a place to connect with and support your community, these apps promote interactions with other users.
Pokémon Go
Category: Location-Based ARG
Price: Free
This may be one of the most well-known gamified apps out there. By walking around to different locations, you can catch Pokémon, hatch eggs by distance, and battle competitors.
Zombies, Run!
Category: Fitness RPG
Price: Free
This post-apocalyptic game posits a world in which zombies have taken over. While on your way to a human safety outpost, you’ll have to gather supplies, rescue survivors, and evade zombies at every turn.
Ingress Prime
Category: Location-Based ARG
Price: Free
A new, mysterious resource has been discovered, and you must decide if what side you are on: Enlightened or Resistance. Work with neighboring “agents,” and explore the world around you to collect more resources and learn the truth about this strange world.
Geocaching
Category: GPS Interactive Scavenger Hunt
Price: Free
Who doesn’t like a good scavenger hunt? Find actual buried treasure by hiking around with GPS assistance.
The Walk
Category: Fitness RPG
Price: Free
Apparently, we’re very motivated by the apocalypse. In this game, a bomb has gone off nearby, and you have been tasked with delivering a package that could save the world. The main challenge is that you have to walk the length of the UK to deliver it, but there are other challenges that arise along the way.
CARROT Fit
Category: Fitness RPG
Price: $4.99
This app is for adults only since it considers itself a “Snarky 7 Minute Workout.” In this world, a sadistic AI called CARROT is hell-bent on creating exceptional specimens of the human race. Sometimes she is inspiring, sometimes she’s threatening. If you’re motivated by spite, then this is the app for you!
Walkr
Category: Fitness RPG
Price: Free
Explore the universe with this app as you drive your spaceship that’s powered by your steps. You can also help save little space creatures on the planets you explore.
Fitocracy
Category: Social & Training
Price: Free
Earn badges and get motivated through this social app. Learn new workouts and track your fitness.
Couch to 5K
Category: Social & Training
Price: Free
With a variety of apps to choose from, set a goal for yourself and train for it. If you want to run a 5K, but you’re not a runner, this is the app that will help you get started!
Jetfit
Category: Social & Training
Price: Free
Manage and track all of your workouts. Watch tutorials to see how to safely do certain exercises. As you go, you can keep track of checkpoints that lead to your overall heath goal.
Iron Trucker
Category: Training
Price: Free
This is a training app specifically for truckers! Learn how to do exercises in/around your truck, and get motivated to move.
Nike Training Club
Category: Social & Training
Price: Free
Take advantage of on-demand workouts with this app. See just how long the workout lasts so you can schedule workouts on your own time.
