Gamifying Your Lists

Art by Leephon
Habitica is largely based on gamification, or putting real-life tasks in the context of a game to make them more engaging, interesting, and rewarding. Naming your Habits, Dailies, and To Do's in a creative, gamified way is a great way to add flavor to your game.
While Habitica is generally geared towards a medieval theme, players can also adapt the game to other RPG styles. These may include themes such as zombies, cyberpunk, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, science fiction, and more.
==Example Habits==
These are some Habits that could be modified to be more game-like. They accurately describe what the player wants to complete or avoid, but in plain English.
Re-writing these tasks in an RPG style can make your list more engaging and fun to check off. To avoid being confused later, you can describe the activity in the "Extra Notes" while editing the task.
==Example Dailies==
These are some examples of Dailies that can be gamified as well.
The RPG versions can be written as follows:
==Adding Custom or In-Game Images to Tasks==
Habitica supports emoji and markdown, which can be used to insert images in the title of any Habit, Daily, To Do, or Reward.
Adding an emoji to the task name or notes is as simple as using an emoji elsewhere in Habitica - Use the emoji nickname surrounded by a colon :
To insert an image, use the following Markdown code:
 ![alt text](URLofYourImageHere "optional mouseover title")
Enter the full URL of your image, which must be hosted somewhere on the web (note that the link must be to the actual image not the page it is hosted on and will end in .png or .jpg). The "optional mouseover title" will appear when you hover over the image. (The alt text doesn't display, but it must be present.) The image may be larger than a single line of text, which will increase the size of the task box. If this is undesirable, use a smaller image.
You can use your own custom images to give your tasks the flavor of a particular theme or fandom. A good way to find appropriate images is to search for "icons"; for example, a search for "Game of Thrones icons" or "space icons" will turn up many small images. If you want to use images from your own computer, an easy way to create a web link is to put the images on Dropbox.
You can also use the images of Habitica! An easy way to find in-game images for your tasks is to look on the wiki; for example, the equipment page has images of all the weapons and armor from Habitica, and the pets page has images of all the in-game pets. Right-click on an image and select "Copy image URL" to save the URL of the image to your clipboard. You can then paste it into the Markdown code given above.
Before using any images to gamify your list, it is best to ask the image creator for permission first, even if the images are from an open source project.
==Legendary Quests==
thumb|251x251px|Are you writing your dissertation, or completing the Twelve Labors of Hercules? You decide. Use the "Add Checklist" option when editing your tasks.
Another way to gamify your lists is to reproduce a quest from a favorite piece of fiction. This approach especially will require notes to help you remember the actual tasks since there's little chance that the details will align well enough for the titles to help; however, if pretending you're hunting Horcruxes or bringing the One Ring to Mordor helps you finish a project, why not give yourself a fantasy edge?
==Hybrid Video Game Tasks==
You can take elements from your favorite video games to give your tasks more flavor. Do you have a favorite spell or ability from a video game? Or do certain game mechanics remind you of consequences in real life? For example, if you are prone to distraction, taking fall damage (a common game mechanic) may be an apt metaphor. Here are a few example Habits inspired by the Warcraft universe:
==Gamified Place Names==
Places where tasks occur can be gamified.
===Medieval/Fantasy examples===
;House
:Campsite, castle, kingdom, shelter, barracks, keep
;Bedroom
:Tent, bedchamber, living quarters, camp
;Bathroom
:Washroom, garderobe, chamber pot, privy, lavatory
;Kitchen/Dining Room
:Mess hall, great hall, fire pit
;Garage
:Workshop, smithy, forge
;Attic
:Ruins, archives, loft, watch tower
;Basement
:Dungeon, catacombs, cavern, caves, tomb
;Park
:Forest, meadow, moors
;Town/City
:Kingdom, village, hamlet, square
;Work
:Smithy, shop, tavern (depends on your type of work).
;Shops
:Apothecary (drug store), tailor/seamstress (clothing store), stables (car lot/mechanic), cobbler (shoe store), grocer (grocery store), tavern (eatery), inn (hotel), general store, chandler (Yankee Candles or such?)
