Project Details

Applied Game Design for Non-Entertainment Systems

People

Lead

Lennart Nacke
Director of the HCI Games Group

Participants

Marim Ganaba
Master's Student and UX Researcher

Melissa Stocco
Undergraduate Researcher

Dominic Elm
Visiting Master's Student

Rina Wehbe
Ph.D. Student, Errors, Perception of AI, Health Games

Gustavo Fortes Tondello
Ph.D. Student, Personalized Health Gamification

Dennis Kappen
Ph.D. Student, Game Design and User Interaction for Older Adults

Alberto Mora
Visiting Ph.D. Student, Gamification Elements

Elisa Mekler
Post Doctoral Fellow

Publications

Year 2018

A Theory of Gamification Principles Through Goal-Setting Theory

@inproceedings{Tondello2018a,
abstract = {Goal-setting theory has been used for decades to explain how to motivate people to perform better in work-related tasks, but more recently gamification has also gained attention as an alternative method to increase engagement and performance in many contexts. However, despite goals and feedback being common elements of gameful implementations, there is a lack of literature explaining how gamification works through the lens of goal-setting theory or suggesting how goal-setting concepts and recommendations can be employed to improve gameful systems. Therefore, we present a literature review and a conceptual framework that establishes a relationship between goal-setting and gamification concepts. Next, we describe how this framework can help explain gamification principles and suggest potential improvements to current gameful design methods. Finally, we propose directions for future empirical research aimed to apply this conceptual framework in practice.},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F. and Premsukh, Hardy and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS)},
publisher = {IEEE},
title = {{A Theory of Gamification Principles Through Goal-Setting Theory}},
year = {2018}
}

Goal-setting theory has been used for decades to explain how to motivate people to perform better in work-related tasks, but more recently gamification has also gained attention as an alternative method to increase engagement and performance in many contexts. However, despite goals and feedback being common elements of gameful implementations, there is a lack of literature explaining how gamification works through the lens of goal-setting theory or suggesting how goal-setting concepts and recommendations can be employed to improve gameful systems. Therefore, we present a literature review and a conceptual framework that establishes a relationship between goal-setting and gamification concepts. Next, we describe how this framework can help explain gamification principles and suggest potential improvements to current gameful design methods. Finally, we propose directions for future empirical research aimed to apply this conceptual framework in practice.

Gamification of Older Adults’ Physical Activity: An Eight-Week Study

@inproceedings{Kappen2018a,
abstract = {Designing fitness programs to combat a sedentary lifestyle and foster older adults' motivation and goalsetting is not yet well-understood beyond point-based systems. To improve older adults' (over 50 years) health and wellness, we studied a gamified physical activity intervention over eight weeks in an experiment (N=30) with three conditions (gamified, non-gamified, control). Our qualitative analysis showed the gamified group exhibited more engagement and interest in performing physical activity facilitated by technology. Results from our quantitative analysis indicated significance in the perceived competence dimension compared to the nongamified and the control group. Perceived autonomy was significant for the non-gamified group against the control group. The findings from qualitative and quantitative analysis show motivation, enjoyment, and engagement were higher in the gamified group. This provides support for successfully facilitating older adults' physical activity through gamified technology, which helped us create guidelines for older adults' adaptive engagement.},
author = {Kappen, Dennis L and Mirza-Babaei, Pejman and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 51st Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS)},
publisher = {IEEE},
title = {{Gamification of Older Adults ' Physical Activity : An Eight-Week Study}},
year = {2018}
}

Designing fitness programs to combat a sedentary lifestyle and foster older adults’ motivation and goalsetting is not yet well-understood beyond point-based systems. To improve older adults’ (over 50 years) health and wellness, we studied a gamified physical activity intervention over eight weeks in an experiment (N=30) with three conditions (gamified, non-gamified, control). Our qualitative analysis showed the gamified group exhibited more engagement and interest in performing physical activity facilitated by technology. Results from our quantitative analysis indicated significance in the perceived competence dimension compared to the nongamified and the control group. Perceived autonomy was significant for the non-gamified group against the control group. The findings from qualitative and quantitative analysis show motivation, enjoyment, and engagement were higher in the gamified group. This provides support for successfully facilitating older adults’ physical activity through gamified technology, which helped us create guidelines for older adults’ adaptive engagement.

Gamification: Tools and Techniques for Motivating Users

@inproceedings{Tondello2018b,
abstract = {This course introduces participants to concepts of gamification and practices some gamification evaluation with a set of heuristics used to evaluated gameful applications and gameful design. We will introduce participants to some of the common gameful intervention strategies to add game design elements that can be used to motivate users and then train participants with our set of 28 gamification heuristics for rapid evaluation of gameful systems. The course is structured into three 80-minute units, which will give the participants enough time to learn how to gamify activities, apply new heuristics and improve their gameful designs. The course instructors, Gustavo Tondello and Lennart Nacke, have both developed the gameful design heuristics and taught a successful gamification course at CHI 2017 before.},
address = {Montr{\'{e}}al, QC, Canada},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F and Nacke, Lennart E},
booktitle = {Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI EA 2018},
doi = {10.1145/3170427.3170662},
isbn = {9781450356213},
pages = {C25},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Gamification : Tools and Techniques for Motivating Users}},
year = {2018}
}

This course introduces participants to concepts of gamification and practices some gamification evaluation with a set of heuristics used to evaluated gameful applications and gameful design. We will introduce participants to some of the common gameful intervention strategies to add game design elements that can be used to motivate users and then train participants with our set of 28 gamification heuristics for rapid evaluation of gameful systems. The course is structured into three 80-minute units, which will give the participants enough time to learn how to gamify activities, apply new heuristics and improve their gameful designs. The course instructors, Gustavo Tondello and Lennart Nacke, have both developed the gameful design heuristics and taught a successful gamification course at CHI 2017 before.

Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Exergames: A Systematic Review

@article{Kappen2018b,
abstract = {Exertion games, also referred to as exergames, have become popular because they combine physical activity (PA) with game mechanics, such as actions, challenges, and achievements. Exergames have been also used to encourage PA among older adults, as technological interventions to help achieve the latters' health and wellness goals and as aids to rehabilitation. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review of empirical studies on exergaming and older adults' PA has been reported in the literature. Our review indicates that exergames make a measurable contribution to the improvement of health and wellness goals of older adults. Our systematic review identifies 9 categories and 19 themes of exergame applications in the domain of older adults' PA. We aggregate these categories and themes into three broader exergaming clusters, of “training,” “rehabilitation,” and “wellness.” Additionally, we outline pathways for future empirical research into applying exergames as health and wellness interventions...},
author = {Kappen, Dennis L. and Mirza-Babaei, Pejman and Nacke, Lennart E.},
doi = {10.1080/10447318.2018.1441253},
issn = {15327590},
journal = {International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction},
publisher = {Taylor {\&} Francis},
title = {{Older Adults' Physical Activity and Exergames: A Systematic Review}},
year = {2018}
}

Exertion games, also referred to as exergames, have become popular because they combine physical activity (PA) with game mechanics, such as actions, challenges, and achievements. Exergames have been also used to encourage PA among older adults, as technological interventions to help achieve the latters’ health and wellness goals and as aids to rehabilitation. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review of empirical studies on exergaming and older adults’ PA has been reported in the literature. Our review indicates that exergames make a measurable contribution to the improvement of health and wellness goals of older adults. Our systematic review identifies 9 categories and 19 themes of exergame applications in the domain of older adults’ PA. We aggregate these categories and themes into three broader exergaming clusters, of “training,” “rehabilitation,” and “wellness.” Additionally, we outline pathways for future empirical research into applying exergames as health and wellness interventions for older adults through physical activities.

