I got up early this morning! Woo hoo. This is an accomplishment for me, and while I'm happy there seems to be some lacking fanfare. I feel I should get something for this. The extra hours I gained simply weren't reward enough. (Especially since I whittled them away not getting anything done that I need to...)
In video games when you do something special or creative or hard you get little digital awards. A little bubble pops up on the screen, "Achievement Unlocked," and whether you meant to do it or not you feel a surge of pride. Then it disappears. It's a on list somewhere collected just for you and for all your friends to see.
In real life you get rewarded for your efforts too. These rewards or achievements are tactical in some way, a trophy for the shelf, a raise, a cookie, or abstract in a way that just makes us feel good. Pride is in real life too.
And yet the drive to earn the little digital reward feels... stronger. The same person who will play the same game three times or more to unlock every possible achievement does not compute how his grades could have gone up if he'd spent the time trying to unlock the A's.
The new little digital tree that grows when you drive economically really works. People love it. Their driving has now become a challenge, a game. How can I drive as economically and environmentally friendly as possible?
These little digital bleeps really mean nothing. You can't put them on a job application or include them in an essay to Princeton as life changing experiences.
As life changing as real awards are and as ineffective as virtual awards are, why are they more fun? Why do we strive for them more?
Is it because besides the occasional resume or college application no one is going to want to look at a list of your real accomplishments? Is it the trackable competition? Did this all stary when some elementary teacher started the star system?
Or is it the recognition we want. There was no one here this morning to fully appreciate my awakeness as Chris had left for work. Would a little ding and lighted note that would be saved as proof for later made me feel better? I'm inclined to say yes...
Maybe if we had a little list floating around with us off all our accomplishments, small, odd, and other wise we be much more productive as a people overall. If a little ding went off every time you did something good or right or interesting who knows what we could accomplish!
I guess I have no hard evidence on the matter, but I hear a little ding going off in my head. So, I must be on to something.
In video games when you do something special or creative or hard you get little digital awards. A little bubble pops up on the screen, "Achievement Unlocked," and whether you meant to do it or not you feel a surge of pride. Then it disappears. It's a on list somewhere collected just for you and for all your friends to see.
In real life you get rewarded for your efforts too. These rewards or achievements are tactical in some way, a trophy for the shelf, a raise, a cookie, or abstract in a way that just makes us feel good. Pride is in real life too.
And yet the drive to earn the little digital reward feels... stronger. The same person who will play the same game three times or more to unlock every possible achievement does not compute how his grades could have gone up if he'd spent the time trying to unlock the A's.
The new little digital tree that grows when you drive economically really works. People love it. Their driving has now become a challenge, a game. How can I drive as economically and environmentally friendly as possible?
These little digital bleeps really mean nothing. You can't put them on a job application or include them in an essay to Princeton as life changing experiences.
As life changing as real awards are and as ineffective as virtual awards are, why are they more fun? Why do we strive for them more?
Is it because besides the occasional resume or college application no one is going to want to look at a list of your real accomplishments? Is it the trackable competition? Did this all stary when some elementary teacher started the star system?
Or is it the recognition we want. There was no one here this morning to fully appreciate my awakeness as Chris had left for work. Would a little ding and lighted note that would be saved as proof for later made me feel better? I'm inclined to say yes...
Maybe if we had a little list floating around with us off all our accomplishments, small, odd, and other wise we be much more productive as a people overall. If a little ding went off every time you did something good or right or interesting who knows what we could accomplish!
I guess I have no hard evidence on the matter, but I hear a little ding going off in my head. So, I must be on to something.
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