Diving into Gamification Series Part 2- Quests
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
We continue to cover gamification, which incorporates game-like elements into non-game contexts, contains important addictive elements such as achievement badges, quests, different types of rewards, and more. If achievements, badges, and rewards are the “destination”– then quests are the “journey.”
But, what exactly are quests?
Quests are structured challenges or tasks designed to engage users in a game-like experience within non-gaming environments. Quests can also be missions, challenges, objectives and more–all with a similar format. Drawing from the mechanics of video games, quests introduce elements of storytelling, adventure, and achievement to activities such as learning, training, and team-building. The essence of a quest lies in its ability to motivate participants by framing their goals within an engaging narrative that guides them through a series of steps or milestones. Video games such as Skyrim, Fortnite, and GTA V are popular examples that incorporate compelling quests or missions that increase user engagement and retention.
At their core, quests provide a clear framework for users to follow, often consisting of a series of tasks or challenges that must be completed to achieve a specific objective. These tasks can vary in complexity and can be tailored to fit different contexts across industries, from educational settings to corporate environments. The design of a quest often includes elements such as thematic narratives, character roles, and rewards, creating an immersive experience that captivates users. By incorporating storytelling, quests can evoke emotions and foster a sense of connection to the material or the group involved. This narrative approach helps to keep users engaged, as they can visualize their journey and feel invested in their progress.
Quests essentially transform traditional and mundane tasks into dynamic and engaging experiences, making learning and personal development more enjoyable. By combining clear objectives with narrative-driven challenges, quests inspire users to actively participate, explore new concepts, and achieve their goals in a fun and rewarding way.
Therefore, when utilizing quests, not only are users more engaged and focused on the “journey” at hand–but they are also more focused on the “destination,” or the rewards resulting from completing their quest.
The Impact
Quests leverage game design elements in non-game contexts to engage users, motivate and modify behavior, and enhance learning experiences across different sectors. Gamification often balances intrinsic, or internal satisfaction, and extrinsic motivators (rewards like points/badges). This dual approach can significantly increase user engagement.
Quests have 4 key impacts on users that we will discuss:
Increased Engagement
A good quest is captivating–and creates a compelling narrative that draws users in. Quests, especially in RPG (role-playing games) or open world video games, often come with a creative storyline that immerses users/players in a fictional world. This narrative element captures attention and provides context for the tasks at hand. By engaging users emotionally, quests can transform mundane activities into exciting adventures from educational to corporate to health and fitness contexts. They can also be tailored to individual preferences and goals, making participants feel more connected to the content. This personalization fosters a sense of ownership and investment in the outcomes, leading to higher levels of engagement. Truly effective quests have a good balance of challenge and skill, adhering to the principle of “flow” introduced by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. By providing tasks that are challenging yet achievable, participants are more likely to enter a state of flow, where they become fully immersed and focused. If they are too difficult, or too easy, users may quickly lose interest or disengage.
Quests essentially have the potential to significantly increase engagement by tapping into psychological principles related to motivation, social interaction, and personal growth that will be discussed further in depth. By creating compelling narratives and balancing challenges, organizations can transform routine tasks into captivating experiences. As gamification continues to evolve, the use of quests will likely remain a cornerstone of effective engagement strategies, fostering deeper connections between participants and their learning or work environments.
Enhanced Learning and Retention
Quests can significantly improve learning and retention by leveraging engaging elements of game design to create a more interactive and motivating educational experience. There are several concepts that a good quest takes advantage of.
Quests shift the focus from passive learning (textbooks and lectures) to active participation–providing an interactive experience. When people engage with quests, they are required to interact with the material, apply knowledge, and make decisions. This hands-on approach promotes deeper understanding and retention, as people are more likely to remember information they have actively worked with. Oftentimes, quests also present challenges that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By navigating these challenges, people develop essential skills that go beyond rote memorization. As participants complete quests, they develop skills and knowledge, leading to a sense of mastery. This growth is intrinsically rewarding, fostering ongoing engagement as individuals seek to improve and tackle more complex challenges. Opportunities for mastery are an effective way to make a video game or app sticky–meaning more users are likely to “stick around” and come back to the platform.
Quests can be designed to incorporate spaced repetition—where key concepts are revisited at intervals—reinforcing memory and understanding. This method aligns with cognitive science principles that support long-term retention of information. As people complete quests, they are often required to apply what they’ve learned in varied contexts. This practice not only reinforces knowledge but also helps people develop a more robust understanding of concepts, making it easier to recall information later. Many gamified environments can also adapt to learners’ progress, creating adaptive learning paths or presenting tailored challenges based on their performance. This customization ensures that they are always engaged at an appropriate difficulty level, further enhancing retention by keeping them invested in the quest.
