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Gamification: Using game design elements in non-gaming contexts

Conference Paper · January 2011

DOI: 10.1145/1979742.1979575 · Source: DBLP

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 Gamification: Using Game Design
Elements in Non-Gaming Contexts

Sebastian Deterding Kenton O’Hara

Abstract
Hans-Bredow Institute at the Microsoft Research Cambridge,
“Gamification” is an informal umbrella term for the use
University of Hamburg, 7 JJ Thomson Ave
of video game elements in non-gaming systems to
20354 Hamburg, Germany Cambridge CB3 0FB, UK
improve user experience (UX) and user engagement.
s.deterding@hans-bredow- kenton@gwork.org
The recent introduction of ‘gamified’ applications to
institut.de
large audiences promises new additions to the existing
Dan Dixon
rich and diverse research on the heuristics, design
Miguel Sicart Digital Cultures Research Centre,
patterns and dynamics of games and the positive UX
Center for Computer Games University of the West of England,
they provide. However, what is lacking for a next step
Research, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK
forward is the integration of this precise diversity of
IT University of Copenhagen dan.dixon@uwe.ac.uk
research endeavors. Therefore, this workshop brings
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
together practitioners and researchers to develop a
Miguel@itu.dk
shared understanding of existing approaches and
findings around the gamification of information
Lennart Nacke
systems, and identify key synergies, opportunities, and
Department of Computer Science,
questions for future research.
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Canada, S7N 5C9
Keywords
lennart.nacke@acm.org
Gamification, game design, design patterns,
motivational affordances, funology, persuasive
technology, games with a purpose

ACM Classification Keywords

Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). H.5.m [Information Interfaces and Presentation (e.g.,
CHI 2011, May 7–12, 2011, Vancouver, BC, Canada. HCI)]: Miscellaneous; K.8.0 [Personal Computing]:
ACM 978-1-4503-0268-5/11/05. Games; J.4 [Social and Behavioral Sciences]:
Psychology, Sociology
 General Terms enjoyable interfaces from games reach back to the
Design, Theory early 1980s [9, 10]. More recently, researchers have
tried to identify design patterns that might afford joy of
Introduction use under the moniker “funology”, explicitly drawing
Games and game technologies increasingly transcend inspiration from game design [3].
the traditional boundaries of their medium, as
evidenced by the growth of serious and pervasive A growing body of research looks into “games with a
games as an industry and research field. The most purpose” piggybacking game play to solve human
recent phenomenon in this trajectory is ‘gamification’, information tasks such as tagging images. This included
an umbrella term for the use of video game elements work detailing specific design features that afford
(rather than full-fledged games) to improve user player enjoyment [20]. Furthermore, researchers in
experience and user engagement in non-game services HCI and management sciences have identified design
and applications. principles that enhance the motivational affordances of
computer-supported collaborative work [5, 21] –
Following the success of location-based service principles which are congruent with research on the
Foursquare, this design approach has rapidly gained motivational psychology of video games [17].
traction in interaction design and digital marketing
[22], spawning an intense debate within the In persuasive technology [4], video games and game
professional community1 as well as numerous ‘gamified’ aspects have been studied as potential means to shape
applications, ranging from productivity to finance, user behavior in directions intended by the system
health, sustainability, news, user-generated content designer [8, 14], or to instill embedded values [1].
and tutorials. Several vendors now offer gamification as Social psychological studies on contributions in online
a service layer of reward and reputation systems with communities or the motivational uses of recommender
points, badges, levels and leader boards.2 At the same systems arrived at conclusions that chime with core
time, gamification has caught the interest of design properties of video games [7, 15]. Likewise, it
researchers as a potential means to create engaging suggests itself to model the reward and reputation
workplaces [16] or facilitate mass-collaboration [11]. systems of gamified applications with economically
inspired approaches such as incentive centered design.
Background
To wit, the use of game design and game elements in The user experience of video games has itself become a
other contexts is an old topic in human-computer substantial topic of HCI, with researchers developing
interaction (HCI): Attempts to derive heuristics for models and methods as well as heuristics for the
usability or playability of games [2, 18, 19]. An obvious
1
See e.g. the 2011 Gamification Summit and the gamification matter of interest is to which degree these can be
day at the 2011 GDC Serious Games Summit.
transferred to the design of gamified information
2
See e.g. Badgeville, Bunchball, Bigdoor Media, GetGlue. systems. Finally, a growing body of research points to
the significant role of social contexts in the constitution • Do gamified applications feature specific or novel
of video game play experience [6], which immediately characteristics not covered by previous research?
raises the question whether and how the transfer of • What happens when game design elements are
(game) design patterns into ‘alien’ social contexts transferred into non-game social contexts?
might significantly alter their experiential affordances. • Which promising (new) research topics and data
sources do gamified applications provide?
Workshop Goals
Faced with the broad adoption of ‘gamified’ applications Participants and Expected Interest
beyond HCI laboratories on the one hand and a rich if We consider the collaborative study of the recent surge
disconnected body of existing research on the other, of ‘gamified’ information systems to be of immediate
the goal of this workshop is to bring together HCI relevance to HCI researchers in all fields mentioned
researchers from academia and industry to (a) take above (funology, persuasive technology, communities,
stock and synthesize a shared picture of pertinent motivational affordances, game UX, etc.): On the one
existing and current research surrounding gamification, hand, the implementation of game design elements on
and (b) identify potential new aspects and research a mass market scale potentially surfaces phenomena
opportunities opened by new gamified applications. To that wouldn’t appear in laboratory prototypes. Gamified
this end, we invite researchers to submit position systems ‘in the wild’ provide new objects of inquiry in
papers on (ongoing) empirical work or accounts of an unprecedented variety, data quality and scale. On
existing approaches and findings that might elucidate the other hand, the focused integration of the many
the user experience, psychology, social dynamics and close but by-and-large decoupled research endeavors
design of information systems employing game would greatly benefit each in turn. Although workshops
elements. The primary intended outcome of the in past conferences have already addressed single
workshop is to build a shared overview of the state-of- issues [12, 13], none of them has taken such an
the-art (published as a report) by clarifying the integrative approach. Therefore, at this point in time,
questions below, and to seed a researcher community such a synthesizing workshop on gamification would be
that shall be built out via the workshop site and follow- of high interest to HCI researchers as well as
up events that connect other pertinent research researchers working on the increased blurring of
communities (e.g. game studies) towards substantial (digital) life, work, and play in general.
research and publication efforts.
References
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