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Do badges increase user activity? A field experiment on effects of gamification
Abstract
During recent years, the practice of adding game design to non-game services has gained a relatively large amount of attention. Popular discussion connects gamification to increased user engagement, service profitability, goal commitment and the overall betterment of various behavioral outcomes. However, there is still an absence of a coherent and ample body of empirical evidence that would confirm such expectations. To this end, this paper reports the results of a 2 year (1+1 year – between-group) field experiment in gamifying a service by implementing a game mechanic called ‘badges’. During the experiment a pre-implementation group (N=1410) was monitored for 1 year. After the implementation, the post-implementation (the gamified condition) group (N=1579) was monitored for another full year. Results show that users in the gamified condition were significantly more likely to post trade proposals, carry out transactions, comment on proposals and generally use the service in a more active way.
... In order to find out whether and how different game design elements might influence each other, the first step is to look more closely at the effect of the individual game design elements (Dichev & Dicheva, 2017). But how exactly different game design elements work and whether there may be differences between the individual elements in terms of supporting motivation, has so far only been investigated by a few studies (Br€ auer & Mazarakis, 2019;Christy & Fox, 2014;Groening & Binnewies, 2019;Hamari, 2017;Mekler et al., 2017). This is an open research question for many years (Mekler et al., 2013) and it is still not answered sufficiently (Koivisto & Hamari, 2019;Mazarakis, 2021). ...
... So, we focus on the game design elements badges, feedback, progress bar and narrative. On the one hand we approach already heavily researched game design elements like badges and feedback (Hamari, 2017;Mekler et al., 2013;Seaborn & Fels, 2015;Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011 we intentionally did not research just the three game design elements points, badges and leaderboards, also known as the PBL triad, as it is already known that they can harm in multiple ways motivation and performance (Mekler et al., 2013(Mekler et al., , 2017, in particular leaderboards as prominent example (Br€ auer & Mazarakis, 2019;Werbach & Hunter, 2012). In addition, Kapp (2014a) states that the "most effective gamification efforts include more than points and badgesthey contain elements of story, challenge and continual feedback [ … ]" (Kapp, 2014a, p. 52). ...
... Badges are virtual artefacts that are visually represented. Taken from the game design element "achievements," they consist of three elements: signifier, completion logic and rewards (Hamari, 2017). They are awarded to the user for completing tasks (Antin & Churchill, 2011). ...
Gamification is an established approach in the field of human-computer interaction that aims to motivate users by using game design elements in a non-game context. This concept has proven successful in many areas, including the penetration of technologies such as fitness trackers into the market. In recent years, intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant have become increasingly popular, offering a new type of human-machine interaction. The exchange of information with an IVA through voice offers several advantages. Firstly, it requires no physical touch, eliminating the need for a keyboard or touch device. Secondly, information can be accessed without the need to look at a screen, which is particularly useful when multitasking. However, studies have shown that the use of IVAs decreases over time. It appears that interaction with an IVA is not yet attractive enough, and there is a lack of incentives to make the interaction motivating for the user. Previous work on the motivating effect of gamification in various contexts shows that visual game design elements are commonly used for implementation. However, many smart speakers, which are among the most commonly used end devices for IVAs, do not have a screen. This raises the research question of whether and how gamification can be used in the context of IVAs without visual support. This thesis addresses this research gap by conducting four studies to investigate different aspects of this question. The first study aimed to determine if individual game design elements can have a motivating effect. The second study, a laboratory experiment, investigated the impact of gamification without visual support on motivation and performance. Study three built upon this by examining the effects of different audio gamification concepts on motivation and performance in a field experiment. Finally, Study Four conducts an analysis of IVA games, extracting game design elements to gain insight into which elements might be suitable for implementing gamification for IVAs. In summary, this dissertation demonstrates the circumstances under which it is possible to implement gamification without visual support in the context of IVAs.
... The specialist gamification literature underlines that no single method or design for gamification works well across the board in all spheres of application (Seaborn & Fels, 2015). According to the guidelines established in the literature on the effective design of EI experiences (e.g., Coghlan & Carter, 2020) and gamification (e.g., Hamari, 2017), it is essential to pay attention not only to isolated game elements but also to the experience generated in the participant, which must be motivating and enjoyable and capable of influencing their behaviour. There is continued interest in the literature regarding the use and impact of this more holistic approach to gamification design when creating an EI program for tourist destinations. ...
... Previous studies have proposed many gamification experiences involving disparate game elements (badges or points, for instance) to achieve a specific result. This overly simplified design approach, sometimes referred to as "pointification" (Seaborn & Fels, 2015), has met with criticism from some authors (Hamari, 2017;Seaborn & Fels, 2015). ...
... We opted to study gamification as the literature has linked this approach to the creation of enriched tourist experiences (Xu et al., 2017). Evaluating the effectiveness of gamification implies building the knowledge base regarding its design, the experience generated by the participant, and its effect on consumer behaviour (e.g., Hamari, 2017;Seaborn & Fels, 2015). ...
This study examines the effectiveness of a strategy designed to enhance destination perceived value (PV) by raising tourists’ awareness and understanding of sustainability. The approach uses information and communications technologies—specifically, gamification—to design an environmental interpretation (EI) program for tourists. While the literature has tended to approach gamification from a systemicperspective, this study addresses a significant gap by adding the experientialdimension. The research (a) designs an EI program based on a holistic gamified approach that takes game objectives, features, the context of the application, and the participant experience into consideration; (b) measures the tourist’s perspective on the design to test whether it successfully generated a motivating and enjoyable (gameful) experience that could positively impact their behaviours; and (c) determines whether a gameful EI experience positively influences destination PV. The results show that the proposed strategy contributes to enhancing destination PV. The gamification of EI experiences is thus found to be a valid strategy for enhancing destination sustainability, tourist behaviours, and, ultimately, destination competitiveness
... Gamification has become a popular method of stimulating and promoting active engagement in online communities in recent years (Hamari 2017). In order to foster success and establish a sustainable operation, it is imperative that an online community is motivated to make frequent and constructive contributions (Hamari 2017). ...
... Gamification has become a popular method of stimulating and promoting active engagement in online communities in recent years (Hamari 2017). In order to foster success and establish a sustainable operation, it is imperative that an online community is motivated to make frequent and constructive contributions (Hamari 2017). The demarcation between games is diminishing in accordance with their increasing popularity. ...
... Nevertheless, augmenting participation in virtual communities presents a formidable task (Huotari and Hamari 2012). Gamification is contingent upon the specific context, and the mere incorporation of game-related components such as leaderboards, points, and badges does not ensure favourable outcomes (Regalado et al. 2021;Hamari 2017). When recommending a suitable game, gamification specialists take into account various factors, including user profiling Jayawardena et al. 2021). ...
Online Communities have been growing with increasing intervention of social media. The digital natives have also gradually started to spend a fairly large time on the internet and their contributions have grown significantly in shaping discussions and future of online communities. With an increase in contribution, it is also witnessed that these communities have also been responsible for promoting cyberbullying; trolling; fake news; discriminant; harassment and many more such pressing issues. While studies have focused on each of these important issues, their lies a dearth of contributions from the academicians and practitioners that would extend the debate on the theoretical and practical side of these issues. Furthermore, with increasing complexity of data and forms of data, the problem becomes multifold. The current special issue aims to build discussions and debate on these critical issues.
... More highly engaged users invest more in their interactions (e.g., with gamified apps) and are more connected and loyal to the brand [61], [62]. They are highly desirable for contemporary brands [63], [64]. Hollebeek et al. [62] derive three consumer brand engagement dimensions, including cognitive processing (cognitive), affection (emotional), and activation (behavioral). ...
... Depending on the context, users' motivation can be functional (like learning), emotive (such as a desire for autonomy or entertainment), or social (stemming from a need for connection or bonding) [22]. Therefore, experience designers need to understand relevant user motivations for utilizing particular (gamified) platforms and design their interfaces accordingly (e.g., by offering rewards, including points, badges, or progression to the next level [64]). Numerous studies have touched on the link between gamification and user engagement [71], [72], [73], [74]. ...
... Sixth, playfulness is characterized by engaging in enjoyable activities voluntarily, often in the absence of strict rules, which fosters creativity and spontaneous imagination [12]. Studies in gamification show that users are typically more immersed in experiences they find pleasurable [37], [50], [64], [86]. The liberty for expression and the use of one's imagination are key aspects of these enjoyable experiences [87]. ...
