Fix 3-4

More Satisfying Work

Leveling Up –

In the game Settlers I have “leveled up” by completing multiple quests that help with the maintenance and production of my settlement. McGonigal (2011) states, “The more points you earn, the higher your level, and the higher your level, the more challenging work you unlock.” (p. 50) As I reach higher levels the quests become harder but I am still able to complete and achieve more experience points (green stars) to level up. For example, in Settlers I have to “own 50 militia” which takes time to create.  My reward for creating the militia is greater than other simpler quests.  I also have to think about saving my militiamen when attacking other camps because my progress decreases if I use and lose the men.

Clear goals and actionable steps –

As mentioned above I have been working towards creating enough militiamen to complete my quest and gain points.  I have been working towards this goal for quite a few days by creating a few militiamen at a time.  I cannot create them all at once because of my lack of resources to create them.  I have to determine how to get more resources if I want to create more men. In the process of completing this quest I have also worked on completing similar quest such as obtaining 15 cavalry.  According to McGonigal (2011),  “Having a clear goal motivates us to act: we know what we’re supposed to do. And actionable next steps ensure that we can make progress toward the goal immediately.” (p. 50) Even though my goal with the militia goal isn’t happening very fast I am able to work on completing other goals immediately and still feel successful towards my other goals.

The only goals that aren’t so clear to me are the quests that are given to me that I am not able to achieve because I am not at the correct level to even begin working on it.

Better Hope of Success

Feedback -

The green bar is enough feedback for me to continue to work towards reaching the next level.  As I watch the green bar increase it gives me the sense of completion and I want to continue to reach the next level. I also like the green bars that are shown on each quest.  I am able to see how much more I have to go to complete the quest.  For example, I have to reach a goal of 500 settlers but my max level for settlers is 330.  I know how many more I need to complete the quest and will have to work at increasing my population. 

Mastery -

I have learned to use my resources carefully and have developed a sense of “resource building”.  McGonigal (2011) states, “The key here is resource building: we like productive work because it makes us feel that we are developing our personal resources.” (p. 53) As I continue to be productive and successful in the game I am beginning to feel more accomplished with my overall self.  However, I still feel a little defeated with not “leveling up” as fast as others but this will come with more time and effort being put into the game which I have noticed myself doing more of.  The more I put in the game, the more research I do, and the more I continue to complete quests and level up, the more successful I feel overall. I think about how far I have gone so far in the game and I think I am not doing so bad after all…the goal of achieving 40+ levels doesn’t seem so far away as it seemed before giving me more hope.



McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is Broken. New York: Penguin Group.