Personalizing Persuasive Strategies in Gameful Systems to Gamification User Types

@inproceedings{Orji2018a,
author = {Orji, Rita and Tondello, Gustavo F and Nacke, Lennart E},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '18},
doi = {doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3174009},
publisher = {ACM},
keywords = {Hexad,Persuasive strategies,behaviour change,gameful design,gamification,personalization,risky health behavior},
title = {{Personalizing Persuasive Strategies in Gameful Systems to Gamification User Types}},
year = {2018}
}

Persuasive gameful systems are effective tools for motivating behaviour change. Research has shown that tailoring these systems to individuals can increase their efficacy; however, there is little knowledge on how to personalize them. We conducted a large-scale study of 543 participants to investigate how different gamification user types responded to ten persuasive strategies depicted in storyboards representing persuasive gameful health systems. Our results reveal that people’s gamification user types play significant roles in the perceived persuasiveness of different strategies. People scoring high in the ‘player’ user type tend to be motivated by competition, comparison, cooperation, and reward while ‘disruptors’ are likely to be demotivated by punishment, goal-setting, simulation, and self-monitoring. ‘Socialisers’ could be motivated using any of the strategies; they are the most responsive to persuasion overall. Finally, we contribute to CHI research and practice by offering design guidelines for tailoring persuasive gameful systems to each gamification user type.

Towards Customizing Gameful Systems by Gameful Design Elements

@inproceedings{Tondello2018c,
abstract = {Recently, several researchers have suggested that personalized game-ful systems can be more effective than generic approaches. However, there is still scarce empirical evidence that the suggested factors for personalization, such as gender, age, user types, and personality traits, will be effective in im-proving user engagement and performance for personalized gameful systems. In this work-in-progress, we present a research plan for empirical evaluation of a customizable gameful system. Upon completion of this study, we expect to pro-vide empirical evidence that the participants' selection of gameful design ele-ments in a practical application will correspond to the theorized relationships suggested by prior survey-based research, and that the system can suggest the gameful design elements that users are more likely to enjoy. The results of this research will provide an actionable path for gamification designers to imple-ment personalized gameful systems and for researchers to develop recommen-dation algorithms for gamification.},
address = {Waterloo, ON, Canada},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F and Nacke, Lennart E},
booktitle = {International Workshop on Personalizing in Persuasive Technologies (PPT'18)},
keywords = {customization,gameful design,gamification,personalization},
publisher = {CEUR-WS.org},
title = {{Towards Customizing Gameful Systems by Gameful Design Elements}},
url = {http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2089/11{\_}Tondello.pdf},
year = {2018}
}

Recently, several researchers have suggested that personalized game-ful systems can be more effective than generic approaches. However, there is still scarce empirical evidence that the suggested factors for personalization, such as gender, age, user types, and personality traits, will be effective in im-proving user engagement and performance for personalized gameful systems. In this work-in-progress, we present a research plan for empirical evaluation of a customizable gameful system. Upon completion of this study, we expect to pro-vide empirical evidence that the participants’ selection of gameful design ele-ments in a practical application will correspond to the theorized relationships suggested by prior survey-based research, and that the system can suggest the gameful design elements that users are more likely to enjoy. The results of this research will provide an actionable path for gamification designers to imple-ment personalized gameful systems and for researchers to develop recommen-dation algorithms for gamification.

Year 2017

Applying Gameful Design Heuristics

@inproceedings{Tondello2017,
abstract = {To evaluate gameful apps and games, we have recently developed a new set of guidelines for heuristic evaluation of gameful design in interactive systems, supporting the quickly growing gamification research area. Our set of 28 gamification heuristics allows rapid evaluation of a gameful system. This course will supply attendees with our gameful design heuristics and train them in using the heuristics on an example application (Duolingo). The course is structured into two 80-minute units, which will give the participants enough time to learn the new heuristics and apply them to the gamified application. Finally, at the end of the second unit, we will be discussing how to generate design ideas with the heuristics. The course instructors, Gustavo Tondello and Lennart Nacke, have both developed the gameful design heuristics and have experience in designing and evaluating gamified applications and teaching courses.},
address = {Denver, CO, USA},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F and Nacke, Lennart E},
booktitle = {Proceeding of the 2017 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
doi = {10.1145/3027063.3027116},
isbn = {9781450346566},
keywords = {Gameful Design,Gamification,Heuristics},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Applying Gameful Design Heuristics}},
year = {2017}
}

To evaluate gameful apps and games, we have recently developed a new set of guidelines for heuristic evaluation of gameful design in interactive systems, supporting the quickly growing gamification research area. Our set of 28 gamification heuristics allows rapid evaluation of a gameful system. This course will supply attendees with our gameful design heuristics and train them in using the heuristics on an example application (Duolingo). The course is structured into two 80-minute units, which will give the participants enough time to learn the new heuristics and apply them to the gamified application. Finally, at the end of the second unit, we will be discussing how to generate design ideas with the heuristics. The course instructors, Gustavo Tondello and Lennart Nacke, have both developed the gameful design heuristics and have experience in designing and evaluating gamified applications and teaching courses.

CLEVER: A Gameful Enterprise Learning System

@inproceedings{Elm2017,
abstract = {Employees often lack the motivation to share their implicit knowledge with one another and are reluctant to engage in a collaborative forum for such knowledge exchange. To address this issue, we developed a gameful learning component of an enterprise knowledge management system (KMS) to help foster this process of collaborative and participatory learning. This paper introduces CLEVER, a serious game that combines trivia and strategy elements as game elements to motivate the players into knowledge exchange. Furthermore, we describe how CLEVER uses intrinsic and extrinsic motivational affordances to engage employees into enterprise knowledge learning.},
address = {Tenerife, Spain},
author = {Elm, Dominic and Tondello, Gustavo F. and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {1st International Workshop on Gamification and Games for Learning},
keywords = {enterprise learning,gameful design,gamification,knowledge management},
publisher = {ULL},
title = {{CLEVER : A Gameful Enterprise Learning System}},
url = {https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/4783},
year = {2017}
}

Employees often lack the motivation to share their implicit knowledge with one another and are reluctant to engage in a collaborative forum for such knowledge exchange. To address this issue, we developed a gameful learning component of an enterprise knowledge management system (KMS) to help foster this process of collaborative and participatory learning. This paper introduces CLEVER, a serious game that combines trivia and strategy elements as game elements to motivate the players into knowledge exchange. Furthermore, we describe how CLEVER uses intrinsic and extrinsic motivational affordances to engage employees into enterprise knowledge learning.

