New objectives - redefining what it means to win

Indie computer game "Lake" is set for launch next Spring, but unlike the recent release of hotly anticipated - and then universally derided "Cyberpunk 2077" the game Lake doesn't have celebrity endorsement or come with a soundtrack peppered with chart-toppers.

And that's not the only things it's missing. The concept behind Lake means that it also lacks that fundamental video game staple; a score. There is no leveling up for the character, no customisations or in-game purchasing to change the character's haircut to a mohawk or a buy a new jacket. With no weapons or enemies to face the game lacks the competition that goes hand in hand with achievement and bringing gamers back for more.

It's a bold project from Dutch game developers Gamious that sees the player tasked with simply delivering mail in a sleepy town in Oregon. With the game set in 1986 there is a dearth of the typical mod-cons and futuristic devices other games make available to their characters and armed with only the letters and parcels that need distributing, you are free to roam and talk with the other inhabitants of the town; these conversations and exploring the beauty of the redwood-lined lake being the only mission to complete.

With the gamification of so many aspects of life through apps and devices that are constantly updating and pushing us to do more / spend more / save more / sleep more, it seems an antidote for the notification-filled phones we try to satisfy daily.

At a time when even mindfulness has been made competitive, with alerts to tell you when you should be meditating, a score for how many minutes you have achieved this day / week / month, there are few activities that involve technology where there isn't a power bar to try to fill.

Now I for one fully buy-in to many of the “gamified” services; I find the Calm app a good way to force a break and reset my mind each day; I am always competing with my wife to close our activity rings on our Apple watches; and even here - I set a challenge to create weekly blog posts this past year. All of these things have had a positive impact on my life, but always in a competitive way. 

Maybe this game could be used to reset the inner-competitor in those of us who enjoy computer games for the difficulty; perhaps the real challenge of Lake is that there is no challenge, and if this shifts our perception of objectives in the rest of our lives, it may even redefine what it means to win..

..or maybe not.