Gamification: Exploring the Debate within Game Design

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Keenan
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Game Elements

The growth in popularity of gamification (using game design elements in non-game contexts) has created significant debate within the scholarly video game community. Game scholars argue that adding game elements to a non-gaming application does not capture the “spirit” of a game. This poster examines this debate.La croissance de la popularité de la ludification (l’utilisation d’éléments de conception de jeux dans des contextes autres que le jeu) est l’objet de débats importants dans la communauté des chercheurs en jeux vidéo. Ces chercheurs affirment que l’ajout d’éléments du jeu à une application non dédiée au jeu ne capture pas l’esprit d’un jeu. Cette affiche examine ce débat.

scholarly journals Designing tabletop board game elements and gamification interventions for health behavior change: a realist review and proposed framework. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Epstein ◽  
Adam Zemski ◽  
Joanne Enticott ◽  
Christopher Barton
Keyword(s):  
Health Behavior ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Game Mechanics ◽  
Change Behavior ◽  
Game Elements

UNSTRUCTURED Introduction Games, when used as interventional tools, can influence behavior change by incentivizing, reinforcing, educating, providing feedback loops, prompting, persuading or providing meaning, fun and community. However, not all game elements will appeal to consumers equally, and different elements might work for different people and in different contexts. Methods A realist review was conducted to inform program theory in the development of tabletop games for health behavior change. Context, mechanisms used to change behavior and outcomes of included studies were reviewed through a realist lens. Results 31 articles met eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Several design methods were identified that enhanced efficacy of games to change behavior. These included design by local teams, pilot testing, clearly defined targets of behavior change, conscious attention to all aspects of game design including game mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics, and the elicitation of emotions. Delivery with other mediums, leveraging behavioral insights, prior training for delivery and repeated play were also important. Some design elements that were found to reduce efficacy included limited re-playability or lack of ‘fun’ for immersive engagement. Discussion Game design needs to consider all aspects of the context and the mechanisms to achieve the desired behavior change outcomes. Careful design thinking should include consideration of the game mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics, emotions and contexts of the game and the players. People who know the players and the contexts well should design the games or have significant input. Testing in real-world settings is likely to lead to better outcomes. Careful selection and purposeful design of the behavior change mechanisms at play is essential. Fun and enjoyment of the player should be considered, as without engagement there will be no desired intervention effect.

Deep and Shallow Gamification in Marketing

2015 ◽  
pp. 110-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Lieberoth ◽  
Max Møller ◽  
Andreea Catalina Marin
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
Individual Design ◽  
Interpretative Framework

Gamification started trending as a term around 2010 and enjoyed a rise to mainstream prominence over the following years. The trend extols the use of game elements and game thinking to support behavior and experiences in non-game contexts but has been hotly debated and is currently facing a serious limitation of evidence. This chapter critically examines the field. Combining theoretical perspectives from game design and psychology with marketing examples, the chapter develops a continuum from deep to shallow gamification as an interpretative framework where game qualities and engagement potentials are seen as a function of design richness and integration with the behavior context. The chapter strongly underscores the need for methodologically consistent data collection before conclusions can be drawn about the economic and psychological efficacy of individual design elements and the gamification fad as a whole.

scholarly journals A Guideline Study For Designing Virtual Reality Games

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (43) ◽  
pp. 12-36
Author(s):  
Güven ÇATAK ◽  
Server Zafer MASALCI ◽  
Seray ŞENYER
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Design Guideline ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
Interactive Experience

Virtual reality has great potential for immersive experiences that is not available in other mediums. Thus, it has a significant place in the entertainment and the game industry. However, creating a well-designed immersive experience can be extremely complicated due to the replacement of human perception from the real-world to an isolated virtual world. Understanding the essentials of virtual reality (VR) experiences and game design principles is necessary for designing an immersive VR game. Although there are many differences in design elements of VR games according to the experience that is wanted to be given to the player, many games also have common elements. In the line of this view, a guideline is aimed to be framed for VR game designers in the current study. For this purpose design pillars of VR experiences and game design principles were reviewed, and five VR games were analyzed. Games are highly plastic mediums that can be adapted to any environment and technology. Many game types have a close relationship in terms of game elements and design. However, the implementation of game elements from other mediums to the VR medium is challenging. Therefore, game design principles should be well-comprehended and implemented to the VR medium by considering the existed technology. Virtual reality takes the player and put him in a new virtual world. In this world, everything should be designed to be easily perceivable by the player. Thus, the human perception was reviewed as one of the design pillars. Virtual reality also offers an interactive experience that allows the user to affect the world. Like in traditional video games, players can interact and navigate in the virtual world. Therefore, interaction and navigation were reviewed as two other design pillars. Based on the reviewed design pillars, five VR games were analyzed. Then, a VR game design guideline is proposed based on common game design elements in those games

Future Opportunities for Using Gamification in Management Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 155-177
Author(s):  
Mattew Kuofie ◽  
Sonika Suman
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Structural Space ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Educational Spaces ◽  
Video Game Design ◽  
Pedagogic Tool ◽  
Game Elements