Elements of Gameful Design Emerging from User Preferences

@inproceedings{Tondello2017c,
abstract = {Several studies have developed models to explain player preferences. These models have been developed for digital games; however, they have been frequently applied in gameful design (i.e., designing non-game applications with game elements) without empirical validation of their fit to this different context. It is not clear if users experience game elements embedded in applications similarly to how players experience them in games. Consequently, we still lack a conceptual framework of design elements built specifically for a gamification context. To fill this gap, we propose a classification of eight groups of gameful design elements produced from an exploratory factor analysis based on participants' self-reported preferences. We describe the characteristics of the users who are more likely to enjoy each group of design elements in terms of their gender, age, gamification user type, and personality traits. Our main contribution is providing an overview of which design elements work best for what demographic clusters and how we can apply this knowledge to design effective gameful systems.},
address = {Amsterdam, Netherlands},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F. and Mora, Alberto and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2017 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play - CHI PLAY '17},
doi = {10.1145/3116595.3116627},
isbn = {9781450348980},
keywords = {Game Design Elements,Gameful Design,Games User Research,Gamification,Types,User},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Elements of Gameful Design Emerging from User Preferences}},
year = {2017}
}

Several studies have developed models to explain player preferences. These models have been developed for digital games; however, they have been frequently applied in gameful design (i.e., designing non-game applications with game elements) without empirical validation of their fit to this different context. It is not clear if users experience game elements embedded in applications similarly to how players experience them in games. Consequently, we still lack a conceptual framework of design elements built specifically for a gamification context. To fill this gap, we propose a classification of eight groups of gameful design elements produced from an exploratory factor analysis based on participants’ self-reported preferences. We describe the characteristics of the users who are more likely to enjoy each group of design elements in terms of their gender, age, gamification user type, and personality traits. Our main contribution is providing an overview of which design elements work best for what demographic clusters and how we can apply this knowledge to design effective gameful systems.

Exploring the Potential of Game Audio for Wellbeing

@inproceedings{Rogers2017,
abstract = {Music listening has long-standing ties to mental health, positive affective states, and wellbeing. Even outside of clinical contexts, music is increasingly being explored as a costeffective, ubiquitous way to support emotion regulation and stress reduction in people's everyday lives. Games have also been shown to have the capability to improve player well-being in certain contexts. However, the role of players' exposure to background music in games toward leveraging this effect has not been explored specifically. We explore the potential of games to act as a tool for relaxation and stress reduction for the general public and discuss future research directions.},
address = {Amsterdam, Netherlands},
author = {Rogers, Katja and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Positive Gaming: Workshop on Gamification and Games for Wellbeing},
title = {{Exploring the Potential of Game Audio for Wellbeing}},
year = {2017}
}

Music listening has long-standing ties to mental health, positive affective states, and wellbeing. Even outside of clinical contexts, music is increasingly being explored as a costeffective, ubiquitous way to support emotion regulation and stress reduction in people’s everyday lives. Games have also been shown to have the capability to improve player well-being in certain contexts. However, the role of players’ exposure to background music in games toward leveraging this effect has not been explored specifically. We explore the potential of games to act as a tool for relaxation and stress reduction for the general public and discuss future research directions.

Gamification through the Application of Motivational Affordances for Physical Activity Technology

@inproceedings{Kappen2017a,
abstract = {Motivational affordances are attributes of interactive technologies or game elements that promote participation in physical activity (PA) routines. Although these affordances have been previously integrated into technologies in non-tailored approaches, the motivations of adults for PA are specific (e.g., to improve one's health, wellness, or fitness). There are no previous comparisons of either the motivation to participate in PA or motivational affordances that facili-tate PA in different age groups. Therefore, we conducted an online survey with 150 participants using the Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 scale (EMI-2) together with long-form questions to explore motivational affordances and PA technology preferences in four age groups. Our results suggest health-related pressures are significant motivations for PA in different age groups. Additionally, a content analysis of preferences allowed us to distinguish between gamified motivational affordances and feedback elements. These results provide age-group-specific gamification design guidelines for incorporating motivational elements in PA technology.},
author = {Kappen, Dennis L and Mirza-Babaei, Pejman and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {The ACM SIGCHI Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY 2017)},
doi = {10.1145/3116595.3116604},
keywords = {Motivational affordances,gamification,motivation,physical activity,user experience design},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Gamification through the Application of Motivational Affordances for Physical Activity Technology}},
year = {2017}
}

Motivational affordances are attributes of interactive technologies or game elements that promote participation in physical activity (PA) routines. Although these affordances have been previously integrated into technologies in non-tailored approaches, the motivations of adults for PA are specific (e.g., to improve one’s health, wellness, or fitness). There are no previous comparisons of either the motivation to participate in PA or motivational affordances that facili-tate PA in different age groups. Therefore, we conducted an online survey with 150 participants using the Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 scale (EMI-2) together with long-form questions to explore motivational affordances and PA technology preferences in four age groups. Our results suggest health-related pressures are significant motivations for PA in different age groups. Additionally, a content analysis of preferences allowed us to distinguish between gamified motivational affordances and feedback elements. These results provide age-group-specific gamification design guidelines for incorporating motivational elements in PA technology.

Positive Gaming: Workshop on Gamification and Games for Wellbeing

@inproceedings{Tondello2017b,
abstract = {Gamification and games have been used and studied in a variety of applications related with health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, there are very few studies aimed at designing games (whether serious games or recreational games) or gameful applications for improving wellbeing or flourishing – the pursuit of a happy and meaningful life, rather than the avoidance of illness. Therefore, this full-day Workshop aims to form a community, discuss theoretical and practical considerations, and promote the development of research projects focused on “Positive Gaming” – the use of gamification and games as tools for realizing Positive Computing objectives. This will create the opportunities for interested researchers to form a common understanding, develop methods and procedures, and establish a roadmap for future research in Positive Gaming.},
address = {Amsterdam, Netherlands},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F. and Orji, Rita and Vella, Kellie and Johnson, Daniel and van Dooren, Marierose M.M. and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2017 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play - CHI PLAY '17 Extended Abstracts},
doi = {10.1145/3130859.3131442},
isbn = {9781450351119},
keywords = {Gameful Design,Games,Gamification,Health,Positive Computing,Positive Gaming,Wellbeing},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Positive Gaming : Workshop on Gamification and Games for Wellbeing}},
year = {2017}
}

Gamification and games have been used and studied in a variety of applications related with health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, there are very few studies aimed at designing games (whether serious games or recreational games) or gameful applications for improving wellbeing or flourishing – the pursuit of a happy and meaningful life, rather than the avoidance of illness. Therefore, this full-day Workshop aims to form a community, discuss theoretical and practical considerations, and promote the development of research projects focused on “Positive Gaming” – the use of gamification and games as tools for realizing Positive Computing objectives. This will create the opportunities for interested researchers to form a common understanding, develop methods and procedures, and establish a roadmap for future research in Positive Gaming.