Integrating game elements into gaming-related applications has long been recognized as a powerful tool for enhancing user engagement and overall effectiveness. Despite the numerous studies examining the impact of gamification on engagement, the specific factors that drive this phenomenon remain unclear. To address this knowledge gap, the present study employs the GAMEFULQUEST perspective in the context of fitness apps, exploring the effects of seven key gamified experience factors on consumer engagement. The study surveyed a sample of 240 users of various fitness gamified apps, operationalizing engagement through cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. The results revealed that users' experiences of challenge, immersion, and social interaction significantly enhanced engagement, while accomplishments, competition, and guidance did not have a significant impact. Using GAMEFULQUEST, the model effectively explains and predicts consumer engagement, offering valuable insights both in theory and in practical application. This paper is a key contribution that leverages the GAMEFULQUEST approach to clearly explain the relationship between gamified experiences and user engagement with fitness apps, providing valuable insights for game designers and researchers alike.
... Badges are optional rewards and goals that can be acquired by players of a game. They encompass distinctive elements, including visual and textual cues, specific rewards, corresponding points, and criteria that define how each badge can be earned (Hamari, 2017). When integrated with points and leaderboards, badges can serve as a gamification element. ...
Several studies have reported positive effects of digital badges on students' academic performance and behavior. A digital badge serves as an indicator of an accomplishment or skill that can be showcased, accessed, and verified online. The researcher investigated how students perceive digital badges as rewards in a biology course through a phenomenological study. Gamified lesson plans and students' portfolios were used to implement gamification and award digital badges. The study involved Filipino Grade 12 STEM students (n = 41) from a single intact class, and interviews were conducted with a subset of 10 students. By analyzing student responses in their portfolios and interviews, four key themes of digital badges were identified: class participation, learning outcomes, time management, and social interaction. The results revealed that these themes were influenced by factors such as competition, a sense of accomplishment, self-improvement, status recognition, and evidence of achievement. It was found that, while digital badges can be beneficial for high-performing students, they may have detrimental effects on low-performing students. The researcher recommended that the identified themes and their underlying drivers be considered when developing digital badges and in future studies on digital badges and gamification.
... Also included in this graph are the articles selected in this review from the cross-searches that derives from the selected papers. Beyond this systematic review, which due to its scope, is not representative of the entire field of gamification, multiple authors highlight the exponential increase in the topic in recent years [Hamari 2017]. The reasons suggested by these authors link this increase to the psychological experience that playing arouses through gamified practices, which through playful stimuli, seek to motivate those involved to achieve specific objectives, modify their behavior or develop new skills [Klock et al. 2015]. ...
A Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação é uma área dinâmica, oferecendo oportunidades desafiadoras para os profissionais que tem disposição para projetar, analisar e implementar o desenvolvimento tecnológico e a melhoria da qualidade de vida da sociedade. De fato, pela qualidade, produtividade e inovação, essa área impulsiona o progresso em diversos setores: desde dispositivos nanométricos até infraestruturas complexas.
Em amplo espectro, no livro, são apresentadas diversas fundamentações teórico-práticos nos resultados obtidos pelos vários autores e coautores na elaboração de cada capítulo. Além disso, a Atena Editora oferece a divulgação técnico-científica com excelência, essencial para garantir o destaque entre as melhores editoras do Brasil.
Fabrício Moraes de Almeida, Dr.
Ciências Exatas, Computação e Engenharia.
... For example, there could be some surprise early bird badge for those who buy first, or in education, there should be a badge for the most helpful participant or for those who first suggest the solution for any kind of problem. In the education sector students aren't assessed based on badges, it is only to motivate them [56,57]. Badges in online systems aim to encourage users to contribute more and reach different levels [58]. ...
Today's online businesses are trying to increase their customer base and attract lots of users incorporating different methods into their platforms, websites, and applications. One of them is gamification, which is applying game elements to a specific context. In e-commerce gamifying online shopping platforms resulted in significant advantages. As well, user experience plays an essential role in e-commerce. This study aims to identify the game elements which has effects on the user's experience in an e-commerce platform. The research examined a considerable number of widely cited gamification frameworks and subsequently identified the top three which are Mechanics, Dynamics & Aesthetics (MDA), Self Determination Theory (SDT), and Octalysis. After a thorough analysis of these frameworks, Octalysis was identified as the most comprehensive among them. More than a hundred game elements were extracted from the aforementioned frameworks. A workshop was conducted as a methodology to identify which game elements are utilized to affect the user experience. The workshop participants were selected based on their knowledge of e-commerce and experience of using the platform. As a result, nine elements (leaderboards, progress bars, profiles, social inviting, rewards, fixed intervals, feedback, badges, and connecting to social networks) were identified.
... Based on the statistical data, we reject the hypothesis, as it turns out that consumers are not willing to spend more money if they know they will receive points or badges in the online store for a certain benefit. The findings from Hamari's (2017) study indicate that individuals exposed to gamification were notably more inclined to submit trade proposals, conduct transactions, provide comments on proposals, and engage with the service in a more active manner. Again, we might attribute such differences in results to cultural peculiarities. ...
Gamification involves integrating game mechanics into non-game environments such as business intranets, online communities, websites, and learning management systems to boost participation. Its aim is to actively engage employees, customers, and other stakeholders, fostering collaboration, sharing, and interaction. Gamification is a relatively unfamiliar term in Slovenia. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of gamification on Slovenian consumers, specifically how it affects the online shopping process and user engagement during purchases. To test the hypotheses, we used appropriate statistical tools: chi-square, Friedman, and Wilcoxon tests. The findings indicate that gamification’s strongest influence is not on the post-purchase evaluation phase but rather on the alternative evaluation phase. It is interesting that highly rated reviewers significantly influence product purchases in online stores, while consumers are unwilling to increase their spending on online purchases in exchange for gamification-related benefits.
... Inspired by the game industry, researchers have made substantial efforts to incorporate the game design elements of video games into non-game contexts, a practice termed "gamification" (Deterding et al., 2011). Over the past decade, research on gamification has emerged systematically, and gamified systems have been applied in various disciplines including health (Jones et al., 2014), marketing (Hamari, 2017), and education (Landers & Landers, 2014). In the field of education, gamified learning has been implemented to enhance cognitive and motivational processes and to change or enhance certain behaviours (Landers et al., 2018). ...
... The requirements for obtaining each badge are clearly stated, enhancing the player's sense of autonomy and satisfaction by increasing positive feelings [28]. Additionally, obtaining all available badges to showcase to other players serves as an extra incentive that can influence player behavior, particularly among achievers who are motivated to earn them all [29]. The inclusion of challenges within gamification, for instance, those that must be completed to earn badges, along with a user-centered design, enhances user performance [30]. ...
The extensive collection of paper documents and books stored in the archives of universities worldwide is a hidden cultural heritage that is frequently inaccessible. To overcome this problem, the University of Genoa, Italy, seeks to collect, store, and digitize a wide variety of items, encompassing books, manuscripts, archival materials, and documents related to museum artifacts, which together form a cultural heritage of great importance and historical significance. To make such a cultural heritage accessible to both humans and machines, images and videos must be provided with alternate descriptions, metadata, and speech-to-text transcriptions while ancient texts, for which OCR techniques are often not effective, must be accompanied by word-for-word transcripts. This work presents the design of a transcription system for the “University Museum System” at the University of Genoa, Italy (SMA-UniGe), including user interface elements and users’ engagement techniques. The goal is to create an accessible digital heritage that can be enjoyed by all, facilitated by a community of digital volunteers who are eager to dedicate their time, have a great experience, socialize, and interact on the proposed transcription system. The system exploits gamification theory to transform the typically monotonous task of transcription into a captivating experience. This activity is in line with the so-called University third mission, i.e., the activity of public engagement that aims at generating knowledge outside the academic environment to the benefit of the social, cultural, and economic development.
... Badges are given to students as a reward for their achievements, including "active", "hard work", and "champion" badges given out for activities that students have completed. In addition, these badges function as social markers because other students can see them in public [73]. This will have an impact on student behavior to always be the best in class [74]. ...
Education is a pivotal pillar in modern society, and technology has brought about major changes in how students learn. Online learning is becoming an increasingly popular form of education, especially since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic broke out. However, the challenge of maintaining student engagement and motivation in online learning environments remains a concern for many educators. This is where the concept of gamification erupts as an innovative solution to this problem. This study aimed to examine the effect of case and project-based gamification models on student engagement and academic achievement in online learning in tertiary institutions. Quasi-experimental post-test only non-equivalent control group design was chosen as the method of this research. The subjects of this study were 117 students from Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. The instrument used to measure student engagement was a questionnaire developed by researchers with reference to the online student engagement (OSE) indicator; meanwhile, an objective test was to assess student academic achievement. The data were analyzed using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) technique. The study results show significant differences in student engagement and academic achievement between groups of students taught using case and project-based gamification models and direct e-learning models. Case and project-based gamification models used in online learning were effective in increasing student engagement and student academic achievement.
... Research highlights numerous benefits of GBL, including enhanced student engagement and motivation, and providing experiential learning opportunities that allow for the practice of complex tasks in a simulated environment (Anderson et al., 2014;Plass et al., 2015). Prensky (2003) and Hamari (2017) conceptualize GBL as a transformative educational strategy that employs gaming principles and interactions to facilitate individuals' knowledge and skill development. GBL research primarily focuses on two areas: educational games and gamification. ...
