Gamification has been on the upswing in the past few years as marketing professionals, designers and content creators have realized that people genuinely enjoy feeling like they are doing something that leads to a greater goal...much like a video game.
The oldest example of gamification can be traced back to Frequent Flyer Programs offered by airlines that gave loyal customers status points and encouraged them to "move up" toward larger goals. Today, everybody from Facebook and Amazon to eBay and Nike have apps or platforms that revolve around a gamification strategy.
It's no secret...gamifying tasks that take effort can change your perspective and make you *gasp* actually enjoy tasks that you might have previously hated. Thanks to the legions of app developers that have graced us with their talents, the gamification of our lives has never been easier courtesy of the supercomputers in our pockets.
Superhero Workout is one of the latest apps to take advantage of the "gamified" goal-reaching structure. Designed by Six to Start, the same developers who created the real-world running/zombie attack fitness workout game Zombies, Run!, Superhero Workout uses a narrative to help encourage you to, well, work out like a superhero.
"Become a superhero with the first ever motion-tracking workout game that counts every rep and every calorie of every exercise! Heroes aren't born -- they're trained," it says.
"You're pilot of the prototype Aegis One battlesuit, tasked with defending Earth against alien invaders. Your punches become plasma blasts and your abdominal crunches power your suit's reactor!"
Instead of running from zombies, your task this time around is to save the world. To get there you need to do a series of short, isolated workouts to help get that Iron Man body. Altogether, the app features 20 epic superhero missions consisting of 12 "Rapid Workouts" that were developed based off the 7-Minute Workout routine aimed at specific body parts. Altogether there are 42 bodyweight exercises like punches and power squats in the app -- meaning that you don't have to go to a gym or even own weights to save the world from alien invaders.
While the superhero narrative adds a nice touch, the use of motion tracking to keep track of your reps via your device's front-facing camera makes it a powerful workout companion.
You can snag the app for iOS now over at the App Store for $4.99. An Android version is in the works.
Now go save the world!