Recommender Systems for Personalized Gamification

@inproceedings{Tondello2017a,
abstract = {Gamification has been used in a variety of application domains to promote behaviour change. Nevertheless, the mechanisms behind it are still not fully understood. Recent empirical results have shown that personalized approaches can potentially achieve better results than generic approaches. However, we still lack a general framework for building personalized gameful applications. To address this gap, we present a novel general framework for personalized gameful applications using recommender systems (i.e., software tools and technologies to recommend suggestions to users that they might enjoy). This framework contributes to understanding and building effective persuasive and gameful applications by describing the different building blocks of a recommender system (users, items, and transactions) in a personalized gamification context.},
address = {Bratislava, Slovakia},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F. and Orji, Rita and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of UMAP'17 Adjunct},
doi = {10.1145/3099023.3099114},
isbn = {9781450350679},
keywords = {Gamification,Personalization,Recommender Systems},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Recommender Systems for Personalized Gamification}},
year = {2017}
}

Gamification has been used in a variety of application domains to promote behaviour change. Nevertheless, the mechanisms behind it are still not fully understood. Recent empirical results have shown that personalized approaches can potentially achieve better results than generic approaches. However, we still lack a general framework for building personalized gameful applications. To address this gap, we present a novel general framework for personalized gameful applications using recommender systems (i.e., software tools and technologies to recommend suggestions to users that they might enjoy). This framework contributes to understanding and building effective persuasive and gameful applications by describing the different building blocks of a recommender system (users, items, and transactions) in a personalized gamification context.

The maturing of gamification research

@article{Nacke2017,
author = {Nacke, Lennart E. and Deterding, Sebastian},
doi = {10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.062},
journal = {Computers in Human Behavior},
title = {{The maturing of gamification research}},
year = {2017}
}

Towards Personality-driven Persuasive Health Games and Gamified Systems

@inproceedings{Orji2017,
abstract = {Persuasive games and gamified systems are effective tools for motivating behavior change using various persuasive strategies. Research has shown that tailoring these systems can increase their efficacy. However, there is little knowledge on how game-based persuasive systems can be tailored to individuals of various personality traits. To advance research in this area, we conducted a large-scale study of 660 participants to investigate how different personalities respond to various persuasive strategies that are used in persuasive health games and gamified systems. Our results reveal that people's personality traits play a significant role in the perceived persuasiveness of different strategies. Conscientious people tend to be motivated by goal setting, simulation, self-monitoring and feedback; people who are more open to experience are more likely to be demotivated by rewards, competition, comparison, and cooperation. We contribute to the CHI community by offering design guidelines for tailoring persuasive games and gamified designs to a particular group of personalities.},
author = {Orji, Rita and Nacke, Lennart E. and DiMarco, Chrysanne},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
doi = {10.1145/3025453.3025577},
isbn = {9781450346559},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{Towards Personality-driven Persuasive Health Games and Gamified Systems}},
year = {2017}
}

Persuasive games and gamified systems are effective tools for motivating behavior change using various persuasive strategies. Research has shown that tailoring these systems can increase their efficacy. However, there is little knowledge on how game-based persuasive systems can be tailored to individuals of various personality traits. To advance research in this area, we conducted a large-scale study of 660 participants to investigate how different personalities respond to various persuasive strategies that are used in persuasive health games and gamified systems. Our results reveal that people’s personality traits play a significant role in the perceived persuasiveness of different strategies. Conscientious people tend to be motivated by goal setting, simulation, self-monitoring and feedback; people who are more open to experience are more likely to be demotivated by rewards, competition, comparison, and cooperation. We contribute to the CHI community by offering design guidelines for tailoring persuasive games and gamified designs to a particular group of personalities.

UMAP 2017 Fifty Shades of Personalization - Workshop on Personalization in Serious and Persuasive Games and Gameful Interactions: Organizers’ Welcome

@inproceedings{Mattheiss2017,
abstract = {It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the UMAP 2017 Fifty Shades of Personalization - Workshop on Personalization in Serious and Persuasive Games and Gameful Interactions. Serious games (games for purposes other than entertainment) as well as persuasive games (games for promoting desirable behavior without coercion) are increasingly adopted by scholars and have also found their way into industry. Elements of games are also increasingly used to design gameful interactions (this is also referred to as gamification). Serious and persuasive approaches focus on imparting knowledge and raising awareness about topics or issues, and also fostering attitude or behavior change in a desirable direction, for example towards a healthier lifestyle.},
address = {Bratislava, Slovakia},
author = {Mattheiss, Elke and Busch, Marc and Orji, Rita and Tondello, Gustavo F. and Marczewski, Andrzej and Hochleitner, Wolfgang and Lankes, Michael and Tscheligi, Manfred},
booktitle = {Proceedings of UMAP'17 Adjunct},
pages = {395--397},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{UMAP 2017 Fifty Shades of Personalization - Workshop on Personalization in Serious and Persuasive Games and Gameful Interactions : Organizers ' Welcome}},
year = {2017}
}

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the UMAP 2017 Fifty Shades of Personalization - Workshop on Personalization in Serious and Persuasive Games and Gameful Interactions. Serious games (games for purposes other than entertainment) as well as persuasive games (games for promoting desirable behavior without coercion) are increasingly adopted by scholars and have also found their way into industry. Elements of games are also increasingly used to design gameful interactions (this is also referred to as gamification). Serious and persuasive approaches focus on imparting knowledge and raising awareness about topics or issues, and also fostering attitude or behavior change in a desirable direction, for example towards a healthier lifestyle.