We conducted a scoping review on game-based learning (GBL) for mathematics teacher education. In recent decades, GBL has been largely applied to K-12 education contexts. GBL has aimed to promote students’ deeper understanding of math knowledge via game-based activities. With the evolving needs of GBL in math education, recent research has increasingly raised the importance of mathematics teacher development specialized in GBL implementation. However, there is a lack of literature synthesis identifying how GBL has been taught and developed for mathematics teachers. Using both bibliometric and qualitative thematic analysis, we identified key characteristics of GBL design and implementations for various math learning contexts in teacher education. Based on the study findings, we identified key trends and issues of GBL in mathematics teacher education. Also, we suggest theoretical and design implications of GBL for mathematics teacher education.
... In some experiments included in this study, badges have been found to have no effect on learning outcomes (Balci et al., 2022;Kyewski & Kramer, 2018;Morris et al., 2019), or negative impact (Hanus & Fox, 2015). Badges are generally implemented and examined along with other elements such as points and leaderboards, with a few exceptions (Dicheva et al., 2020;Hamari, 2017). Dicheva et al. (2020) found students who used the system in which badges were implemented practiced more (behavioral outcome) than those in the system without badges, leading to a better academic performance. ...
Gamification has been used in education since the early 2010s, however, the empirical studies on the effectiveness of gamification have yielded inconsistent results. Without a clear understanding of how gamification works, and which gamification design elements have a higher potential to influence learning outcomes, gamification intervention may not achieve the desired results. This study aimed to examine the factors that contributed to the successful implementation of gamification in higher education, and to identify the design elements that had most influence on student learning outcomes. Data was collected from the empirical studies conducted between 2014 and 2023. Data analysis was conducted using logistic regression and Chi-Square tests. Two gamification design elements, Social Interaction and Leaderboards, were found to have significant influence on student learning outcomes. This study provided insights for college instructors and instructional designers in the design of gamification intervention in instruction. Implications for practice and future studies were presented.
... Badges refer to visual elements that certify the completion of a goal or objective (Hamari, 2017). Badges are offered to individuals as rewards for their engagement, and they enable users to compare their accomplishments with others while setting clear goals within the service. ...
Research question
Prompting consumers to spend more in fantasy sport applications is necessary to provide supplementary sources of revenue for sport organizations. The current research draws on gamification literature to examine consumers’ engagement with three prominent fantasy sports motivational affordances of points, badges, and leaderboards and its relationship with in-app spending.
Research methods
Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the behavioral data of 914 paying consumers in a fantasy sports application that had challenges available for top European football leagues.
Results and Findings
Consumers who were unable to gain points, acquire badges frequently, or progress in leaderboards interacted more often with the fantasy sports application. Consumers spent more in the fantasy sports application if their rate of gaining points was low and their rate of interactivity with the platform was high. Rate of acquiring badges and leaderboard progress had no significant relationship with in-app spending. However, consumers’ rate of interactivity with the platform influenced the relationship between leaderboard progress, and in-app spending.
Implications
Findings contribute to the sport consumer behavior literature, specifically in the fantasy sports context, through gamified touchpoints. This research offers valuable insights for entities affiliated with fantasy sports, such as gambling businesses, sports network channels, sport leagues and teams, and fantasy sport companies, on strategies to sustain their platforms through enhanced revenue generation.
... Achievement and reputation are the basis of gamification design (Groening & Binnewies, 2019;Seaborn & Fels, 2015). Common achievement and reputation elements of gamification include points (Attali & Arieli-Attali, 2015), badges (Hamari, 2017), and leaderboards (Landers et al., 2017). Users' achievement and reputation can become an alternative to personal goal-setting and goal implementation in gamification design. ...
Social gamification design has been widely used in various industries to enhance user engagement. Although social gamification design can help to shape user behavior to some extent, this design mechanism has significant negative effects on users. Few studies have explored the relationship between social gamification and user fatigue. To fill this research gap, we constructed an empirical research model based on the transactional theory of stress and coping and explored the impact of social gamification on users’ psychological stress (reputation maintenance concern and fear of missing out) and fatigue, as well as the moderating effects of player type (achievers and socializers) in this process. To test our research hypotheses, we collected information from 450 users via a questionnaire. The empirical results reveal that social gamification competition and interactivity are positively associated with reputation maintenance concern, which is positively related to fear of missing out and user fatigue. Additionally, our research determined that being an achiever positively moderates the relationships between competition, reputation maintenance concern, and fear of missing out, while being a socializer positively moderates the relationships between interactivity, reputation maintenance concern, and fear of missing out. Our results are helpful in understanding the negative effects of social gamification design and contribute to the literature on social gamification and user fatigue.
... In the realm of ELT, gamification has emerged as a viable way to improve students' learning outcomes such as vocabulary acquisition, grammar competency, and speaking abilities, as well as to create an environment for more dynamic and immersive learning (Dichev & Dicheva, 2017;Smiderle et al., 2020). A significant number of empirical research come to the conclusion that gamified learning holds great potential in terms of its efficiency in educational settings (Dicheva et al., 2015;Hamari, 2017;Kim & Lee, 2015;Thom et al., 2012). Thom's et al. (2012) work reveals that the points system inside gamification for learning, including points and badges as part of three distinct notions (Man, 2021;Werbach & Hunter, 2012), yields a positive impact on user activity. ...
Nowadays, digital technology is a vital aspect of teaching. Therefore, it is essential for pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) to develop an identity that fits the current needs. In response to this demand, this study aims to explore pre-service EFL teachers’ identities in relation to digital technology, particularly gamification. This study employs Wenger’s social theory of learning, especially the Engagement, Imagination, and Alignment modes of belonging. This study involved four pre-service EFL teachers from two different contexts in Indonesia. Data on participants’ involvement in digital gamification were collected from the written history records of the participants and semistructured interviews. Data collection during seven weeks of the participants’ teaching practice were analyzed to grasp how digital gamification influenced the development of their identities as pre-service EFL teachers. The findings indicate that the participants encountered identity struggles in using digital gamification to negotiate their identities while accomplishing teaching practice in placement schools. Likewise, they claim to have developed a number of identities such as contemporary, tech-savvy, innovative, and up-to-date pre-service EFL teachers. The results of this study assert that initial teacher education would benefit from focusing on the identities of pre-service EFL teachers. This implies that pre-service EFL teachers need to continually maintain their ever-changing digital identities and that schools need to provide pre-service EFL teachers with additional technological resources.
... Also included in this graph are the articles selected in this review from the cross-searches that derives from the selected papers. Beyond this systematic review, which due to its scope, is not representative of the entire field of gamification, multiple authors highlight the exponential increase in the topic in recent years [Hamari 2017]. The reasons suggested by these authors link this increase to the psychological experience that playing arouses through gamified practices, which through playful stimuli, seek to motivate those involved to achieve specific objectives, modify their behavior or develop new skills [Klock et al. 2015]. ...
This article aims to deepen the analysis of gamification strategies as an appropriate method to offer feedback in the form of formative assessment for elementary school students (K-12). Although gamification strategies have been crucial in the last decade, studies do not discriminate between game elements, such as leaderboards, levels, rankings, etc. For this reason, this study focuses specifically on one of them: awarding badges to learn more about effects. Beyond its potential, incorporating these practices also supposes a significant challenge: the need for evaluation that formal education systems demand. Based on these topics, a systematic review of the literature covering the period of 2011 to 2020 is proposed, specifically delving into the link between gamification strategies in formal education environments and the implementation of formative assessment techniques through gamification by badges.
... The immersion-related outlines (i.e. avatar, storytelling, customisation, etc.) aim to engage users in self-directed activities and promote autonomous thinking (Koivisto & Hamari, 2019;Peng et al., 2012;Stefanou, Perencevich, DiCintio, & Turner, 2010); the achievement-related features (i.e. points, badges, feedback, leaderboards, tasks, etc.) measure player behavior and encourage goal-oriented behaviors (Hamari, 2017;Hamari et al., 2018;Rigby & Ryan, 2011;Sailer et al., 2014); the social-related characteristics (i.e. groups, messages, social network, etc.) create a sense of relatedness and strengthen interpersonal relationships (Shiau et al., 2018). ...
... Scores provide players the ability to assess their achievement, compare it to that of other players, display their accomplishments to others, and track their progress toward their objectives (Grossberg et al., 2015). The emphasis of a growing body of study on gamification design and assessment has been on various gamification components, such as leaderboards and badges (Enríquez et al., 2019;Hamari, 2017). ...
