> I’m starting to wonder if this approach is fundamentally at odds with today’s market.

I don't want to project, but outside of video gaming, I'm seeing people in my personal networks pull back from digital more and more - not because these tools and apps aren't useful, but because they are so hostile.

So you might be ahead of your time. That said, businesses cost money to run so you need to assess your churn if you aren't going to have a subscription model.

"Gamification" is not necessarily bad, it's just how you do it. Even mathacademy.com has weekly leagues, and it does make it more motivating and social.

Put the learning stuff at the forefront, and the gamification stuff can be on the side for people who find that fun. The difference is something like mathacademy is trying to actually teach you math, duolingo is trying to hook you to look at ads.

Do you want to help people learn or do you want to make money? Those are very different incentives. I think the gamified apps learn too much towards retention vs learning; because ultimately someone who learns the material isn't a customer anymore, unless they keep using your app for another subject.

I tried building a learning app (iraproject.com) for students and eventually the market just pushed me towards gamification and traditional school methods. I held out for a year but at some point I needed to pay the bills. If you're able to I'd encourage you to stay true to your values but know that it takes a lot of time and patience to make it work.

It's fine if you focus your app on highly motivated language learners, or people bothered by gamification. The issue is going to be how to market to those people. They need to hear of your product somehow.

Having an app oriented toward being used by anyone has the advantage that you can slap an ad up anywhere, and you'll reach a potential customer.

Language learning apps are an Eternal September tarpit for well-meaning developers. The economics an the pedagogy are fundamentally in tension in this space, and it’s crowded to say the least. Work in it out of love for building, not because you expect to make real income.

If your goal is more users, it would make sense to have a calm setting.

If you want to build the app you want to use, go for it.

For me most forced interactions by modern apps (also the constant nagging about updates and new features) is the main factor why I'm trying to get rid of them. Not really in the market for language learning myself, but the app not being gamified would be a positive selling point, yes.

It is a great approach as long as you don't fall into the trap of trying to make more than a very modest (possibly negligible) amount of money.

It's a massive trap because leaning into monetization drastically improves income,

I have an allergic reaction to anything that feels manipulative, and "gamification" is probably the most manipulative. I've abandoned every learning app that prods you with points, achievements, and other noise.