Using technology to boost employee wellbeing? How gamification can help or hinder results

@inproceedings{Pogrebtsova2017,
abstract = {Research can help improve the lives of employees by revealing ways in which technology can be leveraged to progress innovative, time and cost-effective ways to promote their wellbeing. However, even with the trends of building “positive organizations” and promoting employees' wellbeing using the latest technologies in today's best companies worldwide, there has been a lack of rigorous research to provide solid evidence for these decisions. In this review, we present a call for future research to integrate and test technologically facilitated positive psychology interventions with gamification elements to better understand how to minimize harm and promote user benefits. We review the current online positive psychology intervention research, which we argue provides a critical guide for the development of future wellbeing technology. We also explore how gamification shows promise for promoting the benefits of positive psychology interventions (e.g., user enjoyment, autonomous motivation), as well as areas where gamification can pose a threat to wellbeing. There may be a fine line between harmful and helpful wellbeing solutions in our connected and technologically driven world of work; research now needs to uncover where to draw that line.},
address = {Amsterdam, Netherlands},
author = {Pogrebtsova, Ekaterina and Tondello, Gustavo F. and Premsukh, Hardy and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Positive Gaming: Workshop on Gamification and Games for Wellbeing},
keywords = {Wellbeing,gamification,positive organizations,positive psychology},
title = {{Using technology to boost employee wellbeing ? How gamification can help or hinder results}},
year = {2017}
}

Research can help improve the lives of employees by revealing ways in which technology can be leveraged to progress innovative, time and cost-effective ways to promote their wellbeing. However, even with the trends of building “positive organizations” and promoting employees’ wellbeing using the latest technologies in today’s best companies worldwide, there has been a lack of rigorous research to provide solid evidence for these decisions. In this review, we present a call for future research to integrate and test technologically facilitated positive psychology interventions with gamification elements to better understand how to minimize harm and promote user benefits. We review the current online positive psychology intervention research, which we argue provides a critical guide for the development of future wellbeing technology. We also explore how gamification shows promise for promoting the benefits of positive psychology interventions (e.g., user enjoyment, autonomous motivation), as well as areas where gamification can pose a threat to wellbeing. There may be a fine line between harmful and helpful wellbeing solutions in our connected and technologically driven world of work; research now needs to uncover where to draw that line.

Year 2016

ABOVE WATER: An Educational Game for Anxiety

@inproceedings{Wehbe2016,
Abstract = {We present Above Water - a digital/physical hybrid game to inform people about the available strategies to cope with two types of Anxiety Disorders - Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. The game teaches players about existing treatments. This hybrid game is designed to inspire players to share their experiences and develop their own personal narrative. The document also outlines an assessment strategy to study the game and determine its effectiveness as a game for health. The game is designed to educate non-institutionalized individuals with clinical anxiety and panic disorder. Potential players may be diagnosed, seeking intervention information, or a supportive friend.},
Address = {Austin, TX, USA},
Author = {R. R. Wehbe, D. K. Watson, G. F. Tondello, M. Ganaba, M. Stocco, A. Lee, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play extended abstracts - chi play ea '16},
Doi = {10.1145/2968120.2971804},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/anxiety.jpg},
Keywords = {Game for Health, Psychology, Mental Health},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {ABOVE WATER: An Educational Game for Anxiety},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/above-water-educational-game-anxiety},
Year = {2016},

We present Above Water - a digital/physical hybrid game to inform people about the available strategies to cope with two types of Anxiety Disorders - Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. The game teaches players about existing treatments. This hybrid game is designed to inspire players to share their experiences and develop their own personal narrative. The document also outlines an assessment strategy to study the game and determine its effectiveness as a game for health. The game is designed to educate non-institutionalized individuals with clinical anxiety and panic disorder. Potential players may be diagnosed, seeking intervention information, or a supportive friend.

ABOVE WATER: Extending the Play Space for Health

@inproceedings{Wehbe2016a,
Abstract = {ABOVE WATER is a game that disseminates information about Clinical Anxiety Disorders, particularly Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. This game focuses on teaching players about treatments as well as providing a safe space for discussion of personal experiences. This game focuses on using the physical world (physical space, physical and tangible cards) and the digital world (accessible by any phone or tablet with a modern web browser) as part of its gameplay.},
Address = {Niagara Falls, ON, Canada},
Author = {R. R. Wehbe, D. K. Watson, G. F. Tondello, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 international conference on interactive surfaces and spaces - iss '16},
Doi = {10.1145/2992154.2996882},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/anxiety.jpg},
Keywords = {Games for Health, Mobile Games, Psychology},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {ABOVE WATER: Extending the Play Space for Health},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/above-water-extending-play-space-for-health},
Year = {2016},

ABOVE WATER is a game that disseminates information about Clinical Anxiety Disorders, particularly Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. This game focuses on teaching players about treatments as well as providing a safe space for discussion of personal experiences. This game focuses on using the physical world (physical space, physical and tangible cards) and the digital world (accessible by any phone or tablet with a modern web browser) as part of its gameplay.

CHI PLAYGUE: A Mobile Conference Networking Game

@inproceedings{Tondello2016b,
Abstract = {Modern professional networking relies on social media. To take advantage of this fact, we present CHI PLAYGUE, a conference game designed to facilitate interaction among strangers and encourage social networking to create a community. The game integrates digital technology (mobile devices and large displays) within the space of the conference venue, combined with a mixed-reality narrative and people’s social interactions to facilitate the emergence of social dynamics. By providing a platform for large-scale, playful interaction, the game creates an experience that fosters the development of mutually beneficial, personal, and professional relationships among players.},
Address = {Niagara Falls, ON, Canada},
Author = {G. F. Tondello, R. R. Wehbe, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 international conference on interactive surfaces and spaces - iss '16},
Doi = {10.1145/2992154.2996870},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/CHI-PLAYGUE-A-Networking-Game-of-Emergent-Sociality1.jpg},
Keywords = {Social networking game, mobile game, mixed-reality game, social game, gamification},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {CHI PLAYGUE: A Mobile Conference Networking Game},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/chi-playgue-a-mobile-conference-networking-game},
Year = {2016},@inproceedings{Tondello2016b,

Modern professional networking relies on social media. To take advantage of this fact, we present CHI PLAYGUE, a conference game designed to facilitate interaction among strangers and encourage social networking to create a community. The game integrates digital technology (mobile devices and large displays) within the space of the conference venue, combined with a mixed-reality narrative and people’s social interactions to facilitate the emergence of social dynamics. By providing a platform for large-scale, playful interaction, the game creates an experience that fosters the development of mutually beneficial, personal, and professional relationships among players.

CLEVER: A Trivia and Strategy Game for Enterprise Knowledge Learning

@inproceedings{Elm2016a,
Abstract = {Knowledge management (KM) includes the acquisition, sharing, and dissemination of knowledge within a company. The problem with many enterprise KM systems is that they are complex and hardly used, because workers lack motivation to engage in a collaborative process of knowledge sharing and learning. To address this, we developed a gameful learning component of an enterprise KM system (KMS). Our game features an innovative combination of trivia and strategy elements, put together to afford motivation within a KMS. It can be played by employees in the same organization to foster collaborative knowledge exchange and learning.},
Address = {Austin, TX, USA},
Author = {D. Elm, G. F. Tondello, D. L. Kappen, M. Ganaba, M. Stocco, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play extended abstracts - chi play ea '16},
Doi = {10.1145/2968120.2987745},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clever.jpg},
Keywords = {Gamification, knowledge management, gameful design.},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {CLEVER: A Trivia and Strategy Game for Enterprise Knowledge Learning},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/clever-trivia-strategy-game-enterprise-knowledge-learning},
Year = {2016},

Knowledge management (KM) includes the acquisition, sharing, and dissemination of knowledge within a company. The problem with many enterprise KM systems is that they are complex and hardly used, because workers lack motivation to engage in a collaborative process of knowledge sharing and learning. To address this, we developed a gameful learning component of an enterprise KM system (KMS). Our game features an innovative combination of trivia and strategy elements, put together to afford motivation within a KMS. It can be played by employees in the same organization to foster collaborative knowledge exchange and learning.