In this study, the possibility of saving energy with gamification designed applications was investigated, literature studies on this subject were examined and a gamification-based approach was followed for energy saving. From this point of view, the aim of the study is to propose a gamification-based model to make energy saving easier, fun, enjoyable and beneficial. This study is exploratory qualitative research using systematic literature review, synthesis and induction methods. Within the scope of the study, the literature was first examined. The literature review focused on learning gamification-based designs that encourage energy consumption reduction. After that, a new model was developed based on the general principles of gamification, the characteristics of consumer behavior and the energy consumption target, which is the main subject of the study. As a result of the study, a gamification-based model is proposed for household consumers to reduce their energy consumption and save energy. This gamification-based model includes making energy savings easier and more beneficial for consumers, as well as making it more fun and enjoyable. After that, the proposed model was analyzed based on the studies in the literature and finally the potential of the proposed framework was discussed.
... The students learn from the educational content but not from gamification [8]. Gamification of learning is the process of applying game elements to modify training content and methodology [8] to help develop student potential and provide positive encouragement to boost their performance level [9]. Implementing gamification in learning may elevate students' interest and motivation to participate in the subject content [7,10], increase their concentration and enjoyment of learning [11], and help them with effective learning. ...
Background
Gamification has gained popularity in medical education, but key elements have not been formally identified. This study aimed to generate and prioritize a list of key elements of gamification in medical education.
Methods
This study utilized a two-stage approach, including the Delphi method and qualitative interview. Nineteen medical educators with expertise in gamification participated in the Delphi method stage. Experts who had more than three years of experience with gamification in medical education constituted the expert panel. The experts were then asked to rate the gamification elements using the Likert five-point scale through at least two consensus-seeking rounds. Consensus for key elements was predefined as ≥ 51% of respondents rating an element as ‘important’ or”very important.” In the qualitative interview stage, 10 experts provided feedback on the application of these key gamification elements.
Results
Eighteen participants (11 males and 7 females) completed the entire Delphi process for this study. After two rounds of surveys, the consensus was reached on all elements. Thirteen elements scored more than 4 points (37%) and reached the criteria of key elements of gamification in medical education. The top five key elements were integration with instruction objectives, game rules, rapid feedback, fairness, and points/scoring. The thirteen key elements for successful gamification in medical education were further organized into two main categories: (1) gamification design principles and (2) game mechanisms.
Conclusions
Integration with educational objectives, gamification in curriculum design and teaching methods, and balancing between the mechanisms and principles were the three key components for successful gamification. This study explored the gamification key elements, providing practical tips for medical educators in their efforts to gamify medical education. Future studies involving learners could be performed to examine the efficacy of these key elements in gamification.
... Although several studies have been concerned with the impact of different gamification elements such as badges, avatars and points (Hamari, 2017;Sailer et al., 2017), most of them have only selected a single or minimal feature of gamification elements to explore the impact on user experience (Xi & Hamari, 2019). Considering that different categories of elements satisfy users' internal needs through different mechanisms (Xi & Hamari, 2019), understanding the impact of different gamification elements on user experience can also help to verify the effectiveness of gamification design mechanisms (Yin et al. 2022). ...
Aging society is a global challenge. With its persuasive and engaging advantages, gamification is perceived as a potential approach to promote well-being for the elderly. This research seeks to address two extant caveats in the field. Firstly, there is a dearth of research investigating what types of gamification design may differently give rise to a variety of user experiences. Secondly, there is a paucity of research investigating gamification in the context of well-being for the elderly as unexpected audiences of game-based applications. Therefore, this study explores the relationships between gamification design types and the elderly's user experience (i.e., comfort, engagement, stimulation, dependability, perspicuity, novelty, sociality, and immersion) in the context of health applications using an offline experiment (N = 372). The results show that achievement-oriented gamification had a significantly positive association with engagement, dependability, novelty, and stimulation; social-oriented gamification had significantly positive association with all the dimensions of user experience except for perspicuity and immersion; and immersion-oriented gamification had a significantly positively association with comfort, immersion, engagement, novelty and stimulation.
... Gamification can be simply identified as the use of game design elements in non-gaming contexts (Hamari, 2017). Hamari (2019) presented a comprehensive and expansive definition of gamification, which encompasses technological, economic, cultural, and societal advancements that contribute to a more gameful reality. ...
As the field of game and gamification research develops, gamification has been empirically and practically examined as one of the effective approaches to engage users by driving motivations and providing game-like experiences. Therefore, an increasing number of companies and organizations are using gamification to improve organizational management performance such as work productivity and satisfaction, which are largely determined by employee well-being and capacity to cope and adapt to changing and challenging environments. However, there has been a dearth in a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the effect of gamification on well-being in organizational management and within the literature pertaining to employees. Under the guidance of TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics, Methodology) framework, this study conducts a systematic literature review of 30 empirical studies related to gamification and employee well-being to address questions including what theories and methods have been adopted, what kinds of gamification forms and elements have been investigated across different industries, companies, and organizations, and what effect gamification can bring to employee well-being. Four different future agendas are further proposed based on the review.
... The first game element -badges (see Figure 1), can be earned by learners forfor completing lessons (quantity) and answering questions correctly (quality). Badges have the potential to increase user activity (Hamari, 2017), which in our context is reflected in the number of lessons completed. In addition, badges can enhance the learning experience, make learning more interesting or help to motivate learners (Davis & Singh, 2015). ...
Blended and online learning is growing, and self-regulated learning is becoming more relevant. Most often, students struggle with organizing their own learning processes, lose focus or procrastinate. Keeping learners motivated and engaged can be a real challenge. Therefore, we present gamified chatbots as a potential solution. On the one hand, chatbots can provide a more engaging learning experience. On the other hand, gamification can provide motivational incentives to keep learners engaged and motivated. So far, not many studies have elaborated on how gamification can be effectively used to make a chatbot interaction more engaging or improve the learning experience. This study uses an experimental approach to distinguish how a combination of badges and a progress bar can support and motivate learners to stay engaged with their learning activities. We elaborate on the effects of gamified chatbots and support practitioners with guidance on how to design gamified chatbots in education.
... The exact nature of verifying secure coding practices on freelance platforms is beyond the scope of this paper, but if a system can be devised that is universally trusted and easily implementable, then the use of gamification may work as a reward system. Gamification methods have been shown to have long-term behavioral effects (Hamari, 2017), but gamification should be done with caution as not all findings support their efficacy (Barreto & França, 2021). If badges are perceived by platform-users meaningful and trusted, these may act as a reward system that can be used for freelancers. ...
W pracy opisane zostały doświadczenia związane z realizacją zespołowych projektów studenckich w odniesieniu do formy ich przygotowania, organizacji oraz realizacji z partnerami z branży IT. Ponadto przedstawione zostały elementy związane z pracą w zespole w powiązaniu z wybranymi elementami procesu wytwarzania oprogramowania. Omówiono proces kształtowania umiejętności pracy w zespole, który został opracowany na bazie wieloletnich doświadczeń.
This study explores Turkish Higher Education EFL instructors’ perceptions and awareness of ‘gamification’, along with their practices of integrating it into the classroom. Through in-depth interviews with 6 instructors, the research reveals accurate conceptual understanding and alignment between instructors’ knowledge and actual gamification practices. The findings highlight positive attitudes tow1ards gamification, supporting its application across education levels and language skills, despite potential time and curriculum constraints. The study suggests valuable insights for curriculum developers and educators regarding the applicability and effectiveness of gamification in L2 teaching.
Artificial grammar learning (AGL) is an experimental paradigm frequently adopted to investigate the unconscious and conscious learning and application of linguistic knowledge. This paper will introduce ENIGMA (https://enigma-lang.org) as a free, flexible, and lightweight Web-based tool for running online AGL experiments. The application is optimized for desktop and mobile devices with a user-friendly interface, which can present visual and aural stimuli and elicit judgment responses with RT measures. Without limits in time and space, ENIGMA could help collect more data from participants with diverse personal and language backgrounds and variable cognitive skills. Such data are essential to explain complex factors influencing learners’ performance in AGL experiments and answer various research questions regarding L1/L2 acquisition. The introduction of the core features in ENIGMA is followed by an example study that partially replicated Chen (Lang Acquis 27(3):331–361, 2020) to illustrate possible experimental designs and examine the quality of the collected data.
Platform designers create and implement incentive systems to encourage users to contribute content to online communities. This article examines the effect of a multidimensional incentive hierarchy in motivating users to engage in competitive and prosocial activities. Utilizing an external change observed in the data science community, Kaggle, and applying a quasi-experimental design, we compared users’ engagement levels before and after introducing a multidimensional incentive hierarchy. We found that implementing a multidimensional incentive system directed users from submitting answers to Kaggle competitions to participating in Kaggle’s online forum discussions. However, our additional analyses suggest that the most and the least motivated users may be less likely to be impacted by such incentives.
