Can EpicWin Make You Do Your Chores By Turning Your Life Into An RPG?

Are you more likely to finally get round to washing the car or finishing your matchstick version of the Bayeux Tapestry that you started four years ago, if you turned your life into an RPG style game?

If the answer to the question is “probably, yes” then the EpicWin app may be just the thing to stir you from your apathetic slumber and turn you into a modern life warrior with enough loot and experience to make any princess swoon.

But what is EpicWin and is it actually of any use?

What is EpicWin?

EpicWin is a new iPhone app that is essentially a jazzed up ‘to-do’ list. It works by turning your list of mundane life tasks into the exciting quests of a travelling dwarf, skeleton warrior or other character.

After installing the app and choosing what character you would like to play as, you put in your chores and allocate a certain level of difficulty and experience points to them. When you manage to complete one of your ‘quests’ you are rewarded with a little cut scene, some treasure and experience points.

Eventually as you progress through the game map (chores list) your character begins to level up and acquire new skills and weapons in true RPG style.

As you can see from the trailer above, one of this apps key strengths is the visual flair that seems to run through the whole project. This is perhaps not surprising when you learn that one of the key brains behind Epic Win previously helmed the visual design of Little Big Planet, one of the visually distinctive games to come out in a long time.

So is it any good?

Well, the answer to this question is likely to depend on a number of things really. Firstly, how much you like RPGs and value the collection of loot and XP is likely to be a highly significant factor in whether or not Epic Win works for you.

Secondly, your enjoyment of this app will also depend on the amount of time it takes you to realise that, essentially, this app has just added one more thing to your to-do list. You are still going to have to do all of things you were previously procrastinating about doing, and now you have to add them to this app and update your progress as well.

Also, as a fairly seasoned gamer myself, there seems to be something vaguely and troublingly wrong about winning loot and XP for washing my car, instead of doing something epic like killing a huge, snarly fire demon.

I mean, washing my car is not cool or interesting and while I appreciate the effort on the part of Epic Win, no amount of window dressing is going to take away from that fact. I guess the greatest gift that this app gave me was a profound and existential realisation about myself and what motivates me in life, which I guess is worth a couple of quid at least.

Another interesting facet of this app is whether it is indicative of a trend that may have been taking shape in the last few years where people have begun using games and virtual environments (like Second Life) to jazz up their otherwise unfulfilled and non-RPG-like lives, or is it just a novel idea that will provide with a brief period of entertainment?

Unfortunately, I will have to leave you with that question because that discussion is for another time… I have a list of chores to complete that is as long as my arm.

What does everyone else think of Epic Win?

 Byline

James Duval is a technology and communications expert who provides IT support to many companies. As technology, business and finance editor for  http://www.gkbcinc.com, he is able to discuss his thoughts and opinions on all the latest breakthroughs in technology, and all the smartest ways to make yourself work more efficiently. He currently works for http://www.arcitsolutions.co.uk/, and loves writing about ways to hack your life and computer alike.

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