Tavish Armstrong

To make homework more fun, Natalie and I devised an RPG where we earn XP for doing our homework. The idea is loosely based on Wizard Staff (a drinking game), and Epic Win (an iPhone app).

So far, we have both earned hats and tea. Natalie is a level 4 homework wizard, and I am level 3. She has earned an extra article of funny clothing.

Do it yourself:

1. List all the tasks you can do (do an ENGR 213 problem, revise a draft of your essay, etc.) and assign a certain number of XP for each one. Assign based on how important the task is.
2. Decide how much XP you need for each level. Don’t choose numbers so high that you’ll never level up.
3. Decide what you earn at each level. For example, we earned hats and tea at level 2. At level 5, we get titles (e.g. “Black Wizard Natalie”). Make the rewards bigger as you go.
4. If you are playing with a friend, decide on collective rewards. That is, when you have collectively earned a total of, say 10 levels, you get a reward you can share (like espresso, high fives, whatever).
5. Begin!

This makes homework surprisingly addictive. I am jealous of Natalie’s higher level, so I had better stop writing blog posts and start doing homework again…