<aside> ❓

DanielLaCos.se, an NYU game design graduate and TEDx speaker, built a successful career in technology, rising to Senior Engineer at Google. Alongside his tech work, he has spent five years running BABG NYC, demonstrating his commitment to cultivating people's abilities.

</aside>

We all begrudge the fact that social media hijacks our dopamine loops to maximize user retention. My mission is to turn this strategy on its head, instead designing games and platforms to hack dopamine explicitly for personal development. I’m building places where people come for the experience but stay for the growth.

A quick personal anecdote: in 2017, I reached a breaking point. Over many iterations I managed to create a game that ingrained in me a basic social aptitude and discipline. Lately this approach has been inspiring my new friends—research suggests we’ve only scratched the surface when it comes to leveraging games for self-improvement (see below).

I’m currently designing an RPG that analyzes the player’s decision patterns to approximate their personal blind spots, so that they can then be placed in scenarios to challenge said blind spots. Beyond that, there are many promising directions to consider, but none that I can share just yet: if you‘d like to stay tuned, consider joining the Discord at DanielLaCos.se 🤝 👐 🫶

Supporting Research

While studies find that games and play have powerful potential for personal growth…

• Regular gameplay enhances cognitive abilities—including memory and attention—to levels matching someone fourteen years younger.
• During dopamine-powered flow states, the brain becomes optimized for focus, accelerating learning.
• Carefully designed “therapy games” treat mental health and improve cognitive function. For example, Plan-It Commander and RECOGNeyes remedy ADHD, MindLight reduces anxiety, and SPARX supports those with depression.
• Challenging games can build resilience and foster a mindset of continuous improvement.

…commercially, though several industries’ worth of self-improvement products have successfully integrated “gamification” design patterns—I wouldn’t quite call most of them games.

There are educational platforms (Khan Academy, edX, Discovery Education), corporate training initiatives (IBM's digital badge program, Sony Music's eLearning system), and fitness applications (Strava, Nike Run Club, Zombies Run) all with game “elements”.