Make Fun Toys First
Inspired by on Lenny's Podcast
Before you build a game, build a toy - and the same applies to building routines for your kids.
Rahul Vohra was a professional game designer before founding Superhuman. He asks a provocative question: are toys the same as games? We play WITH toys but we play games. A ball is a toy. Football is a game.
His insight: the best games are built from toys. Because then they're fun on both levels.
Superhumanhas a time auto-completer where you type '2D' and it becomes 'two days.' In onboardings, Rahul would watch people ask: What can it do? Where does it break? What happens if I type ten 10s? That's playful exploration - the sign of a toy.
Apply this to parenting routines.
A bedtime routine is a game. But is it built from toys? Is brushing teeth somehow playful? Is putting on pajamas an exploration? Or is it just a series of tasks you drag your kid through?
Rahul's test: Does it indulge playful exploration? Is it fun even without a goal? Does it create pleasant surprises?
You don't need elaborate gamification systems. You need tiny moments of delight embedded in the routine. The silly toothpaste flavor. The pajama dance. The made-up bedtime story. Toys first, then games.
PM Theme: Game design principles
Parenting Theme: Creating engaging routines
“A ball is a toy, but football is a game. As it turns out, the best games are constructed out of toys. Why? Because then they are fun on both levels, the toy and the game itself.”Rahul Vohra · 01:03:12
“Think about the features of their product. Do those features indulge, playful, exploration? Are they fun even without a goal? And do they elicit moments of pleasant surprise? If so, you have a toy.”Rahul Vohra · 01:05:28