Gamification as a potent pedagogic tool existed even in the ancient periods and in different geographical regions. It was observed that using gamification to teach the learners was more powerful and useful so much so that it helped the optimum utilization of resources. However, with the advent of virtual reality and augmented reality making inroads into education in general and management education in particular, it is now feasible to use gamification for management education. It is often found that the management learners are comparatively brainier and selected after strict competitive examinations. They get easily blasé of the traditional methods of pedagogy. They have always demanded challenging curricula, deep contents, and exciting pedagogy to learn. It is in this context that the gamification of learning has been introduced to motivate and challenge the learners by using video game design and game elements in learning environments. These games are meant to maximise enjoyment and engagement through influencing the interests of learners and inspiring them to continue with their learning process. Gamification in its practical use in the management educational spaces and corporate training spaces made a substantial impact all across the globe. The future opportunities for gamification both in content space and structural space are going to be far more than can be imagined with the explosion taking place in technology.

Gamifying Everyday Activities using Mobile Sensing

2013 ◽  
pp. 98-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Fitz-Walter ◽  
Dian Tjondronegoro ◽  
Peta Wyeth
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Mobile Sensing ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Initial Results

The addition of game design elements to non-game contexts has become known as gamification. Previous research has suggested that framing tedious and non-motivating tasks as game-like can make them enjoyable and motivating (e.g., de Oliveira, et al., 2010; Fujiki, et al., 2007; Chiu, et al., 2009). Smartphone applications lend themselves to being gamified as the underlying mobile technology has the ability to sense user activities and their surrounding environment. These sensed activities can be used to implement and enforce game-like rules based around many physical activities (e.g., exercise, travel, or eating). If researchers wish to investigate this area, they first need an existing gamified application to study. However if an appropriate application does not exist then the researcher may need to create their own gamified prototype to study. Unfortunately, there is little previous research that details or explains the design and integration of game elements to non-game mobile applications. This chapter explores this gap and shares a framework that was used to add videogame-like achievements to an orientation mobile application developed for new university students. The framework proved useful and initial results are discussed from two studies. However, further development of the framework is needed, including further consideration of what makes an effective gamified experience.

scholarly journals A Gamification–Motivation Design Framework for Educational Software Developers

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Buckley ◽  
Tabea DeWille ◽  
Chris Exton ◽  
Geraldine Exton ◽  
Liam Murray
Keyword(s):  
Game Design ◽  
Educational Software ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Motivational Model ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
The Relationship

Gamification is the use of game design elements in nongame contexts and has been shown to be effective in motivating behavior change. By seeing game elements as “motivational affordances,” and formalizing the relationship between these elements and motivational affordances, it is the position of this article that gamification can be effectively applied to improve software systems across many different application domains. The research reported here aims to formalize the relationship between game elements and motivation, toward making gamification’s use more systematic. The focus is on the development of a framework linking commonly occurring game elements with the components of a psychological motivational model known as the self-determination theory, coupled with a proposed framework of commonly occurring game elements. The goal is to inform system designers who would like to leverage gamification of the game elements they would need to employ as motivational affordances.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Game Design Elements Used in Digital Game-Based Language Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6679
Author(s):  
Terence Govender ◽  
Joan Arnedo-Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Design Patterns ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Digital Game ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Game Elements

Considerable changes have occurred in language learning with the introduction of gameful approaches in the classroom and the increase in the popularity of language applications like Duolingo. A review of existing studies on such approaches to language learning shows that gamification tends to be the most popular approach. However, this popularity has been achieved at the expense of other gameful approaches, such as the use of digital games. To gain a clearer picture of the developments and gaps in the digital game-based learning research, this paper examines and categorizes observations about game elements used in published papers (n = 114) where serious and digital games were tested in language education settings. Game element analysis reveals that (1) the most frequently occurring elements in digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) are feedback, theme, points, narrative, and levels; (2) even though there was significant variance in the number of elements observed in DGBLL, both the bespoke and off-the-shelf games show similar high-frequency elements; (3) DGBLL has been applied to vocabulary acquisition and retention in many cases, but lacks implementation and testing in input and output language skills; (4) although there is some consensus on the most frequent elements, the design patterns of common elements according to age group and target language skill show considerable variance; (5) more research is needed on less common design elements that have shown promise in encouraging language acquisition. The synthesis of information from the collected papers contributes to knowledge regarding DGBLL application design and will help formulate guidelines and detect efficacy patterns as the field continues to grow.

scholarly journals Environmental Game Design as Activism // El diseño del juego medioambiental como activismo

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Lauren Woolbright
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Effective Action ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Dynamic Game ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Change Characteristics ◽  
Video Game Design ◽  
Communication Challenge

