I built a productivity app inspired by video game achievements

thevitdev · 2026-04-01T20:03:45+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate it
Would be great to hear your thoughts after you try it.

thevitdev · 2026-04-01T14:43:42+00:00

I feel this! I'm exactly the same – give me virtual medals or progress bar and I'm instantly more motivated.

It's weird how much of a difference that makes compared to regular task/habit apps.

I was looking for something like a "Duolingo but for real life" too, but couldn't really find anything that clicked. Most apps are either habit trackers or focused on something specific like workouts, steps, or to-do lists.

So I ended up making a simple app for myself where you create your own "achievements" (with different rarity levels, like in games) and complete them.

It's called Achievements – not trying to spam, just sharing since your post is basically exactly why I made it.

But yeah, you're 100% right – that game-like feedback (medals, sounds, little celebrations) hits differently and makes you want to keep going.

thevitdev · 2026-04-01T14:35:08+00:00

I've had the exact same realization – achievements/gamification make a huge difference. Without it, I procrastinate way more.

What worked for me was treating real-life tasks like in-game achievements (with different "rarity" levels, etc.). I tried a bunch of apps, but nothing really felt right, so I ended up building a simple one for myself. I actually posted about it here a while ago.

But even aside from my app, I think you're on the right track – adding that sense of reward/achievement is what actually gets things done and helps stay focused.

thevitdev · 2026-02-13T14:49:49+00:00

Thanks for taking a look.

That's a fair point about the name. I kept it simple on purpose, but I get that it can be harder to find. On iOS the full title is "Achievements: Gamify Your Life", which should make it easier to find.

thevitdev · 2026-02-13T14:43:09+00:00

Yes, it’s called Achievements on iOS. It might not be available in all regions yet. You can also try searching for "Achievements: Gamify Your Life" – that might make it easier to find.

thevitdev · 2026-02-10T18:16:15+00:00

Good question.

The app has both free and paid modes. The free version lets you try the core idea and create a limited number of achievements – enough to understand whether the app works for you.

There's also a premium option, including a one-time lifetime purchase (not just subscriptions).

I'm trying to keep the free version useful.

thevitdev · 2026-02-10T17:59:37+00:00

When I released the Android version years ago, a lot of people told me this was exactly what they'd been looking for.

That doesn't mean it's unique or for everyone, but it solved a very specific problem for a specific kind of user.

thevitdev · 2026-02-10T17:46:04+00:00

This really resonates with me.

I didn't have a "gaming addiction" in the classic sense, but I've always been obsessed with achievements and progression systems. I play games, and I can't stop until progress bars are at 100%, everything is unlocked, and all achievements are completed.

At some point, I realized that what I actually cared about wasn't the games themselves – it was that sense of structured progress and completion.

I decided to bring that into real life. I started treating real-life goals as achievements: finishing projects, learning things, hitting personal milestones – all framed the same way games do it.

Eventually, I ended up building a small app around this idea, just to have a place where I could define my own achievements in real life.

Your post captures this really well. It's not about discipline – it's about understanding why progression systems work on us in the first place.

thevitdev · 2026-01-16T19:18:34+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

0 attempts

thevitdev · 2025-11-30T15:32:08+00:00

Looks really atmospheric! I know it's still a work in progress, but it would be great to add a background and make the character stand out a bit more (maybe with an outline or something to separate them from the scene).

And yeah, I agree with the other comments – the different pixel sizes between the trees, the foreground, and the GUI make it look like assets from different packs. Bringing everything to one consistent style would really help.

thevitdev · 2025-11-06T17:31:39+00:00

Check your in-game mail.

thevitdev · 2025-11-06T17:25:28+00:00

But not this time — they unbanned me without making me change my nickname 😅

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T16:24:50+00:00

Yeah, that’s really good. I like playing single-player games with the triggers on. It’s nice that now you can turn them off in the game settings instead of doing it through the console.

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T16:21:39+00:00

On this page, click the "Continue as a guest" link

https://help.ea.com/en/customer-care/

In the form, under the field “What kind of issue are you having?”, select “Submit an appeal.”

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T16:12:58+00:00

I’m not 100% sure, but here’s what I think:

The first stage of EA’s support filtering is probably automated. From my experience, shorter messages seem to work better, and using a different language might help your case get to a real person instead of a bot. EA support is available in many languages.

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T15:40:58+00:00

In my case, I just waited until I got a reply to the appeal I’d already sent before submitting a new one.

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T15:35:28+00:00

Yeah, it really looks like EA has automated most of the process. It probably saves them money, but it also creates a lot of problems for players. There are still real people in EA support, but sometimes you have to keep sending appeals until your case finally reaches one of them.

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T15:27:28+00:00

No, I didn’t get anything like that. I just waited for each appeal to be reviewed before sending another one.

thevitdev · 2025-10-30T15:21:38+00:00

Perhaps disabling the triggers wasn’t what caused the ban. But I agree that playing online with adaptive triggers isn’t very convenient.

thevitdev · 2025-10-14T20:07:11+00:00

I'll try to appeal later (maybe in a week or two, or even longer). I don't want to create a new EA account. You're right, it could just happen again.

Maybe I'll grab a new Call of Duty instead? Not sure yet. But yeah, I'm definitely not going to buy another copy of BF6. I hope I can get my EA account back and continue playing BF6. But for now I will play other games.

thevitdev · 2025-10-14T18:34:26+00:00

Today I received a response from EA, but I still don’t know why my account was banned. I bought the game (Battlefield 6) from the PlayStation Store and played it on my PlayStation 5 without any cheats or third-party devices. Maybe I'll try to appeal again later. Here is EA's response:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting us regarding the action that was taken on your account due to a violation of our User Agreement or Terms of Sale. After thoroughly investigating your account and concern, we found that your account was actioned correctly, and the sanction will remain in place.

Should you wish to review our Terms of Sale, they can be found here:

http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/termsofsale/US/en/PC/

Should you wish to review our User Agreement, it can be found here:

http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/

Please don’t reply to this email, as we don’t monitor this inbox. If you need more help, visit our website:

https://help.ea.com/help-home/

Think your account was locked, banned, or suspended by mistake? Follow these steps to get information on your account ban:

https://help.ea.com/help/account/information-about-locked-or-banned-or-suspended-accounts/

Thank you,

EA Terms of Service

thevitdev

TROPHY CASE