The research aimed to examine the impact of gamified augmented reality (AR) on engagement in learning and the quality of educational life. The research sample included (90) tenth grade students distributed in three schools, and they were distributed into three groups of (30) students in each group, the first experimental group taught using gamified AR, the second experimental group taught using non- gamified AR, and the third is a control group taught in the usual way in the classroom, and each school included an independent group of research groups. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to study the impact of using motivational augmented reality on learning engagement and the quality of educational life. The researcher developed a learning engagement scale that included (24) statements distributed over (3) axes, namely: Behavioural Engagement, Cognitive Engagement, and Emotional Engagement. A quality of educational life scale was developed consisting of (36) statements distributed over (6) axes, namely: Autonomy, empowerment, personal development, positive relationships, meaningful life, and self-acceptance. The research experiment was applied for two consecutive weeks in the first semester of the academic year 2022/2023. The results showed the effectiveness of motivational AR in developing engagement in learning and quality of educational life compared to non- gamified AR as well as compared to regular classes. Keywords: gamified AR, gamification, engagement in learning, quality of educational life, physics course.
Rewards are prevalent game design elements in gamified environments. Rewards are helpful tools to keep players engaged and encouraged to perform tasks. However, implementing a reward system from scratch in every gamified environment, such as citizen science games or educational applications, can be time-consuming. This article presents FORGE, a Framework for Organizing Rewards in Gamified Environments. FORGE is a free and open-source framework built to be easy to install, easy to integrate, flexible and customizable. It was designed to be used in a variety of different environments and scenarios, such as games, training software and interactive websites. The FORGE framework comes with two sample applications, a simple game concept and an educational web application, to demonstrate its capabilities and serve as an entry point for new adopters.
The concept of work-life balance has become difficult for students to grasp in a world where the distinction between work and other activities in life is a blur. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of gamification in apps on student’s perceived work-life balance. Participants were divided into a gamified app group and a non-gamified app group and were given online questionnaires before and after the experiment, which lasted two weeks. Several data analysis methods were adopted such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and thematic analysis. While the non-gamified app group experienced a greater positive change in perceived work-life balance, the gamified app group showed higher satisfaction in work-life balance. Gamification did not significantly affect autonomy and competence satisfaction but increased relatedness satisfaction and engagement levels. Rewards and achievements were identified as the most effective game elements. Further research is needed to explore the effects of gamification on work-life balance in-depth as research on gamification continues to expand.
Rooted in the principles of gamification within the context of the communicative era of foreign language teaching, but with a strong openness to the digital approach, the research conducted by the team of linguists, authors of this study, explored the stimulation of motivation among students in the Preparatory Year (PY) in learning Romanian as a foreign language (RFL) at the Faculty of Letters within the Transilvania University of Brașov. Working within the modern framework provided by Design-Based Research (DBR), it was observed as the teaching progressed, and, applying and adapting the use of various gamification-based concepts in the experimental semester's didactic process, the activities and curriculum of Romanian language courses for specialists (RLCS) could be macro-designed according to principles derived from gamification, thus offering students the opportunity to engage in a complex system of interactions aimed at improving motivation during the learning process.
Purpose
Based on cognitive evaluation theory and gamification affordances, this study aims to understand how gamification affordances influence users’ intention to engage in sustainable behaviour and how new trends in Ant Forest influence its impact on green intrinsic motivation to support sustainable behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors developed a research model to explore the mechanisms underlying gamification affordances, psychological needs and green intrinsic motivation. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to assess the survey data ( n = 393) and test the research model.
Findings
The results show that different gamification affordances can satisfy users’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, which positively influences their green intrinsic motivation and engagement in sustainable behaviours. However, some affordances, such as competition, might negatively impact these psychological needs.
Originality/value
This research updates information system research on environmental sustainability and the Ant Forest context. The authors provide a new framework that links gamification affordances, psychological needs and sustainable behaviour. The study also examines changing trends in Ant Forest and their implications.
Purpose
Educational institutions have a special social responsibility to initiate processes of sustainability transformation in society, nevertheless, activities that effectively address students as well as employees are rather moderate. To initiate change alongside strategic and political decisions, this paper aims to present findings of a gamification intervention (hereafter referred to as climate duel ), which was implemented in a field study and tested to assess its potential as a supporting and transformative approach in a university context.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-month field study was conducted with two universities of applied sciences. The study included an environmental impact analysis of the two participating university departments, the conception and testing of the intervention and associated surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in order to and to obtain feedback that would allow the duel to be scaled up at other universities or institutions.
Findings
Three hundred seventy-five people took part and saved 2.6 tons of greenhouse gas emissions through their participation in the climate duel and their corresponding behavioural changes. In addition, feedback from the participants yielded positive results in terms of behavioural changes and generated valuable evidence for future implementations. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of supporting communication activities that promote social relatedness to motivate each other, share experiences or deal with implementation difficulties in everyday life.
Originality/value
Building on the promising effects of gamification, the study is a showcase for applied science. With the possibility of testing a theory-based intervention in practice, an implementable, effective and scalable measure for universities that helps to accelerate the transformation process is available.
Continuous usage behavior among millennials is crucial, yet factors influencing this behavior are not well understood. This study integrates human-computer interaction and marketing research to investigate the relationship between persuasive dialogue support (PDS), attitudinal loyalty (AL), and continuous-use intention (CI) in the context of WhatsApp. The study also examines the moderating role of four cultural dimensions: uncertainty avoidance (UA), power distance (PD), masculinity (MAS), and individualism (IND) in these relationships. Data was collected from 287 WhatsApp users in four countries, and the proposed theoretical model was tested using structural equation modelling (SEM-PLS). The results indicate that PDS has a direct positive impact on AL, which in turn leads to CI. The study also found that cultural differences can moderate the relationship between PDS and AL and between AL and CI. Therefore, app developers need to consider cultural differences when designing their products and implement persuasive design aspects to boost user loyalty and intention to use. To ensure optimal app performance in diverse cultural settings, developers should strike an appropriate balance between universal design principles and culturally sensitive adaptation. However, the study’s limitations, such as reliance on self-reported data and a relatively small sample size, suggest the need for future research to expand its scope to include participants from a broader range of cultural backgrounds.
The study investigates the gamification role in the sharing mobility service industry and its implications on consumers’ loyalty and service quality. An empirical study is developed in Italy by adopting the mixed-method approach. The study performed qualitative analysis through interviews to investigate the gamification role and the implications with sustainability and service quality topics. Thereafter, a quantitative analysis was conducted, and the theoretical model was analysed through structural equation modelling. The paper reveals that gamification promotes consumers loyalty and service quality in shared mobility services. Our model confirmed that the service quality is essential for influence users’ satisfaction that affects service loyalty in shared mobility services. Service quality is strongly affected by both quality of means and mobile app. The results provide insights for mobility operators suggesting to invest in improving the quality of services and for policymakers to promote sustainable behaviours and support the recovery from the Covid-19 outbreak.
Les plateformes collaboratives sont devenues des dispositifs incontournables pour résoudre des problèmes, partager des expériences et développer des compétences. En s’appuyant sur une approche sociomatérielle, l’objectif de cette étude est d’expliquer comment ces plateformes parviennent à produire des experts reconnus. À partir d’une expérimentation sur la plateforme Management & Datascience, nous observons l’organisation de challenges numériques. Nous testons l’impact des propriétés technologiques en proposant un modèle d’équations structurelles. Les résultats soulignent l’influence de la sociomatérialité des plateformes dans la recherche d’un statut d’expert. Ils révèlent que les relations fondées sur la compétition ont un effet de médiation partiel entre les affordances numériques et l’acquisition d’une expertise. Ces résultats apportent la preuve empirique de l’impact de la compétition entre pairs dans le processus d’acquisition du statut d’expert. L’étude contribue à la littérature en enrichissant la compréhension du rôle joué par les interactions sociales au sein des plateformes collaboratives. Code JEL : L86
Birçok şirket, geleceğin stratejilerine sahiptir. Fakat geçmişin ödüllendirme sistemini kullanır." Jay R. Galbraith Uluslararası Yönetim Geliştirme Enstitüsü Danışmanı
Küreselleşme ve bilişim teknolojilerinin öncülüğünde gelişen üretim ve uygulama süreçleri tüm dünyada köklü şekilde değişip dönüşmektedir. Söz konusu değişim ve dönüşüm dalgası, işletme yönetimi üzerinde de kendini göstermektedir. Çağdaş işletme yönetimi; çalışanların motivasyonunu, iş doyumunu, performansını ve verimliliğini arttırırken mevcut ve potansiyel müşterilerine hitap ederek rekabet gücü kazanmak için güncel uygulamalardan sıklıkla yararlanmaktadır. Bunlar arasında işletme yönetimi açısından oldukça yeni olan ve büyük potansiyel taşıyan güncel uygulamalardan biri de oyunlaştırmadır. Oyunlaştırma (gamification) kavramı, en yalın ifade ile oyun fikrinin ve bir oyunu eğlenceli kılan temel unsurların ve yöntemlerin, oyun dışı bağlamlar olan iş süreçlerinde uygulanmasını tanımlamaktadır. Günümüzde çalışma ortamlarını daha eğlenceli hale getirerek çalışanların motivasyonunu arttırmak, işletme ile çalışanları ve müşterileri arasında sadakati geliştirmek ve kurulan etkileşimleri güçlendirmek amacıyla oyunlaştırma uygulamalarından sıklıkla yararlanıldığı görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada oyunlaştırma kavramı ve oyunlaştırmanın unsurları genel hatları ile açıklandıktan sonra işletme yönetiminde oyunlaştırma uygulamalarının faydalarına odaklanılmakta ve işletme yönetiminde başarılı oyunlaştırma örneklerine yer verilmektedir.