Quests typically include mechanisms for providing (constructive) feedback. This could be through quizzes, performance reviews, or assessments. Regular feedback helps participants identify areas for improvement, enhancing their learning experience and keeping them engaged through feedback loops. This applies to quests in video games as well–oftentimes if a player fails to complete a set of tasks, the game will let them know which specific challenge they failed to complete. This leads to another concept called Iterative Learning–where participants can learn from their mistakes and retry quests, promoting resilience and a growth mindset. This iterative process encourages continual engagement as users strive to overcome challenges and achieve mastery–leading to enhanced learning and user retention. The cycle is commonly seen with babies learning how to walk and talk.
Motivation and Behavior Modification
The main purpose of a quest is to create a compelling journey that ultimately arrives at a specific destination or reward–usually in the form of achievement badges or experience points depending on the quest. Quests break down larger goals into more manageable and achievable tasks. This clarity helps people understand what they need to do, reducing overwhelm and increasing motivation. As they complete each task, they experience a sense of accomplishment, which reinforces their engagement and the probability of them coming back to the platform. However, clear objectives are not the only motivator. Progress tracking also helps with motivation–especially with language-learning app, Duolingo.
In addition, building off of the concept of “flow” and balanced challenges, quests often consist of incremental challenges which amplify user motivation. Quests can be designed to gradually increase in complexity, aligning with the user’s growing skill set. This scaffolding approach helps prevent frustration while encouraging people to stretch their abilities. Each completed task reinforces confidence and contributes to a sense of progress, which is vital for retention and keeping users motivated. Quests often include instant rewards—like points, badges, or unlockable content—upon completing certain tasks. These immediate reinforcements provide positive feedback and motivate participants to continue engaging with the material. They can even modify or reinforce certain behaviors exhibited in order to earn the badge or achievement. These rewards are the main motivator for users, as they are the destination one reaches after an engaging journey or quest. In addition to immediate rewards, quests can also offer long-term benefits, such as certificates, prizes, or recognition. These incentives can create a sense of achievement and encourage sustained engagement over time as well.
Overall, quests can harness both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Intrinsically, learners may find satisfaction in completing quests and mastering new skills. Extrinsically, rewards such as points, badges, or certificates can provide additional incentives to engage with the material.
Community Building, Competition, and Social Interaction
One of the most important aspects of gamification as a whole is its stickiness–or ability to bring in and keep users on a given platform. The best examples utilize social theory, and tap into innate competitive tendencies with others–and the need to compare one’s abilities with strangers around the world. One key example of this is the extremely popular game, Fortnite. This video game has leaderboards where players are ranked globally with different stats listed. This fosters both competition and community, with players writing blogs or connecting over social media to discuss the game and its different quests.
Fortnite has many quests and challenges, including many that require collaboration and actively promote social interaction, squad or duo (two player) missions often necessitate players working together to achieve specific objectives, whether it’s reviving teammates or building structures in real time. These shared tasks not only enhance the gameplay experience but also strengthen bonds among players, turning virtual strangers into friends. The game's creative mode further allows players to collaborate on building unique worlds, inviting interaction beyond traditional combat. As players showcase their creations, it fosters a culture of sharing and inspiration, making Fortnite not just a game, but a thriving community where social connections flourish through shared experiences and creativity.
Key Examples of Quests
Quests can vary in form and are easily adaptable to various platforms regardless of the sector. The most successful examples of quests often have compelling narratives and storytelling that engage the user and keep them hooked–so they want to complete as many challenges as possible to reap their rewards. The most compelling and engaging stories and challenges often come in RPG or open world video games, where players are faced with choices and decisions and have to react and think on their feet using problem solving skills in real time. Two very successful games that make the most of quests and challenges that hook in new users are Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel’s Spiderman (both original and sequel).
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In Hogwarts Legacy, quests serve as a core element that brings the enchanting world of the Wizarding World to life, allowing players to immerse themselves in their magical education at Hogwarts. The game features a rich narrative filled with intriguing storylines that intertwine the player’s journey with familiar themes of friendship, bravery, and the pursuit of knowledge. From attending classes and learning spells to exploring the expansive grounds of Hogwarts and its surrounding areas, each quest unfolds a new layer of the immersive experience.
Many quests in Hogwarts Legacy are designed to encourage exploration and interaction with the environment. Players can embark on side quests that delve into the histories of various characters, uncover hidden secrets, or assist fellow students with their own challenges. These quests often require problem-solving and creativity, whether it's deciphering clues to unlock ancient artifacts or battling dark forces threatening the peace of the Wizarding World. Side quests are usually divided into three regions: Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade, and the Highlands. Each quest rewards you with specific items that can later be used throughout your adventures. There are a total of 58 side quests, 24 relationship quests, and 12 assignments to complete in Hogwarts Legacy. The blend of main story arcs with rich side quests creates a dynamic gameplay experience that not only engages players but also deepens their connection to the characters and lore.