;Miscellaneous
:Healer (doctor), Adventurer's Guild (support group), fortune teller (newsstand), portal (public transit), hire a carriage (cab or bus), court (Social gathering), sheriff/guardhouse
;Names that Stay the Same
:Library, museum, courthouse, jail
=== Sci-fi Examples===
;House
:Starship/Ship, dwelling, barracks, biodome
;Bedroom
:Quarters, bunk
;Kitchen/Dining Room
:Mess hall, lounge, dining hall, cantina
;Garage
:Hangar, dry dock, cargo bay, shuttle bay
;Attic
:Upper Deck
;Basement
:Engineering, cargo hold, brig
;Park
:Garden World, holopark, hydroponics lab, aviary, atrium
;Town/City
:Planetside, world, station, base
;Work
:Bridge, command center, sickbay
;Shops
:Lounge, acquisitions, requisitions, quartermaster, uniform services, replicator, rations terminal
;Miscellaneous
:Sickbay, laboratory, engineering, records, archives, judiciary counsel, promenade
==Tips==
The guild (now moved to a Google Drive) 📜 Library of Tasks and Challenges also has some examples of gamified Habits, Dailies, To Do's, and Rewards.
The section on Habits about Directionless Habits offers suggestions on decorating your tasks that may assist on gamifying your lists.
See Sample Tags for ideas on how to manage your tasks with gamified tags.
==More Examples==
Task 	Gamified Name 	Extra Notes
Brush your teeth 	Polish those fangs 	What better way to show the world who is the fiercest hunter in the universe than by displaying a pair of fine chompers that look simply amazing? (Also prevents bad breath.)
brush teeth / use mouthwash 	banish bad breath 	
Brush your teeth 	clean your calcium 	
Brush your teeth 	maintain pearly whites & sunny smile 	
grocery shopping 	obtain future sustenance 	
grocery shopping 	hunting and gathering 	
cooking 	brew a potato potion 	
cooking 	alchemical transformation of ingredients 	
eat or cook 	slay the hungry beast 	
eat vegetables 	slay the vegetable vermin 	
eat something healthy 	Forage berries & nuts 	
drink water 	replenish molecular H2O 	
drink water 	Quaff a potion 	could use this for medicine or water
order medications 	stock up on healing elixirs 	
take meds 	imbibe essential potions 	
take meds 	take healing elixir 	
apply ice to the affected area 	Hug Olaf 	
practice deep breathing 	summon the air spirits within 	
take a break, relax, breathe 	bored out of your gourd 	
rest 	improve stamina 	
go swimming 	Visit the fishies 	
exercise 	Visit the practice yards 	
exercise 	maelstrom of movement 	
light exercise 	bolster HP 	fit movement in your life (can be any type of movement, stretching, etc.)
exercise or go for a walk 	tiptoe through the tulips 	
go for a walk 	prance the perilous path 	alternately: "brave the perilous path" or "prance the petunia path"
go outside 	brave the wilderness 	
get some sunlight 	get radioactive 	or use a sunlamp
do push-ups 	Push Back 	
Wash the dishes 	Slay the Sink Serpent 	Every evening, a slithery Sink Serpent awakes to feed on the day's scraps. You must battle this monster for control of the kitchen!
Wash the dishes 	Put down kitchen mutiny 	
Wash the dishes 	Defeat the dirty dishes 	
Clean the kitchen 	Scrub the scullery 	
Clean the bathroom 	Privy cleaning 	or "Privy sweeping" for the floor in particular
Clean the porch 	Clean the courtyard 	
dust 	exorcise the dirt demons 	or vacuum or whatever sort of cleaning you'd like this to be
Cleaning 	Defend against the vile Messies 	whatever sort of cleaning you'd like this to be
Cleaning 	Resist Entropy 	Clean or straighten up one thing, large or small
Take out the trash 	Dispose of that! 	Scour your campsite and dispose of any garbage that may attract monsters -- and flies. No one likes flies.
