Finch: and the gameification of self love.

Copyright:Ninao and Steph 

Ethics and brevity: I have no affiliation with Finch, I just got suckered into it because the cute bird

I was scrolling through the endless wasteland of endless ads on Instagram the other day till I noticed this one for a game called "Finch". It looked adorable and described itself as a mental health companion, offering words of encouragement and support. So, I figured, why not? And download it I did. It was cute as ever, with a sweet little bird who's there to encourage you to care for yourself. Sure, the whole concept might sound a bit odd on paper. But it's all in good fun, and the messages of self-love and self-care were actually pretty uplifting. I expected "Tamagotchi" mixed with a therapy session. what I got.. what pretty much that. 

It was love at first sight when I booted up the game, and my eyes set upon a precious egg. I was offered the chance to name it as well, which I happily accepted, and lovingly dubbed it Pip. The game then offered me a list of simple and sweet activities to show love to myself. Examples included being grateful for one thing before bed and washing my face. As someone who struggles to remember self-care, I found this to be quite helpful and heartwarming. Which seemed to be the name of the game so to speak. the more self love you do, the more Pip will grow.

(he likes cherries by the way)

My journey with Pip brought me much joy and understanding. As the hours ticked by, Pip and I grew closer and closer, with our friendship mirroring my own mental health struggles and growth. Sometimes, i forget to wash my face, or I might just let whatever negative feelings wash over me for too long. So having this app was kind of nice.  As the millennial generation deals with the ever-present beast that is mental health and self-care, it's inspiring to see Pip on his own journey to self-love, asking questions about his different wings and whether he should eat cherries in the hopes of levelling up. It's almost like having a personal Digimon or Tamagotchi helping us learn the importance and rewards of taking the time to care for ourselves.

Here's where it gets even cuter - along with the chance to earn little rainbow stones, you can also use them to decorate Pip's room as you see fit! There's no overwhelming pressure to buy anything from the store for Pip's sake. Instead, you're free to choose what to get in order to make his room all the more adorable. And as if that wasn't enough, you can participate in various daily activities to stock up and gear up for special events as well. Oh, the possibilities are endless! But, throughout this journey a question popped into my head. 

Should we ever "gamify" self-love and self-care teachings? The ethics of this have been weighing on my mind for some time now. On one hand, a fun and engaging way to impart important lessons can be quite beneficial. However, when is it appropriate to turn a sensitive matter into a game or gamified activity? My personal opinion is that it falls within a grey area. If the app simply presents a cute and non-intrusive list, much like Finch, then it might be considered acceptable. However, it can still feel somewhat off-putting to gamify self-loving activities.

After some deep conversations with family members and others in the Facebook community, I'm left with a puzzling ethical question. Can the motivation and encouragement provided by a digital companion like Pip, a quirky and lovable birdeon, be considered problematic? Many individuals struggle with finding the strength to get out of bed and face the day. However, some individuals have expressed appreciation for the help that Pip offers. So, is this use of Pip as a motivational companion acceptable, or is it problematic? After some careful thought, I've come to agree with the general consensus that using Pip as motivation is not all bad. and I agree, as long as its like Finch then its fine. 

you can find the game on the app store for free, so go check it out.