Under-contribution is a problem for many online communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can provide mid-level design principles to address this problem. We tested the design principles in two field experiments. In one, members of an online movie recommender community were reminded of the uniqueness of their contributions and the benefits that follow from them. In the second, they were given a range of individual or group goals for contribution. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals, but other predictions were not borne out. The paper ends with suggestions and challenges for mining social science theories as well as implications for design.
Goals are central to current treatments of work motivation, and goal commitment is a critical construct in understanding the relationship between goals and task performance. Despite this importance, there is confusion about the role of goal commitment and only recently has this key construct received the empirical attention it warrants. This meta-analysis, based on 83 independent samples, updates the goal commitment literature by summarizing the accumulated evidence on the antecedents and consequences of goal commitment. Using this aggregate empirical evidence, the role of goal commitment in the goal-setting process is clarified and key areas for future research are identified.
Research dealing with various aspects of* the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985,
1987) is reviewed, and some unresolved issues are discussed. In broad terms, the theory is
found to be well supported by empirical evidence. Intentions to perform behaviors of different
kinds can be predicted with high accuracy from attitudes toward the behavior, subjective
norms, and perceived behavioral control; and these intentions, together with perceptions of
behavioral control, account for considerable variance in actual behavior. Attitudes, subjective
norms, and perceived behavioral control are shown to be related to appropriate sets of salient
behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about the behavior, but the exact nature of these
relations is still uncertain. Expectancy value formulations are found to be only partly
successful in dealing with these relations. Optimal rescaling of expectancy and value
measures is offered as a means of dealing with measurement limitations. Finally, inclusion of
past behavior in the prediction equation is shown to provide a means of testing the theory*s
sufficiency, another issue that remains unresolved. The limited available evidence concerning
this question shows that the theory is predicting behavior quite well in comparison to the
ceiling imposed by behavioral reliability.
In this study we investigate purchase behavior for virtual goods in three free-to-play game environments. In the modern free games, publishers sell virtual goods in order to generate revenue. However, game publishers face dire negative attitudes towards the business model as it can entice publishers to degrade the enjoyment of the game in order to sell more virtual goods that address the artificial gaps in the game. This study focuses on this looming question in the game industry whether people buy virtual goods because they enjoy the game and want to keep on playing it or rather because their attitudes towards virtual goods are favorable and they believe it’s also accepted in the peer-group. Player responses (N=2791) were gathered from three different game types: Social Virtual World (Habbo) (n=2156), First-Person Shooters (n =398), and Social Networking Games (Facebook games) (n=237). The results support the both main hypotheses 1) enjoyment of the game reduces the willingness to buy virtual goods while at the same time increasing the willingness to play more of the game. Continued use, however, does positively predicts purchase intentions for virtual goods. 2) Attitude towards virtual goods and the beliefs about peers’ attitudes strongly increase the willingness to purchase virtual goods. Beyond these interesting results the paper points to several further lines of inquiry.
This paper measures flow in the context of gamification and investigates the psychometric properties of the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2). We employ data gathered from users of an exercise gamification service (N=200). The results show that the original DFS-2 factorial structure does result in a similar model fit as the original work. However, we also present a factorial respecification that satisfies more recent model fit thresholds. Beyond validating the original DFS-2 instrument in the context of gamification, the psychometric analysis and the respecifications suggest that the components of flow divide into highly correlated conditions of flow (which were also found to be more salient in the context of gamification: autotelic experience, balance of skill and challenge, control, clear goals, and feedback) and into possible outcomes (merging action-awareness, concentration, loss of sense of time, and loss of self-consciousness) from achieving flow.
This paper investigates the free-to-play revenue model from the perspective of game professionals. To court larger player audiences and to address their wide willingness-to-pay spectrum, game developers have increasingly adopted the free-to-play revenue model. However, at the same, worrying concerns over the revenue model have been voiced. For example, free-to-play games have been deemed as exploitative and unethical. We investigated this contrast by conducting a thematic interview study. We employed grounded theory in the analysis of the data containing 14 game professionals’ interviews about their views on the free-to-play model. The results show, that the free-to-play model is something that the developers view favorably while the public writing about the games can even be hostile. The games have evolved, while the voiced opinions still talk about games of the beginning of the model. Relatively few ethical problems were seen that would address the whole model, and the future of the free-to-play games was seen bright.
This paper investigates different ways in which players have been typified in past research literature in order to distinguish relevant typologies for further research as well as for designing and marketing of games. The goal is to synthesize the results of various studies and to find the prevailing concepts, compare them, and draw implications to further studies. The research process for this study proceeded from a literature search, to author-centric (Webster & Watson 2002) identification and categorization of previous works based on the established larger factors such as demographic, psychographic and behavioral variables. The previous works on player typologies were further analyzed using concept-centric approach and synthesized according to common and repeating factors in the previous studies. The results indicate that player types in previous literature can be synthesized into seven primary dimensions: Intensity, Achievement, Exploration, Sociability, Domination, Immersion and In-game demographics.
The conceptualization of the Personal Involvement Inventory was a context-free measure applicable to involvement with products, with advertisements, and with purchase situations. The empirical work to develop this measure was mainly validated with respect to product categories. This paper extends the construct validation of the PII to involvement with advertisements and also demonstrates that the PII may be reliably reduced from twenty items to ten items. There is some indication the revised PII may then be broken into two subscales representing a cognitive and affective grouping.
This paper reviews the current body of empirical research on persuasive technologies (95 studies). In recent years, technology has been increasingly harnessed to persuade and motivate people to engage in various behaviors. This phenomenon has also attracted substantial scholarly interest over the last decade. This review examines the results, methods, measured behavioral and psychological outcomes, affordances in implemented persuasive systems, and domains of the studies in the current body of research on persuasive technologies. The reviewed studies have investigated diverse persuasive systems/designs, psychological factors, and behavioral outcomes. The results of the reviewed studies were categorized into fully positive, partially positive, and negative and/or no effects. This review provides an overview of the state of empirical research regarding persuasive technologies. The paper functions as a reference in positioning future research within the research stream of persuasive technologies in terms of the domain, the persuasive stimuli and the psychological and behavioral outcomes.
In recent years, “gamification” has been proposed as a solution for engaging people in individually and socially sustainable behaviors, such as exercise, sustainable consumption, and education. This paper studies demographic differences in perceived benefits from gamification in the context of exercise. On the basis of data gathered via an online survey (N=195) from an exercise gamification service Fitocracy, we examine the effects of gender, age, and time using the service on social, hedonic, and utilitarian benefits and facilitating features of gamifying exercise. The results indicate that perceived enjoyment and usefulness of the gamification decline with use, suggesting that users might experience novelty effects from the service. The findings show that women report greater social benefits from the use of gamification. Further, ease of use of gamification is shown to decline with age. The implications of the findings are discussed.
During recent years “gamification” has gained significant attention among practitioners and game scholars. However, the current understanding of gamification has been solely based on the act of adding systemic game elements into services. In this paper, we propose a new definition for gamification, which emphases the experiential nature of games and gamification, instead of the systemic understanding. Furthermore, we tie this definition to theory from service marketing because majority of gamification implementations aim towards goals of marketing, which brings to the discussion the notion of how customer / user is always ultimately the creator of value. Since now, the main venue for academic discussion on gamification has mainly been the HCI community. We find it relevant both for industry practitioners as well as for academics to study how gamification can fit in the body of knowledge of existing service literature because the goals and the means of gamification and marketing have a significant overlap.
This paper presents a framework for evaluating and designing game design patterns
commonly called as “achievements”. The results are based on empirical studies of a
variety of popular achievement systems. The results, along with the framework for
analyzing and designing achievements, present two definitions of game achievements.
From the perspective of the achievement system, an achievement appears as a challenge
consisting of a signifying element, rewards and completion logics whose fulfilment
conditions are defined through events in other systems (usually games). From the
perspective of a single game, an achievement appears as an optional challenge provided
by a meta-game that is independent of a single game session and yields possible
reward(s).
