Half Awake

Where I live, we have a negative reinforcement system for making sure that the chores get done. Basically, when you are more than 15 minutes overdue on completing your chores, my housemate sends you a threatening e-mail and tells you that your mother never really loved you. This probably does help make sure the chores get done on time, but I sometimes wonder if there could be a way to encourage everyone to pull their weight through positive reinforcement.

Chore Wars might be just what I was hoping for (link via Penny Arcade). This website allows you to create a middle-earth style RPG character that earns experience points whenever you complete a chore in your home or office. You can join a party with your housemates or officemates and “compete” with them to see who earns experience points and levels the fastest. Characters also have minor levels of customization such as ‘Appearance’ and ‘Natural Talents’ (my natural talent is totally ‘Paying the Bills’). It’s like World of Warcraft for the OCD amongst us.

This system is second only to Phoebe’s suggestion that we earn stickers and candy for doing chores.