One adorable week with Pokémon Sleep left me with some complicated questions about gamification in health apps.
Pokémon Sleep launched on my birthday. I’ll probably never forget that fact due to the embarrassing text message I had to send upon learning the sleep-tracking app was suddenly available on iOS and Android devices. Knowing I had a journalistic duty to fulfill, I sent a message to my girlfriend — who had planned out a lovely night out for us — to let her know that I’d have to leave my phone on my bed when we slept that night so Snorlax could gobble up my data.
It’s a smart way to apply the Pokémon RPG formula to a health app, bringing that familiar “catch ‘em all” hook. Though I was sold on that idea on paper, I was skeptical the app would work for me at all. In order to properly track my sleep, I’d have to put my phone on the corner of my bed and give it access to my microphone. Considering that my partner often stays the night with me, it seemed unlikely that I’d get perfectly accurate data.
Gamifying bedtime Being forced to reckon with the fact that I was a goblin was one thing, but what I really wanted was an app that would help me improve those habits. That’s where the actual game side of Pokémon Sleep comes into play. The core loop is that users need to build up Snorlax’s drowsy power throughout a week in order to attract more Pokémon each morning.
That dilemma is compounded by the app’s approach to microtransactions. For those who want to speed up the inherently glacial progression of the “game,” there are shortcuts that skirt around sleep. A $10 a month Premium Pass subscription gives players 100 extra sleep points for each tracked sleep, as well as bonus biscuits and monthly gifts. It also unlocks a premium exchange shop, which reduces the cost of certain items.
Building routine While that setup leaves me with questions about how healthy it is for kids, I found something sweet in my first week with the app. Rather than dumping me after my first night with the app, my partner decided to download it herself. She saw it as a cute couple’s activity we could share while I was on assignment. What neither of us expected was that the app would instantly become an endearing routine over the next few days.
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