Take out the trash 	Take out the midden heap 	
Take out the compost 	Take out the goat food 	
Do the laundry 	Make offerings to Charybdis 	Cast your dirty outerwear into the Whirlpool of Washing Tonnes, and get it back with the dirt and grease thoroughly thrashed out of it!
Do the laundry 	Send clothing to Oz 	A washing machine spins like a tornado.
Do the laundry 	subject clothing to the elements 	
- water (wash)
- air & fire (dry)
- earth (put away)
Start the laundry 	Undead dirty laundry 	(This task title was borrowed from the card game Munchkin.)
Unload the dryer 	Rescue the laundry from hell 	
Water the plants 	baptize the plants 	
Feed pet(s) 	power up [pet's name] 	
Feed pet(s) 	Save self from being eaten alive by [pet's name]	
Feed cat(s) 	Morning mousing 	Or "Noon mousing" if you feed your cat in the middle of the day, or "Night mousing" if you feed your cat in the evening -- whatever sounds right
play with pet(s) 	frolic with the wild ones 	
clean the litterbox 	Clean the stables (Or: Muck & scrub the stables)	empty, clean, & replace cat litter
Apply flea medicine & isolate pet while it dries 	Throw [pets] in the dungeon 	
Read 	brain booster 	
Read a book 	Visit library 	
Teach something 	Page & squire training 	
check email 	enter the matrix 	
Call parents 	Call ancestors 	
get out of bed 	escape the nest 	or "Escape the bed!"
get out of bed 	daunt your horizontal demons 	
make the bed 	erase all evidence you were ever there 	
shower / bathe 	embrace the waterfall 	
wash your hair 	love your luscious locks 	
comb your hair 	tame your tendrils 	
get dressed (or: get dressed up) 	prepare sartorial defenses 	
get dressed (or: get dressed up) 	from rags to britches 	
do something you don't want to do 	surmount the mighty dohnwanna 	
talk on the phone 	slay the phone dragon 	If you struggle with not wanting to talk on the phone when it might be to your advantage, "slay the phone dragon" can mean talking on the phone. On the other hand, if you need to get in the habit of getting away from your smartphone, you can use "slay the phone dragon" to mean getting off your phone.
say something positive about yourself, to yourself	mirror, mirror, on the wall 	
reframe thoughts 	engage mind weapon of logic 	stop and analyze negative thoughts to see if they are rational, and reframe them if they are not
work on a creative activity, meditate, or pray 	replenish mana 	
be me 	work on getting my spark back 	
Mentally wish positive things for others 	exercise telepathic powers 	
Practice resilience 	Don the cape of resilience 	resilience + defense = toughness (capacity to recover from difficulties)
Ministry 	a healing wish ascended to heaven 	ministry means any act of love towards others
Pray 	Let THE SON shine on my face 	
Pray the rosary 	Protect against negative status effects 	The rosary is a special form of prayer and meditation.
Spiritual reading 	Summon courage with sacred words 	Longer version: sacred arcane words that, brought to light, summon a lost courage
Read the Bible 	Harness the power of the light of Jesus 	
Go to church 	Visit eternal castle 	
Watch religious program or sermon 	Build eternal strength 	
Lauds 	Start your day with a blessing 	Practice being thankful for the gift of having another day to live.
Lauds 	Load your previous saved file 	Practice being thankful for the gift of having another day to live.
Compline 	Save your progress 	Practice seeing what we did right and keep going, or examine what we did wrong, ask for forgiveness, and try to change it for better.
Compline 	Let's review what we did today 	Practice seeing what we did right and keep going, or examine what we did wrong, ask for forgiveness, and try to change it for better.
(Examples that were added by Bluehawkling are from @lynxicon and the Mental Health Warriors Unite party and @therussellhome_chris)
fr:Ludification des tâches
ru:Геймификация ваших списков
zh: 游戏化你的任务
pt-br:Gamificando Suas Tarefas
ja:リストをゲーム化する
Category:Sample Lists
Category:Methodologies
Category:ToBeReviewed
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