Quests can appear in many different forms. Marvel’s Spiderman is a key example of a game that has engaging challenges and missions which play a crucial role in creating a dynamic and immersive gameplay experience. The main story missions are expertly crafted to weave a rich narrative that unfolds as players navigate the complex life of Peter Parker. These missions often feature dramatic encounters with iconic villains, such as the Vulture and Electro, and highlight Spider-Man’s acrobatic combat and web-slinging abilities. The emotional stakes and character development in these missions deepen the player's connection to the story, making each confrontation feel impactful and personal.
However, complementing the main storyline or narrative are a variety of missions and side challenges that encourage players to explore the sprawling open world of New York City. There are 44 main missions available in the base game, and 33 main missions in the sequel. Both games feature various side missions and challenges that target different abilities. From combat challenges that test players’ fighting skills to stealth missions that require strategic thinking, these tasks provide opportunities for mastery and creativity. Collectibles like backpacks and landmarks add another layer of exploration, rewarding players for their curiosity and encouraging them to delve into the lore of the Spider-Man universe.
Completing these challenges not only unlocks new suits and abilities but also enhances the overall experience, allowing players to feel like true superheroes as they take on the diverse threats facing the city. Together, the missions and challenges in Marvel's Spider-Man create a compelling blend of narrative and action that keeps players engaged and eager for more–which is why after only six months on the market, lifetime unit sales of the game amounted to $11 million–making the action-adventure title one of the best-selling PS5 exclusives ever.
Another key example of addictive and engaging challenges is the health & fitness app, Nike Run Club. The app helps with motivation and engagement, utilizing social theory and inherent competitive nature as well as behavioral science. When a user completes a challenge, they earn a new trophy under Achievements, which reinforces that behavior through a habit loop–utilizing dopamine boosts when receiving the reward. There are three types of challenges: individual, community, and custom. Individual challenges are an opportunity to push oneself to a specific distance within a certain amount of time. Community challenges foster a sense of collaboration and being a part of a global running team–running side-by-side with strangers virtually to achieve a collective distance goal (often to support great causes). Custom challenges allow users to set the distance, start and end time, and invite friends to compete for a gold, silver, or bronze medal Achievement. The variety of challenges promote individual engagement, motivation, and retention–as well as social competition and collaboration.
Similar to Zwift, the massive multiplayer online cycling and running physical training program that enables users to interact, train, and compete in a virtual world, Nike Run Club does an amazing job creating a sense of community and social interaction. The addictive challenges motivate users to be the best they can–and also make exercise more fun that way!
When discussing exemplary educational platforms that utilize gamification, it is hard to miss Duolingo. Duolingo is currently the most popular language-learning app due to its incredibly sticky gamification elements for people of all ages. Read more about Duolingo’s extremely effective quests and tasks here.
Finally, quests can even be adapted to mental health platforms like SuperBetter–a game-based learning platform that empowers mental health, resilience, and student success. After a serious concussion leading to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, Jane McGonigal invented the app, SuperBetter, to help herself heal. She combined elements of gamification with mental health issues to create an adaptive, versatile, and impactful platform.
In a randomized controlled trial from Harvard Medical School, university students who used SuperBetter had significant reductions in depression & anxiety at 6-months.
The app can be used individually to help a user create custom challenges and achieve personal goals or “epic wins.” There are over 40 solo challenges to improve emotional wellbeing, social relationships, and physical resilience. One example of a quest or challenge that builds emotional resilience is writing a journal entry 3 times a week for 10 weeks.
SuperBetter can also be applied to various contexts using Squad Play–where hosts can engage groups of any size from school to sports.
This social aspect introduces competition and collaboration, which can immensely amplify user engagement and motivation to complete a task or challenge (as seen with Fortnite and Nike Run Club).
Psychology–Why Are Quests So Effective?
The psychology behind gamification quests is rooted in a deep understanding of human motivation, behavior, and cognitive processes. Central to this is the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. As mentioned earlier when discussing Motivation and Behavior Modification, intrinsic motivation refers to engaging in an activity for its own sake–because it’s enjoyable, satisfying, or fulfilling. Extrinsic motivation involves completing tasks to earn rewards or avoid negative consequences.