This article presents the results of an interview study on how people perceive and play social network games on Facebook. During recent years, social games have become the biggest genre of games if measured by the number of registered users. These games are designed to cater for large audiences in their design principles and values, a free-to-play revenue model and social network integration that make them easily approachable and playable with friends. Although these games have made the headlines and have been seen to revolutionize the game industry, we still lack an understanding of how people perceive and play them. For this article, we interviewed 18 Finnish Facebook users from a larger questionnaire respondent pool of 134 people. This study focuses on a user-centric approach, highlighting the emergent experiences and the meaning-making of social games players. Our findings reveal that social games are usually regarded as single player games with a social twist, and as suffering partly from their design characteristics, while still providing a wide spectrum of playful experiences for different needs. The free-to-play revenue model provides an easy access to social games, but people disagreed with paying for additional content for several reasons.
This paper reviews peer-reviewed empirical studies on gamification. We create a framework for examining the effects of gamification by drawing from the definitions of gamification and the discussion on motivational affordances. The literature review covers results, independent variables (examined motivational affordances), dependent variables (examined psychological/behavioral outcomes from gamification), the contexts of gamification, and types of studies performed on the gamified systems. The paper examines the state of current research on the topic and points out gaps in existing literature. The review indicates that gamification provides positive effects, however, the effects are greatly dependent on the context in which the gamification is being implemented, as well as on the users using it. The findings of the review provide insight for further studies as well as for the design of gamified systems.
Gamification is the use of game design elements and game mechanics in non-game contexts. This idea has been used successfully in many web based businesses to increase user engagement. Some researchers suggest that it could also be used in web based education as a tool to increase student motivation and engagement. In an attempt to verify those theories, we have designed and built a gamification plugin for a well-known e-learning platform. We have made an experiment using this plugin in a university course, collecting quantitative and qualitative data in the process. Our findings suggest that some common beliefs about the benefits obtained when using games in education can be challenged. Students who completed the gamified experience got better scores in practical assignments and in overall score, but our findings also suggest that these students performed poorly on written assignments and participated less on class activities, although their initial motivation was higher.
This chapter examines mechanics of game design in social games that are used in building customer relationship. The developments in the game industry towards service orientation, and increased emphasis on social design, have resulted in overlap of game design and business design. This chapter examines the junction of these domains in contemporary social games, by studying how game design is used in pursuing business goals of the related business models. Several virtual worlds and social games are examined with the support of secondary data provided by experts in the field. The identified mechanics are then categorised and analysed in the context of business model literature on customer relationship building. The results provide several game mechanics that are located in the union of game design and business planning. Moreover, the results imply a new approach to game design in general by exemplifying how the traditional way of thinking about game design is no longer sufficient when the design of engaging mechanics needs to meet with business goals.
The goal-gradient hypothesis denotes the classic finding from behaviorism that animals expend more effort as they approach a reward. Building on this hypothesis, the authors generate new propositions for the human psychology of rewards. They test these propositions using field experiments, secondary customer data, paper-and-pencil problems, and Tobit and logit models. The key findings indicate that (1) participants in a real café reward program purchase coffee more frequently the closer they are to earning a free coffee; (2) Internet users who rate songs in return for reward certificates visit the rating Web site more often, rate more songs per visit, and persist longer in the rating effort as they approach the reward goal; (3) the illusion of progress toward the goal induces purchase acceleration (e.g., customers who receive a 12-stamp coffee card with 2 preexisting "bonus" stamps complete the 10 required purchases faster than customers who receive a "regular" 10-stamp card); and (4) a stronger tendency to accelerate toward the goal predicts greater retention and faster reengagement in the program. The conceptualization and empirical findings are captured by a parsimonious goal-distance model, in which effort investment is a function of the proportion of original distance remaining to the goal. In addition, using statistical and experimental controls, the authors rule out alternative explanations for the observed goal gradients. They discuss the theoretical significance of their findings and the managerial implications for incentive systems, promotions, and customer retention.
This paper investigates how social factors predict attitude towards gamification and intention to continue using gamified services, as well as intention to recommend gamified services to others. The paper employs structural equation modelling for analyses of data (n=107) gathered through a survey that was conducted among users of one of the world's largest gamification applications for physical exercise called Fitocracy. The results indicate that social factors are strong predictors for attitudes and use intentions towards gamified services.
Whether you're a manager, company psychologist, quality control specialist, or involved with motivating people to work harder in any capacity—Locke and Latham's guide will hand you the keen insight and practical advice you need to reach even your toughest cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Recent years have seen a rapid proliferation of mass-market consumer software that takes inspiration from video games. Usually summarized as "gamification", this trend connects to a sizeable body of existing concepts and research in human-computer interaction and game studies, such as serious games, pervasive games, alternate reality games, or playful design. However, it is not clear how "gamification" relates to these, whether it denotes a novel phenomenon, and how to define it. Thus, in this paper we investigate "gamification" and the historical origins of the term in relation to precursors and similar concepts. It is suggested that "gamified" applications provide insight into novel, gameful phenomena complementary to playful phenomena. Based on our research, we propose a definition of "gamification" as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts.
Adding game elements to an application to motivate use and enhance the user experience is a growing trend known as gamification. This study explores the use of game achievements when applied to a mobile application designed to help new students at university. This paper describes the foundations of a design framework used to integrate game elements to Orientation Passport, a personalised orientation event application for smart phones. Orientation Passport utilises game achievements to present orientation information in an engaging way and to encourage use of the application. The system is explained in terms of the design framework, and the findings of a pilot study involving 26 new students are presented. This study contributes the foundations of a design framework for general gamified achievement design. It also suggests that added game elements can be enjoyable but can potentially encourage undesirable use by some, and aren't as enjoyable if not enforced properly by the technology. Consideration is also needed when enforcing stricter game rules as usability can be affected.
Consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that elicit their envy. The more people compared themselves to a superior other, the higher the envy premium was. Yet, the emotion envy and not the upward comparison drove the final effects. The envy premium only emerged for a desirable product that the superior other owned (iPhone) when people experienced benign envy. Benign envy is elicited when the other's superior position is deserved, and malicious envy when it is undeserved. When people experienced malicious envy, the envy premium emerged for a desirable product that the superior other did not own (BlackBerry). This shows how benign envy places a premium on keeping up, and malicious envy on moving away from, superior others.
Success and sustainability of social networking sites is highly dependent on user participation. To encourage contribution to an opt-in social networking site designed for employees, we have designed and implemented a feature that rewards contribution with points. In our evaluation of the impact of the system, we found that employees are initially motivated to add more content to the site. This paper presents the analysis and design of the point system, the results of our experiment, and our insights regarding future directions derived from our post-experiment user interviews.
Valid measurement scales for predicting user acceptance of computers are in short supply. Most subjective measures used in practice are unvalidated, and their relationship to system usage is unknown. The present research develops and validates new scales for two specific variables, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which are hypothesized to be fundamental determinants of user acceptance. Definitions for these two variables were used to develop scale items that were pretested for content validity and then tested for reliability and construct validity in two studies involving a total of 152 users and four application programs. The measures were refined and streamlined, resulting in two six-item scales with reliabilities of .98 for usefulness and .94 for ease of use. The scales exhibited high convergent, discriminant, and factorial validity. Perceived usefulness was significantly correlated with both self-reported current usage (r=.63, Study 1) and self-predicted future usage (r =.85, Study 2). Perceived ease of use was also significantly correlated with current usage (r=.45, Study 1) and future usage (r=.59, Study 2). In both studies, usefulness had a significantly greater correlation with usage behavior than did ease of use. Regression analyses suggest that perceived ease of use may actually be a causal antecedent to perceived usefulness, as opposed to a parallel, direct determinant of system usage. Implications are drawn for future research on user acceptance.
Xbox Live achievements and gamerscores have become an integral part of Xbox 360 gaming. Based on the framework provided by Microsoft, the community has developed intriguing gaming practices where the individual games become pieces of a larger whole. This paper, based on a two year community study, explores how players have reacted and adapted to the system. To get at this shift in console gaming, the achievement system is seen as a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) where separate achievements are the functional equivalent of quests. By conceptualizing the achievement system as an MMO, the paper questions the dichotomy between PC/MMO and console gaming. The paper also goes into detailed descriptions of gaming habits and strategies that have emerged as gamers appropriate the achievement system, in particular looking at three player types: achievement casuals, hunters and completists. My conclusions are that the Xbox Live achievement system only partially functions as a reward system. More importantly, in terms of impact on player practices, it is an invisible MMO that all Xbox Live members participate in, whether they like it or not. On one hand, the different strategies and ways of conceptualizing the system shows how players have appropriated the technology and rules provided by Microsoft, and socially constructed systems that fit their play styles. On the other hand, many players are deeply conflicted over these gaming habits and feel trapped in a deterministic system that dictates ways of playing the games that they do not enjoy. Both sides can ultimately be connected to distinguishable characteristics of gamers. As a group, they are known to take pleasure in fighting, circumventing and subverting rigid rule systems, but also to be ready to take on completely arbitrary challenges without questioning their validity.
