Self-determination theory posits autonomy as a basic need that fuels intrinsic motivation. Thus, we consider it an important characteristic of intrinsically enjoyable tasks, including games. We often say that game playing is a voluntary activity. However, when we think about serious games or gamification, there…
I have previously talked about the prominent role of challenges in games and gameful applications. Challenging oneself to overcome unnecessary obstacles just for the fun of it is at the heart of a gameful experience. Moreover, good challenges only work together with clear goals and…
Several studies have indicated the need for personalising gamified systems to users’ personalities. However, mapping user personality onto design elements is difficult. To address this problem, Marczewski developed the Gamification User Types Hexad framework, based on research on human motivation, player types, and practical design…
Originally published on the ACM XRDS blog.
Technology has undoubtedly improved at vertiginous speeds in the last decades. However, there is no evidence that all this technology is helping increase the people's general wellbeing. Calvo and Peters have attributed this to the fact that most…
Recently, a number of research studies have been investigating how to personalize gameful applications to each different user. One of these studies was presented at CHI 2016 and investigated how different people respond to various gamification approaches in health-related habit tracking applications.
The researchers asked…
The JMIR Serious Games journal has recently published an article in which researchers reviewed 33 studies reporting results of the use of gamification and serious games for cognitive assessment or training.
Image source: Wooden Earth
The review identified 7 reasons that led researchers to apply gamification…
During the past week, considerable attention has been given in the media to Niantic's new game, Pokémon GO! Lots of people are talking about the game's potential benefits and dangers. One of the many claims that have taken the media is that Pokémon GO is…
An introduction to gamification with examples of applications, platforms, and methods.
I put these slides together for a lecture I've given at the University of Waterloo, July 2016.
Find out what gamification is and how it differs from traditional games in this video published by the HCI Games Group.
A research project from the Universities of Basel and Copenhagen sought to understand the differences between momentary pleasure and lasting meaning in positive experiences with interactive technologies. These ideas come from a long tradition in both history and user experience research. Momentary pleasurable experiences…