We’ve come a long way — through reflections on talent, games, and gamification. And now we've reached a key point in our journey. Just like in a game, where the most valuable treasures are found at the final level, here I encountered revelations that changed everything. In games and in life, true insights come to those willing to go all the way.
This is the moment when the journey becomes more important than the result. Just like in “Theory 100” — the most valuable discoveries don’t come at the beginning but near the finish line. And in this chapter, two crucial discoveries converge: the nature of games and the rethinking of gamification.
Since childhood, I was immersed in the world of games. They didn’t just entertain — they captivated me completely. I remember my heart racing during the loading screen of a new mission, staying up late to finish just one more level. And in the morning, I’d jump out of bed eager to dive back into that world of adventure.
But when I encountered apps with gamification elements, I only felt boredom. They lacked the magnetism, the passion. Why? What makes a game a game? What separates games from gamification?
To find the answer, I dove into books, articles, and blogs about gamification. I studied case studies, examined examples. But the more I read, the more disappointed I became. Tips like “add badges and leaderboards” didn’t inspire me. I realized I had to dig deeper. So I went beyond gamification — into the philosophy of play itself.
That’s when I stumbled upon Johan Huizinga’s book Homo Ludens (Man the Player).
It became a window into the essence of play. While reading it, I shattered the stereotypes I had carried for years. I realized games are not just entertainment. They’re the foundation of culture, a way to interact, a way to live.
I saw games everywhere — in sports, politics, laws, language. I understood where the stereotype that games are frivolous came from. But in reality, play includes everything: seriousness, passion, and creativity. And it was in this simple yet profound understanding that I found the answer to the core question: why games are captivating and gamification isn’t.
That’s how a new perspective on games opened up to me. And this book changed everything.
"Games are not serious!""This is no game!""Take it seriously, stop playing around!"
I’ve heard these phrases all my life — from parents, teachers, TV screens, politicians, in the headlines of “important” news. Even from gurus and spiritual leaders of the past.
The stereotype that “play is not serious” was so deeply ingrained that I never even tried to question it. But most importantly — it subtly distorted my view of gamification. I thought that in order to make something serious, I had to remove the play from it. I was wrong.
Everything changed when I encountered Huizinga’s work.
What I read turned my view of the world upside down.
Huizinga didn’t just defend games — he showed that they lie at the very root of human culture. Play predates civilization. We don’t just play for fun — through play, we comprehend and structure the world around us.
That’s when I realized: games aren’t about frivolity. Games are about structure, systems, and rules. And our lives contain far more games than we realize.
“Play is higher than seriousness. Seriousness tries to exclude play, but play easily includes seriousness.” — Johan Huizinga
Games are the matrix of our lives. We live, work, learn, and love — by playing. But these are the most serious games, because the stakes are career, family, money, freedom, even life.
The first stereotype was shattered.
Play is serious. More than that: play is life itself.
Some might still doubt the seriousness of games...
But no one likes it when someone cuts in line.
The second stereotype Huizinga shattered was the idea that a game must be complex — with flashy graphics, special effects, or intricate rules.
And this stereotype had been with me since childhood.
I played video games and always believed: the better the graphics, the more powerful the effects — the more interesting the game. I longed for upgrades, updates, new levels. I even wanted to upgrade my computer — just to make the games more spectacular, faster, and more powerful.
But one game shattered this stereotype and made me see games in a whole new light.
A board. 32 pieces. Just two players.
And yet — you know how deep chess is. Its infinite strategy astonishes. For centuries, it has been played by generals, scientists, and thinkers. Chess is a measure of intellect. A world chess champion is considered a genius.
It’s one of the most powerful games in human history. Alongside it — Go, equally simple, equally deep: just a board and black-and-white stones. But behind this simplicity lies an infinite number of moves, strategies, and meanings.
At that moment, I realized:
Real games aren’t about spectacle. Real games are about essence.
Simplicity can be more powerful than all the flashy, complex games combined.
We often think: more is better.
Just like chess, Theory 100 is a game with simple rules but infinite depth. It’s a field for strategy, challenge, and victory.
That’s when I realized: “Theory 100” is a game. Simple and powerful. And it’s already gamification.
This game changed my life. It helped me build discipline, practice meditation, develop my body through dance, and unlock my creativity. I wasn’t just training — I was playing.
Yes — it’s an unusual game! But it’s still a game!
It has rules:
It was pure gamification. A game I played against myself. A game that developed my mind.
I used to think gamification required complex systems, points, badges, apps, cartoon graphics.
But when I started building the Theory 100 app, my understanding of gamification changed. I realized:
The goal tracker based on Theory 100 is gamification. Everything else — bonus mechanics to boost effectiveness.
The journey toward understanding games led me to two major discoveries. First: games are not just entertainment, but a fundamental way humans structure reality. From courtrooms to Olympic arenas, from family dynamics to global economics — everywhere you look, the rules of games are at play.
The second insight was even more significant for my project: complexity and visual appeal don’t define a game’s strength. Just as chess conquers with elegant simplicity, Theory 100 works because of its clear, understandable rules.
These discoveries changed my approach to gamification. I understood I didn’t need to compete with video games in flashiness or complexity. Gamification should be like a bridge — simple, reliable, leading from intention to action.
And then I saw a new goal: to create a tool that could turn any challenge into an adventure. A tool that would help people open doors to new worlds of experience and knowledge. Theory 100 was already that kind of game — it just needed the right form.
That’s how the next stage of my journey began — the creation of the app and the development of the method...
But that’s another story entirely.
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