Selling virtual goods for real money is an increasingly popular revenue model for massively-multiplayer online games (MMOs), social networking sites (SNSs) and other online hangouts. In this paper, we argue that the marketing of virtual goods currently falls short of what it could be. Game developers have long created compelling game designs, but having to market virtual goods to players is a relatively new situation to them. Professional marketers, on the other hand, tend to overlook the internal design of games and hangouts and focus on marketing the services as a whole. To begin bridging the gap, we propose that the design patterns and game mechanics commonly used in games and online hangouts should be viewed as a set of marketing techniques designed to sell virtual goods. Based on a review of a number of MMOs, we describe some of the most common patterns and game mechanics and show how their effects can be explained in terms of analogous techniques from marketing science. The results provide a new perspective to game design with interesting implications to developers. Moreover, they also suggest a radically new perspective to marketers of ordinary goods and services: viewing marketing as a form of game design.
Badge-based achievement systems are being used increasingly to drive user participation and engagement across a variety of platforms and contexts. Despite positive anecdotal reports, there is currently little empirical evidence to support their efficacy in particular domains. With the recent rapid growth of tools for online learning, an interesting open question for educators is the extent to which badges can positively impact student participation.
In this paper, we report on a large-scale (n > 1000) randomized, controlled experiment measuring the impact of incorporating a badge-based achievement system within an online learning tool. We discover a highly significant positive effect on the quantity of students' contributions, without a corresponding reduction in their quality, as well as on the period of time over which students engaged with the tool. Students enjoyed being able to earn badges, and indicated a strong preference for having them available in the user interface.
Achievement badges are a form of gamification that can be used to motivate users and to encourage desired actions. In this study, we describe and evaluate the use of achievement badges in the TRAKLA2 online learning environment where students complete interactive, automatically assessed exercises about data structures and algorithms. The students' activity in TRAKLA2 was logged in order to find out whether the achievement badges had an effect on their behavior. We used a between-subject experimental design where the students (N=281) were randomly divided into a treatment and a control group, with and without achievement badges. Students in the treatment group were awarded achievement badges, for example, for solving exercises with only one attempt, returning exercises early, or completing an exercise round with full points. Course grading was similar for both groups, i.e. collecting badges did not affect the final grade. Our results show that achievement badges can be used to affect the behavior of students even when the badges have no impact on the grading. Statistically significant differences in students' behavior were observed with some badge types, while some badges did not seem to have such an effect. We also found that students in the two studied courses responded differently to the badges. Based on our findings, achievement badges seem like a promising method to motivate students and to encourage desired study practices.
During recent years, the addition of game mechanisms to non-game services has gained a relatively large amount of attention. Popular discussion connects gamification to successful marketing and increased profitability through higher customer engagement, however, there is a dearth of empirical studies that confirm such expectations. This paper reports the results of a field experiment, which gamifies a utilitarian peer-to-peer trading service by implementing the game mechanism of badges that users can earn from a variety of tasks. There were 3234 users who were randomly assigned to treatment groups and subjected to different versions of the badge system in a 2 × 2 design. The results show that the mere implementation of gamification mechanisms does not automatically lead to significant increases in use activity in the studied utilitarian service, however, those users who actively monitored their own badges and those of others in the study showed increased user activity.
This paper defines hedonic consumption as those facets of consumer behavior that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of product usage experience. After delineating these concepts, their theoretical antecedents are traced, followed by a discussion of differences between the traditional and hedonic views, methodological implications of the latter approach, and behavioral propositions in four substantive areas relevant to hedonic consumption-mental constructs, product classes, product usage and individual differences. Conclusions concern the usefulness of the hedonic perspective in supplementing and extending marketing research on consumer behavior.
Achievement systems are reward structures providing additional goals for players, and thus extending the play time of videogames. In this paper, we explore how applications other than games could benefit from achievement systems, and how users perceive this additional content in a service. For this purpose, we added an achievement system to a geo-tagged photo sharing service called Nokia Image Space. The results suggest that there is some potential in achievement systems outside the game domain. The achievements triggered some friendly competition and comparison between users. However, many users were not convinced, expressing concerns about the achievements motivating undesirable usage patterns. Therefore, an achievement system poses certain design considerations when applied in nongame software.
In this article, I review the diverse ways in which perceived self-efficacy contributes to cognitive development and functioning. Perceived self-efficacy exerts its influence through four major processes. They include cognitive, motivational, affective, and selection processes. There are three different levels at which perceived self-efficacy operates as an important contributor to academic development. Students' beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and to master academic activities determine their aspirations, level of motivation, and academic accomplishments. Teachers' beliefs in their personal efficacy to motivate and promote learning affect the types of learning environments they create and the level of academic progress their students achieve. Faculties' beliefs in their collective instructional efficacy contribute significantly to their schools' level of academic achievement. Student body characteristics influence school-level achievement more strongly by altering faculties' beliefs in their collective efficacy than through direct affects on school achievement.
A field experiment of 68 full-time employees studied the effects of performance feedback and cognitive playfulness (that is, cognitive spontaneity in human-computer interactions) on microcomputer training performance. In addition, this research examined the impacts of performance feedback and cognitive playfulness on software efficacy perceptions and on a variety of affective outcomes, including satisfaction with feedback, satisfaction with training, and positive mood. The findings suggest that positive feedback generally results in higher test performance and more positive affective outcomes, than does negative feedback. Similarly, employees higher in cognitive playfulness demonstrated higher test performance and more positive affective outcomes than those lower in cognitive playfulness. Finally, a significant feedback × playfulness interaction on test performance was found. Specifically, employees lower in cognitive playfulness benefited more from the positive feedback than did those higher in cognitive playfulness. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
First, a number of previous theories of intrinsic motivation are reviewed. Then, several studies of highly motivating computer games are described. These studies focus on what makes the games fun, not on what makes them educational. Finally, with this background, a rudimentary theory of intrinsically motivating instruction is developed, based on three categories: challenge, fantasy, and curiosity.
Challenge is hypothesized to depend on goals with uncertain outcomes. Several ways of making outcomes uncertain are discussed, including variable difficulty level, multiple level goals, hidden information, and randomness. Fantasy is claimed to have both cognitive and emotional advantages in designing instructional environments. A distinction is made between extrinsic fantasies that depend only weakly on the skill used in a game, and intrinsic fantasies that are intimately related to the use of the skill. Curiosity is separated into sensory and cognitive components, and it is suggested that cognitive curiosity can be aroused by making learners believe their knowledge structures are incomplete, inconsistent, or unparsimonious.
Under-contribution is a problem for many online communities. Social psychology theories of social loafing and goal-setting can provide mid-level design principles to address this problem. We tested the design principles in two field experiments. In one, members of an online movie recommender community were reminded of the uniqueness of their contributions and the benefits that follow from them. In the second, they were given a range of individual or group goals for contribution. As predicted by theory, individuals contributed when they were reminded of their uniqueness and when they were given specific and challenging goals, but other predictions were not borne out. The paper ends with suggestions and challenges for mining social science theories as well as implications for design.
Microcomputer playfulness represents the degree of cognitive spontaneity in microcomputer interactions. Research on the general characteristic of playfulness has demonstrated relationships with measures such as creativity and exploration. Thus, with the widespread diffusion of computers in organizations, research in microcomputer playfulness can have significant practical implications for organizations. Five independent studies involving more than 400 participants provided initial evidence for the construct validity of a microcomputer playfulness measure with respect to its factor structure, internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, predictive validity, predictive efficacy, and test-retest reliability. As hypothesized, the measure related positively to computer attitudes, anxiety, competence, and efficacy, and did not relate to gender or age. In addition, the measure related positively to training outcomes of learning, mood, involvement, and satisfaction. Further, the evidence suggests the predictive efficacy of microcomputer playfulness as compared to other variables, such as computer anxiety and attitudes. Consequently, the findings indicate that researchers should focus more attention on positive influences on human-computer interaction, such as microcomputer playfulness, rather than on negative influences, such as computer anxiety.
This paper studies the differences in user acceptance models for productivity-oriented (or utilitarian) and pleasure-oriented (or hedonic) information systems. Hedonic information systems aim to provide self-fulfilling rather than instrumental value to the user, are strongly connected to home and leisure activities, focus on the fun-aspect of using information systems, and encourage prolonged rather than productive use. The paper reports a cross-sectional survey on the usage intentions for one hedonic information system. Analysis of this sample supports the hypotheses that perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use are stronger determinants of intentions to use than perceived usefulness. The paper concludes that the hedonic nature of an information system is an important boundary condition to the validity of the technology acceptance model. Specifically, perceived usefulness loses its dominant predictive value in favor of ease of use and enjoyment.
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