I'm a gamer now đ§©
My mood is no longer my own. Itâs controlled by Wordle.Â
And I blame Jon at Smarter Financial Planning for introducing me to it đ.
If you havenât played it yet, Wordle is a simple internet word game that has taken the world by storm. It was recently bought by the New York Times for a seven-figure sum, after only launching last October.
So why does it have me gripped? Iâm not much of a puzzler, not that competitive - Iâve never even played Monopoly.
Well it has all the elements that make it addictive.
Itâs simple, sharable and fun.Â
Seeing all five of those little tiles slowly turn to green sends a surge of dopamine to the brain as fast as a rat getting its sugar lump in a cadge.
And thatâs without the words of affirmation telling you youâre a âgeniusâ or âinspirationalâ. Or your personal stats at the end â as detailed as a Wimbledon playerâs.
The feeling of getting it wrong makes you want to go back for more, like a gambler in a casino.
But knowing you must wait until midnight until the next puzzle is released is like waiting outside the chemist for your next does of methadone.
My life is not my own.Â
What does this mean?Â
It means Iâm a gamer.
Gamification is nudging its way into our everyday
And it wonât be long until it comes your way.
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This doesnât mean turning investing into a game, but rather using the same principles to deepen client engagement; the ones that stimulate the caveman motives of curiosity, scarcity and reward.
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How?
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For example, you can gamify ESG investing by telling clients how much impact their portfolio is having on the environment and society. Or gamify tax year end investing by segmenting your clients based on their contribution status and prompting them to top up their ISAs.âŻ
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If this seems like a far cry from where we are now, then just try Wordle. If it can get me hooked â a (I like to think) respectable 40-something professional whose last video game was Tetris â then it can get you and your clients hooked too.
Simple hack
Disable read receipts (the blue ticks) on WhatsApp so you donât feel under pressure to reply straight away by going to settings/account/privacy and clicking âread receiptsâ off.Â
Stat of the week
23% of people who work from home say theyâve joined Zoom calls on an exercise bike to look disciplined and dynamic. Half admit to sometimes leaving a Zoom meeting to appear busier than they are.
Terminator dog
Robot dogs are being used to patrol the US Mexican border as part of a trial. They can either work autonomously or by remote control. Rights activists have described the trials as âterrifying and sickeningâ.
Lovely jubbly
A Chinese manufacturer made 10,800 tea cups, mugs and plates to mark the Queenâs platinum jubilee. However the inscription read: âTo commemorate the Platinum Jubbly of Queen Elizabeth II.â Theyâre being marketed to Only Fools and Horses fans.
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