The Gamification of Crafting

The Extra Creditz episode on “Gamification” that I watched a while back was both enlightening and inspiring.  For those of you that don't have the time to watch the video because you hate fun, the idea is that almost any task can be combined with game elements, such as a level system, in order to make the task more palatable, or easier to understand.  This made me wonder: could I gamify my crafting skills?  What level crocheter would I be? What constitutes experience points in such a system?

To start off, I had to look into level progression.  AAA titles are mathematically crafted to make achieving each level exciting, without becoming tedious.  Put simply, the first level should be much easier to achieve than the last level.  I attempted to create my own level system (based off a website I can no longer find) by looking at the numbers and parsing out a pattern that would fit in my head.  The system I came up with was this (WARNING: MATH ZONE.  PROCEED WITH CAUTION): maximum experience to next level was equal to the current level, plus four, plus previous required experience (xp to level = (n+4)+sum of previous equation, where n=level achieved).  The results were as follows:

Level        XP req. to level    Total Experience
1               5                         5
2               11                       16
3               17                       33
4               24                       57
5               32                       89

As I played with it, I realized my level progression was very steep.  Level 2-3 and 3-4 felt more like jumps within Dungeons and Dragons than World of Warcraft.  This meant that each individual level meant more to the player/crafter, but it also meant there were a wider range of achieved experience within each player/crafter level.
Instead of continuing with this model, I decided to shamelessly rip off World of Warcraft’s leveling model.  To do this, I took the charts from this site, spliced them into an Excel spreadsheet, and whipped my calculator monkeys into full speed (i.e. told the program to divide each max xp number by 100).  These results were much more palatable.

Level    XP req. to level    Total Experience
1          0                          4
2          5                          9
3          5                         14
4          7                         21
5          7                         28

This progression had a gentler learning curve (more rewarding for new player/crafters) and more meaningful levels since the experience gaps were much smaller.  Looking further into the data, there are strange jumps in the level progression at levels 60, 70, 80, 85, and 90.  These numbers aren’t random: dedicated WoW players will recognize them as the level caps for each of the expansion packs.  I decided not to worry about this jump until I myself achieve level 59, and work out the math at that time. (END OF MATH ZONE.  DRIVE SAFELY, HAVE A NICE DAY.)

The next step (and possibly the most challenging) was determining how many experience points should be granted upon finishing a given product.  In the end, I decided that a washcloth (specifically, a crocheted washcloth made of half-double crochet stitches) should count for a single experience point.  Using the Crafting level progression, this meant that creating four washcloths would make you a Level Two Hookmaster.  Using the (sloppily approximated) combination of skill and time required to make such a product, I assigned experience points to other crafts I have created.  The following is a compilation of these rough experience point assessments.  
 
Hookmastery
(“Real World” crafting term - Crochet)
Washcloth - 1 xp       
Towel - 2 xp           
2 squid tentacles (2 round granny stripe, 45 long) - 1 xp       
2 Granny squares (3 rounds) - 1 xp
Granny square (5 rounds) -1 xp
Granny square (7 rounds) - 2 xp
Aniball Plushie - 3 xp
Plushie (small) - 5 xp
Hat (beanie) - 3 xp

Needle Knotting
(“Real World” crafting term - Knitting)
Pot Holder - 1 xp
Washcloth - 1 xp
Scarf - 2 xp

Threadmasonry
(“Real World” crafting term - Sewing)
Quilt (simple) - 17 xp
Snuggie - 3 xp
Ren garb (simple) - 5 xp
Fleece hat (simple) - 2 xp
Fleece hat (complex) - 4 xp

The results?  I’m a Level 4 Needle Knotter, Level 10 Threadmason, and Level 17 Hookmaster.  I’m generally not one for number crunching, but the implications of this was WAY too fun to ignore.  What level would my friends and family members be?  How many experience points will I gain by completing my next project?  Suddenly, my holiday craft list becomes a competitive challenge instead of a chore.  Currently, I’m only facing myself.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t win.
 
If you have a skill you would like me to gamify, or have a craft project to add to the ones I have listed, say so in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.  As for now, I’m off to gain some sweet, sweet experience.  Happy Crafting!