CLEVER: Gamification and Enterprise Knowledge Learning

@inproceedings{Elm2016,
Abstract = {This paper describes the design and a preliminary implementation study of a gamified knowledge management system (KMS) that supports the learning component within knowledge management (KM). KM includes acquiring social capital through the process of acquisition, sharing, and dissemination of knowledge within a company. Employees often lack the motivation to share their implicit knowledge with one another and are reluctant to engage in a collaborative forum for such knowledge exchange. We developed a gamified learning component of an enterprise KMS to help foster this process of collaborative and participatory learning. More importantly, this game combines trivia and strategy elements as game elements to motivate the players for knowledge exchange. We report preliminary results from an exploratory study with nine participants which indicates that the above combination of game elements does contribute to participatory knowledge learning within an enterprise KMS.},
Address = {Austin, TX, USA},
Author = {D. Elm, D. L. Kappen, G. F. Tondello, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play extended abstracts - chi play ea '16},
Doi = {10.1145/2968120.2987745},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clever.jpg},
Keywords = {Gamification, knowledge management, gameful design.},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {CLEVER: Gamification and Enterprise Knowledge Learning},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/clever-gamification-enterprise-knowledge-learning},
Year = {2016},

This paper describes the design and a preliminary implementation study of a gamified knowledge management system (KMS) that supports the learning component within knowledge management (KM). KM includes acquiring social capital through the process of acquisition, sharing, and dissemination of knowledge within a company. Employees often lack the motivation to share their implicit knowledge with one another and are reluctant to engage in a collaborative forum for such knowledge exchange. We developed a gamified learning component of an enterprise KMS to help foster this process of collaborative and participatory learning. More importantly, this game combines trivia and strategy elements as game elements to motivate the players for knowledge exchange. We report preliminary results from an exploratory study with nine participants which indicates that the above combination of game elements does contribute to participatory knowledge learning within an enterprise KMS.

Design Strategies for Gamified Physical Activity Applications for Older Adults

@inproceedings{Kappen2016,
abstract = {Staying physically active is essential to wellbeing in late life. However, many older adults experience barriers to physical activity. Past research has investigated the development of playful interactive systems to support exercise routines and reduce access barriers. Yet, little research has been done on older adults' needs and preferences regarding technologies that support physical activity. We address this issue through an exploration of older adults' exercise motivations grouped around themes relevant to technology design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 older adults, and followed up with a focus group study of physical trainers and older adults with an active lifestyle. Based on our results, we discuss their conflicting perspectives and challenges on exercise and technology, which leads us to contribute design strategies to support designers as well as researchers wishing to create meaningful and playful fitness applications for older adults.},
author = {Kappen, Dennis L. and Nacke, Lennart E. and Gerling, Kathrin M. and Tsotsos, Lia E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences-49},
doi = {10.1109/HICSS.2016.166},
file = {:C$\backslash$:/Users/Gustavo/Dropbox/PhD/HCI Games Publications/2016/Design Strategies for Gamified Physical Activity Applications for Older Adults.pdf:pdf},
mendeley-groups = {HCI Games Group Publications},
pages = {1309--1318},
title = {{Design Strategies for Gamified Physical Activity Applications for Older Adults}},
year = {2016}
}

Staying physically active is essential to wellbeing in late life. However, many older adults experience barriers to physical activity. Past research has investigated the development of playful interactive systems to support exercise routines and reduce access barriers. Yet, little research has been done on older adults’ needs and preferences regarding technologies that support physical activity. We address this issue through an exploration of older adults’ exercise motivations grouped around themes relevant to technology design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 older adults, and followed up with a focus group study of physical trainers and older adults with an active lifestyle. Based on our results, we discuss their conflicting perspectives and challenges on exercise and technology, which leads us to contribute design strategies to support designers as well as researchers wishing to create meaningful and playful fitness applications for older adults.

Heuristic Evaluation for Gameful Design

@inproceedings{Tondello2016a,
Abstract = {Despite the emergence of many gameful design methods in the literature, there is a lack of evaluation methods specific to gameful design. To address this gap, we present a new set of guidelines for heuristic evaluation of gameful design in interactive systems. First, we review several gameful design methods to identify the dimensions of motivational affordances most often employed. Then, we present a set of 28 gamification heuristics aimed at enabling experts to rapidly evaluate a gameful system. The resulting heuristics are a new method to evaluate user experience in gameful interactive systems.},
Address = {Austin, TX, USA},
Author = {G. F. Tondello, D. L. Kappen, E. D. Mekler, M. Ganaba, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play extended abstracts - chi play ea '16},
Doi = {10.1145/2968120.2987729},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ratings.png},
Keywords = {Heuristic Evaluation, Gamification, Gameful Design},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Heuristic Evaluation for Gameful Design},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/heuristic-evaluation-for-gameful-design},
Year = {2016},

Despite the emergence of many gameful design methods in the literature, there is a lack of evaluation methods specific to gameful design. To address this gap, we present a new set of guidelines for heuristic evaluation of gameful design in interactive systems. First, we review several gameful design methods to identify the dimensions of motivational affordances most often employed. Then, we present a set of 28 gamification heuristics aimed at enabling experts to rapidly evaluate a gameful system. The resulting heuristics are a new method to evaluate user experience in gameful interactive systems.

