TikTok’s livestream system turns spending into progression and progression into status. Gifts convert to points, and points determine match outcomes. Over time, that participation unlocks gifter level badges that are instantly visible to everyone in the room. I’ve been studying the gamification behind TikTok livestreams, and the way this system is translated into design is genuinely impressive. The badges are small, elegant, and immediately legible. Built to signal rank at a glance. I recreated the badges from level 1 to level 50 (the maximum) to better understand how progression, status, and visual hierarchy are communicated so efficiently at such small scales. Last night, while watching a livestream match, one of TikTok’s core competitive mechanics, I saw some of the highest-level gifters on the platform collectively spend over $200k in under five minutes, driven by rank visibility, a ticking clock and the goal to push their favorite creator to victory. Seeing that moment live connected the dots for me: these badges aren’t just decorative UI. They’re long-term status symbols designed to make a statement everywhere they go