iM4U has launched an app that attempts to gamify exercise. Called WalkAWin, it encourages people to walk more by providing in-game incentives for reaching certain milestones. This isn’t the first time that an app has tried to gamify exercise and keeping healthy, although it is the first to be directly targeted at Malaysians.
Available on both Android and iOS, it provides a storyline as the user reaches a certain number of steps taken. Essentially making people walk more if they want to know what happens next. Users shouldn’t expect an amazingly engaging story; this is, after all a fitness app and the story is mainly to get people moving.
iM4U states that the objectives of the app are to transform physical activity into an entertaining and incentivising activity for all age groups in Malaysia, eradicate occurrence of non-communicable diseases by increasing physical activity involvement in Malaysia, and to become a precursor for environmental protection and reduction in carbon emission in Malaysia. Lofty goals considering that this is only an app.
One thing to note is that we have been unable to find WalkAWin on the Apple AppStore. It may be that the app is still being reviewed by Apple and has not yet been approved. It is also currently unavailable on Windows Phone.