Gamification skillfully intertwines these motivations by embedding tasks within a game-like framework that not only offers tangible rewards, such as points or badges, but also fosters a sense of accomplishment and mastery. This dual approach helps sustain user interest and engagement over time, as individuals are motivated by the fun of the activity itself as well as the satisfaction of achieving certain goals. In other words, with quests, users become more invested in the journey and resulting outcomes (destination or reward earned).
Quests are inherently similar to badges, in that both take advantage of the same psychological principles and theories: social comparison theory, goal setting and progress tracking, and Self-Determination Theory. Read more on these topics and the psychology behind badges here.
Another important psychological principle at play is the concept of flow, which is characterized by complete immersion in an activity–as mentioned briefly when discussing Increased Engagement. Achieving flow not only enhances the overall experience but also encourages repeat participation, as users seek to recapture that immersive state. The structured feedback loops inherent in gamification—such as immediate responses to actions—further support this process by providing users with continuous information about their progress, reinforcing their sense of achievement.
Quests utilize behavior psychology and Cognitive Load Theory to influence user motivation and retention. Operant Conditioning Theory explains how behaviors can be modified through reinforcement. Quests and challenges use rewards or positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors–making them more likely to be repeated. In addition, introducing unpredictability in rewards can enhance engagement, as users are motivated to continue participating in hopes of receiving rewards. Cognitive Load Theory consists of two seminal components–information processing and chunking information. Gamification breaks down complex tasks into smaller, manageable quests. This reduces cognitive load, allowing users to process information more easily and effectively. By presenting information in bite-sized segments, quests make it easier for users to learn and remember, promoting user retention.
As mentioned before, the crux of gamification quests lies in their ability to create compelling narratives to arrive at a reward or destination–leading to increased user engagement, motivation, and more. By incorporating engaging narratives, these quests allow users to connect emotionally with the story and its characters, fostering relatability that deepens their commitment and motivation to completing tasks. Successfully achieving objectives within this framework generates positive emotions, such as joy or pride, which act as emotional rewards that reinforce participation or specific behaviors. The best quests rely on the emotional connection developed through the compelling narrative and storytelling experience–transforming mundane tasks to fun challenges.
The low-stakes nature of gamified environments also reduce anxiety and stress, providing a fun and enjoyable way for users to tackle challenges. This combination of emotional engagement and positive reinforcement not only boosts motivation but also encourages sustained involvement in the quest and game/platform as a whole.
Moreover, social interaction plays a pivotal role in the effectiveness of quests and challenges. Many quests, as seen with Fortnite, incorporate elements of collaboration and competition, tapping into our inherent social nature. This social dimension can create a sense of community and shared purpose, which enhances motivation. The presence of peers–whether through leaderboards, team challenges, or social sharing–can encourage individuals to push their limits and engage more deeply with the content. This dynamic also leverages social comparison, where individuals assess their progress relative to others, further motivating them to improve. The sense of accountability and connection that arises from this social engagement can transform a solitary activity into a communal experience, amplifying the overall impact of the gamification process.
By combining these psychological principles–motivation and flow, behavior psychology, storytelling, social interaction, and more–quests create engaging experiences that resonate on multiple levels, making them extremely effective tools for education, training, and health & fitness (and can be applied to a variety of platforms).
Conclusion
In the evolving landscape of gamification, quests stand out as a powerful mechanism for engagement, learning, and personal growth. By transforming previously mundane tasks into immersive journeys filled with storytelling, challenges, and rewards, quests not only motivate users but also deepen their connection to the platform and their peers around the world.
As we’ve explored, the integration of psychological principles—such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, flow, and social interaction—creates an environment where participants feel invested in both the journey and the rewards that come with it. Quests can increase engagement and motivation, enhance learning and retention, and build community or tap into competitive nature. The many psychological principles and theories associated with quests contribute to its effectiveness and various impacts.
Both quests and badges utilize similar psychological principles, including the social comparison theory, goal setting and progress tracking, and the Self-Determination Theory, to enhance user engagement and motivation. The concept of flow, which leads to complete immersion in activities, encourages repeat participation, while structured feedback loops provide continuous progress updates, reinforcing achievement. Quests also draw on behavioral psychology and Cognitive Load Theory, employing rewards and positive reinforcement to motivate users and increase retention. By breaking down complex tasks into manageable segments, gamification reduces cognitive load, making it easier for users to learn and remember, thereby fostering ongoing participation and engagement.
This article shines a light on key examples such as SuperBetter, Nike Run Club, and Hogwarts Legacy. Whether in education, corporate training, health and fitness, or personal development, quests offer a structured yet flexible framework that encourages exploration and mastery. Ultimately, quests remind us that the journey itself can be as rewarding as the destination. By designing engaging quests, we can foster a culture of lifelong learning and community, inspiring individuals to not only reach their goal–but also to enjoy the process along the way.