The Gamification User Types Hexad Scale

@inproceedings{Tondello2016,
abstract = {Several studies have indicated the need for personalizing gamified systems to users' personalities. However, mapping user personality onto design elements is difficult. Hexad is a gamification user types model that attempts this mapping but lacks a standard procedure to assess user preferences. Therefore, we created a 24-items survey response scale to score users' preferences towards the six different motivations in the Hexad framework. We used internal and test-retest reliability analysis, as well as factor analysis, to validate this new scale. Further analysis revealed significant associations of the Hexad user types with the Big Five personality traits. In addition, a correlation analysis confirmed the framework's validity as a measure of user preference towards different game design elements. This scale instrument contributes to games user research because it enables accurate measures of user preference in gamification.},
address = {Austin, TX, USA},
author = {Tondello, Gustavo F. and Wehbe, Rina R. and Diamond, Lisa and Busch, Marc and Marczewski, Andrzej and Nacke, Lennart E.},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play - CHI PLAY '16},
doi = {10.1145/2967934.2968082},
file = {:C$\backslash$:/Users/Gustavo/Google Drive/HCI Games Group Documents/Projects and Papers/Gamification player types/Hexad Validation Paper/The Gamification User Types Hexad Scale-Camera Ready.pdf:pdf},
keywords = {Gameful Design,Gamification,Hexad,User Types},
mendeley-groups = {HCI Games Group Publications},
publisher = {ACM},
title = {{The Gamification User Types Hexad Scale}},
year = {2016}
}

Several studies have indicated the need for personalizing gamified systems to users' personalities. However, mapping user personality onto design elements is difficult. Hexad is a gamification user types model that attempts this mapping but lacks a standard procedure to assess user preferences. Therefore, we created a 24-items survey response scale to score users' preferences towards the six different motivations in the Hexad framework. We used internal and test-retest reliability analysis, as well as factor analysis, to validate this new scale. Further analysis revealed significant associations of the Hexad user types with the Big Five personality traits. In addition, a correlation analysis confirmed the framework's validity as a measure of user preference towards different game design elements. This scale instrument contributes to games user research because it enables accurate measures of user preference in gamification.

Year 2015

Adaptive Engagement of Older Adults’ Fitness through Gamification

@inproceedings{Kappen2015,
Abstract = {Many older adults lead sedentary lifestyles, as the challenges of aging can complicate efforts to maintain a healthy level of physical activity. These challenges can include decreasing strength, reduced mental capacity, social isolation, and the development of chronic health conditions. My PhD research attempts to analyze the needs and challenges of older adults and review their attitudes and motivations towards physical activity (PA). Furthermore, I aim to investigate various approaches in the development of socially interactive fitness activity programs, with the goal of increasing positive lifestyle motivations and quality of life (QoL). This research defines a taxonomy of motivational and personality characteristics of older adults to engage in PA. Lastly, this dissertation proposes the development of an adaptive application that addresses fitness gamification from the motivational perspective of an older adult. This application will empower older adults to engage in PA as a means to gain freedom, mobility and social interdependence within their public spheres.},
Address = {London, United Kingdom},
Author = {D. L. Kappen},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of chi play 2015},
Doi = {10.1145/2793107.2810276},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DC.jpg},
Isbn = {9781450334662},
Keywords = {elderly,entertainment technology,game design,gamification,human factors,interaction design,older adults,social interaction,usability},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Adaptive Engagement of Older Adults’ Fitness through Gamification},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/adaptive-engagement-of-older-adults-fitness-through-gamification},
Year = {2015},@inproceedings{Kappen2015,

Many older adults lead sedentary lifestyles, as the challenges of aging can complicate efforts to maintain a healthy level of physical activity. These challenges can include decreasing strength, reduced mental capacity, social isolation, and the development of chronic health conditions. My PhD research attempts to analyze the needs and challenges of older adults and review their attitudes and motivations towards physical activity (PA). Furthermore, I aim to investigate various approaches in the development of socially interactive fitness activity programs, with the goal of increasing positive lifestyle motivations and quality of life (QoL). This research defines a taxonomy of motivational and personality characteristics of older adults to engage in PA. Lastly, this dissertation proposes the development of an adaptive application that addresses fitness gamification from the motivational perspective of an older adult. This application will empower older adults to engage in PA as a means to gain freedom, mobility and social interdependence within their public spheres.

CHI PLAYGUE: A Networking Game of Emergent Sociality

@inproceedings{Tondello2015a,
Abstract = {Modern professional networking is heavily reliant on social media. In recognition of this trend, we present CHI PLAYGUE, a conference game designed to facilitate interaction among strangers and encourage social networking to create a community. The game facilitates the emergence of social dynamics related to trust, allegiance, betrayal, selective interaction, and long- term strategic cooperation. By providing a platform for large-scale playful interaction, we will create an experience that will foster the development of mutually beneficial personal and professional relationships among players.},
Address = {London, United Kingdom},
Author = {G. F. Tondello, R. R. Wehbe, S. N. Stahlke, A. Leo, R. Koroluk, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of chi play 2015},
Doi = {10.1145/2793107.2810265},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/CHI-PLAYGUE-A-Networking-Game-of-Emergent-Sociality1.jpg},
Isbn = {9781450334662},
Keywords = {QR code,Social networking game,casual game,gamification,mobile game,social games},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {CHI PLAYGUE: A Networking Game of Emergent Sociality},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/chi-playgue-a-networking-game-of-emergent-sociality},
Year = {2015},

Modern professional networking is heavily reliant on social media. In recognition of this trend, we present CHI PLAYGUE, a conference game designed to facilitate interaction among strangers and encourage social networking to create a community. The game facilitates the emergence of social dynamics related to trust, allegiance, betrayal, selective interaction, and long- term strategic cooperation. By providing a platform for large-scale playful interaction, we will create an experience that will foster the development of mutually beneficial personal and professional relationships among players.

Personalization in Serious and Persuasive Games and Gamified Interactions

@inproceedings{Busch2015,
Abstract = {Serious and persuasive games and gamified interactions have become popular in the last years, especially in the realm of behavior change support systems. They have been used as tools to support and influence human behavior in a variety of fields, such as health, sustainability, education, and security. It has been shown that personalized serious and persuasive games and gamified interactions can increase effectivity of supporting behavior change compared to " one-size-fits all " -systems. However, how serious games and gamified interactions can be personalized, which factors can be used to personalize (e.g. personality, gender, persuadability, player types, gamification user types, states, contextual/situational variables), what effect personalization has (e.g. on player/user experience) and whether there is any return on investment is still largely unexplored. This full-day workshop aims at bringing together the academic and industrial community as well as the gaming and gamification community to jointly explore these topics and define a future roadmap.},
Address = {London, UK},
Author = {M. Busch, E. Mattheiss, R. Orji, A. Marczewski, W. Hochleitner, M. Lankes, L. E. Nacke, and M. Tscheligi},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2015 annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play - chi play '15},
Doi = {10.1145/2793107.2810260},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/BrainHex.png},
Isbn = {9781450334662},
Pages = {811-816},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Personalization in Serious and Persuasive Games and Gamified Interactions},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/personalization-in-serious-and-persuasive-games-and-gamified-interactions},
Year = {2015},

Serious and persuasive games and gamified interactions have become popular in the last years, especially in the realm of behavior change support systems. They have been used as tools to support and influence human behavior in a variety of fields, such as health, sustainability, education, and security. It has been shown that personalized serious and persuasive games and gamified interactions can increase effectivity of supporting behavior change compared to " one-size-fits all " -systems. However, how serious games and gamified interactions can be personalized, which factors can be used to personalize (e.g. personality, gender, persuadability, player types, gamification user types, states, contextual/situational variables), what effect personalization has (e.g. on player/user experience) and whether there is any return on investment is still largely unexplored. This full-day workshop aims at bringing together the academic and industrial community as well as the gaming and gamification community to jointly explore these topics and define a future roadmap.

