WHY THIS EXISTS
The story behind Sweet Streaks
I made Sweet Streaks for my girlfriend.
We both struggle with going to bed on time. Not in a dramatic way — in the completely ordinary way where midnight becomes 1am becomes "how is it 2am," night after night, and no app or alarm or stern note-to-self had ever made a dent in it for either of us.
One night we were texting about it, and I made her an offer, mostly as a joke: 20 points if you make it to bed before 2am. Points lead to rewards, I added: you can redeem them for adventures we do together.
"omg omg," she wrote back. "It's working." I started a points ledger on the spot and told her she had twelve minutes. The promise of points for some undisclosed future reward had clicked something in both our brains — and suddenly we weren't talking about bedtime anymore, we were designing a little game between us.
THE RABBIT HOLE
So I went looking for an app that already did this. Habit apps felt like homework: too data heavy, or games we got bored of in a week. Hardly any were built for two people, and none of them felt cozy enough to keep opening for months.
So I designed for one person: her. She plays cozy collecting games like Pocket Frogs, where the fun is filling the collection, not protecting a number. A streak exists to be broken, and when it breaks, most habit apps have nothing left to offer but guilt. We needed three things instead: to see each other's habits, so we could cheer each other on; something to collect; and rewards we give each other in real life — a sweet treat run, breakfast in bed — not in-app trinkets.
THEN THE GEMSTONES
The collecting became gemstones, and I wanted them to be something you could give, too. In Sweet Streaks, when you finish everything on your list, you get a perfect day, and a perfect day opens the mine. You go in with your pickaxe, you dig, and you come out with gemstones — common ones most days, rare ones when you're lucky. And then you can send them to each other.
That's my favorite part, honestly. Finishing my own boring habits so I can go dig up something rare and send it to her. Her doing the same for me. A little rock, found by showing up for yourself, given to someone else.
WHAT IT'S REALLY FOR
Underneath the pixel art and the mine and the coupons, this game is one thing: it's for my girlfriend, who I love very much. I want her to accomplish the goals she sets for herself, and I want to be the kind of partner who helps her get there — not by nagging, just by being on the trail with her. Sweet Streaks is what that looks like, built as a game.
If it helps the two of you the way it helps the two of us, then it's doing its job.