      The disconnect between climate activists and their skeptical audience is a multipart communication challenge of representing the unrepresentable. Even if we accept climate change as reality, enormous barriers stand between humans and effective action, the first being a crisis of imagination: climate change is too big for representation, scholars such as Morton (2013) and Marshall (2014) have argued. This paper examines games that have taken climate-related themes into account and analyzes them in search of resonant design elements that might work to communicate about climate change. Focusing particularly on two independent games that stand out as climate change fiction (cli-fi), Little Inferno and The Flame in the Flood, this paper highlights the narrative and representational capabilities of digital games to facilitate engaging, educational, emotional environmental experiences. Rather than focusing on doomsday, as cli-fi tends to do, there may be more effective ways to explore climate change solutions. Some of the video game design principles that could be manipulated to this end include: nonhuman avatars; dynamic game environments that impact player-characters; mechanics that reflect climate change characteristics; and reliance on player ethics. If game design can persuasively communicate about climate change and encourage players to innovate solutions, games may have the potential to turn play into activism.Resumen      La desconexión entre los activistas climáticos y su audiencia escéptica es un reto multiparte de comunicación para representar lo irrepresentable. Incluso si aceptamos el cambio climático como una realidad, existen enormes barreras entre los humanos y la acción efectiva: la primera es una crisis de la imaginación ya que el cambio climático es demasiado grande para su representación, tal y como argumentan académicos como Morton (2013) y Marshall (2014). Este ensayo analiza juegos que han tenido en cuenta temas relacionados con el clima y los analiza en búsqueda de elementos de diseño resonantes que pudieran funcionar a la hora de comunicar sobre el cambio climático. Centrándose en particular en dos juegos independientes que destacan como ficción de cambio climático (cli-fi), Little Inferno y The Flame in the Flood, este trabajo recalca las capacidades narrativas y representacionales de los juegos digitales a la hora de facilitar experiencias cautivadoras, educativas, emotivas y medioambientales. En vez de centrarse en el día del juicio, como tiende a hacer la cli-fi, pueden existir formas más efectivas de explorar soluciones al cambio climático. Algunos de los principios del diseño de videojuegos que pueden manipularse para este fin incluyen: avatares no-humanos; entornos de juegp dinámicos que impactan en los personajes-jugadores; mecánicas que reflejan las características del cambio climático; y la dependencia en la ética del jugador. Si el diseño de juegos puede comunicar persuasivamente sobre el cambio climático y animar a los jugadores a innovar en cuanto a soluciones, los juegos pueden tener el potencial de convertir el juego en activismo.     

scholarly journals What’s behind a scratch card? Designing a mobile application using gamification to study customer loyalty: An experimental approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Behl ◽  
Vijay Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Customer's Loyalty ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The use of game design elements (often called gamification) by firms to engage the customers has attracted attention in recent times. These game elements contribute to shaping up customer’s motivation and loyalty. Gamification is explored from the lens of both empirical as well as an experimental methodological standpoint. There still lacks substantial evidence that explains how and which types of rewards help to understand the customer's motivation. The study addresses this gap by designing an experimental study of 2x2 to address how gamified mobile apps used for making payments can help capture customer’s loyalty by offering them rewards. Data is collected from 385 customers who have been using mobile apps to make payments in the past. The data were tested to check if gamification positively helps the user hedonic and utilitarian motivation, which then positively impacts their loyalty. The study is also moderated by type of rewards (direct cash rewards v/s indirect third party partnered rewards) on the relationship of gamification and customer loyalty mediated through motivation. The results confirm that mobile payment apps' cash rewards are more useful, especially when the degree of uncertainty in the game element is high (scratch card). Additionally, they contribute to a higher degree of utilitarian benefits to the customers. The results contribute to the extension of the self-determination theory and stimulus organism response framework as well.

scholarly journals Healthy Gaming – Video Game Design to promote Health

2011 ◽  
Vol 02 (02) ◽  
pp. 128-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Fernandez-Luque ◽  
T. Tøllefsen ◽  
E. Brox
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
Persuasive Games ◽  
Games For Health ◽  
The Impact

Summary Background: There is an increasing interest in health games including simulation tools, games for specific conditions, persuasive games to promote a healthy life style or exergames where physical exercise is used to control the game. Objective: The objective of the article is to review current literature about available health games and the impact related to game design principles as well as some educational theory aspects. Methods: Literature from the big databases and known sites with games for health has been searched to find articles about games for health purposes. The focus has been on educational games, persuasive games and exergames as well as articles describing game design principles. Results: The medical objectives can either be a part of the game theme (intrinsic) or be totally dispatched (extrinsic), and particularly persuasive games seem to use extrinsic game design. Peer support is important, but there is only limited research on multiplayer health games. Evaluation of health games can be both medical and technical, and the focus will depend on the game purpose. Conclusion: There is still not enough evidence to conclude which design principles work for what purposes since most of the literature in health serious games does not specify design methodologies, but it seems that extrinsic methods work in persuasion. However, when designing health care games it is important to define both the target group and main objective, and then design a game accordingly using sound game design principles, but also utilizing design elements to enhance learning and persuasion. A collaboration with health professionals from an early design stage is necessary both to ensure that the content is valid and to have the game validated from a clinical viewpoint. Patients need to be involved, especially to improve usability. More research should be done on social aspects in health games, both related to learning and persuasion.

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