Games are a significant part of our lives for thousands of years already. During this period games constantly evolved and at some point started to provide for purposes, which are no usual for “conventional” games. The notion of gamification marks yet another change in this regard: now games are so pervasive that it’s becoming hard to distinguish between games and non-gaming application. Game elements can be used in “regular” apps, in order to make them more effective.
Yet little is known about how to successfully design such systems. Because of the historical origins, a major part of gamification research is focused on the extrinsic rewards usage - an approach proven to be problematic long before the concept of gamification even appeared.
My research project explores the potential of stories in this context. Stories already feature strong connections with both behavioral changes and games.
There is no understanding of the design of gameful stories for intentional behavior change in the current body of research, thus the aim of the project is to fill this gap in our knowledge.
Room 9.06