The HEXAD Gamification User Types Questionnaire : Background and Development Process

@inproceedings{Diamond2015,
Abstract = {The HEXAD gamification user types are attempting a segmentation of users based on their receptivity to varying gamification strategies. The underlying model is based on research on human motivation, player types, and years of practical design experiences. This model presents the first typology to classify users of gamified systems, enabling clustering them based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. The HEXAD model is comprised of the following six gamification user types: Socializers, Free Spirits, Achievers, Philanthropists, Players, and Disruptors. We have developed a questionnaire to assess how a user is represented by the different gamification user types. The following paper will present the development process of the questionnaire. Application venues will be discussed.},
Address = {London, UK},
Author = {L. Diamond, G. F. Tondello, A. Marczewski, L. E. Nacke, and M. Tscheligi},
Booktitle = {Workshop on personalization in serious and persuasive games and gamified interactions},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Gamification-User-Types-Hexad-150.png},
Keywords = {Gamification,Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation,Personalization,Questionnaire,User Segmentation/Classification/Typology},
Title = {The HEXAD Gamification User Types Questionnaire : Background and Development Process},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/the-hexad-gamification-user-types-questionnaire-background-and-development-process},
Year = {2015},

The HEXAD gamification user types are attempting a segmentation of users based on their receptivity to varying gamification strategies. The underlying model is based on research on human motivation, player types, and years of practical design experiences. This model presents the first typology to classify users of gamified systems, enabling clustering them based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. The HEXAD model is comprised of the following six gamification user types: Socializers, Free Spirits, Achievers, Philanthropists, Players, and Disruptors. We have developed a questionnaire to assess how a user is represented by the different gamification user types. The following paper will present the development process of the questionnaire. Application venues will be discussed.

Towards a Personalized Playful Digital Wellness Assistant

@inproceedings{Tondello2015b,
Abstract = {Positive effects of using digital games to improve personal health have been studied, but it remains unclear which game design techniques are most successful at motivating and changing long-term behaviour to improve wellbeing. To inform the design of gamified and effective personal healthcare, we will develop design guidelines and tools for gameful health and wellbeing applications, personalized to the needs and challenges of each individual user.},
Address = {London, UK},
Author = {G. F. Tondello, R. R. Wehbe, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Workshop on personalization in serious and persuasive games and gamified interactions},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/squash-793062_640.jpg},
Keywords = {Adaptive Systems,Health Games,Personal Assistant,Personalization,Persuasive Technologies,Wellness},
Title = {Towards a Personalized Playful Digital Wellness Assistant},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/towards-a-personalized-playful-digital-wellness-assistant},
Year = {2015},

Positive effects of using digital games to improve personal health have been studied, but it remains unclear which game design techniques are most successful at motivating and changing long-term behaviour to improve wellbeing. To inform the design of gamified and effective personal healthcare, we will develop design guidelines and tools for gameful health and wellbeing applications, personalized to the needs and challenges of each individual user.

Year 2013

Deconstructing `Gamified' Task-Management Applications

@inproceedings{kappen2013deconstructing,
Abstract = {Many tasks---and the societal need to attend events as part of our office culture---have an overwhelming effect on our management capacity. Using gamification to make task and chore management more exciting could allow people to be more productive while they are engaged and focused on their tasks. There is currently a lack of studies on the usefulness of gamified task-management applications. We address this by taking a look at two memory-aid applications with task-based gamification: Task Hammer (TH) and Epic Win (EW). Among our findings is that TH was easier to learn to use while EW was more satisfying and motivating. Participants who felt good about an apps' reward system were also more satisfied with its use. Conventional task managers are, however, preferred for speed and efficiency. Based on our interviews, it seems that gamified task managers are not more useful than classical ones. However, there is a relation between how participants perceive game elements and how useful they find it for task management.},
Address = {Stratford, ON, Canada},
Author = {D. L. Kappen, J. Johannsmeier, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of gamification 2013},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Deconstructing-Gamified-Task-Management-Applications.png},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {139-142},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Deconstructing `Gamified' Task-Management Applications},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/deconstructing-`gamified'-task-management-applications},
Year = {2013},

Many tasks---and the societal need to attend events as part of our office culture---have an overwhelming effect on our management capacity. Using gamification to make task and chore management more exciting could allow people to be more productive while they are engaged and focused on their tasks. There is currently a lack of studies on the usefulness of gamified task-management applications. We address this by taking a look at two memory-aid applications with task-based gamification: Task Hammer (TH) and Epic Win (EW). Among our findings is that TH was easier to learn to use while EW was more satisfying and motivating. Participants who felt good about an apps' reward system were also more satisfied with its use. Conventional task managers are, however, preferred for speed and efficiency. Based on our interviews, it seems that gamified task managers are not more useful than classical ones. However, there is a relation between how participants perceive game elements and how useful they find it for task management.

Designing Gamification: Creating Gameful and Playful Experiences

@inproceedings{deterding2013designing,
Abstract = {In recent years, gamification - the use of game design elements in non-game contexts - has seen rapid adoption in the software industry, as well as a growing body of research on its uses and effects. However, little is known about the effective design of such gameful systems, including whether their evaluation requires special approaches. This workshop therefore convenes researchers and industry practitioners to identify current practices, challenges, and open research questions in the design of gameful systems.},
Address = {Paris, France},
Author = {S. Deterding, S. L. Björk, L. E. Nacke, D. Dixon, and E. Lawley},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of CHI EA 2013},
Doi = {10.1145/2468356.2479662},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/designing_gamification_creating_gameful_and_playful_experiences.png},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {3263-3266},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Designing Gamification: Creating Gameful and Playful Experiences},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/designing-gamification-creating-gameful-and-playful-experiences},
Year = {2013},

In recent years, gamification - the use of game design elements in non-game contexts - has seen rapid adoption in the software industry, as well as a growing body of research on its uses and effects. However, little is known about the effective design of such gameful systems, including whether their evaluation requires special approaches. This workshop therefore convenes researchers and industry practitioners to identify current practices, challenges, and open research questions in the design of gameful systems.

The Kaleidoscope of Effective Gamification: Deconstructing Gamification in Business Applications

@inproceedings{kappen2013kaleidoscope,
Abstract = {Developers of gamified business applications face the chal- lenge of creating motivating gameplay strategies and crea- tive design techniques to deliver subject matter not typically associated with games in a playful way. We currently lack models that frame what makes gamification effective (e.g., what drives people to engage with a business application). Thus, we propose a design approach and analysis tool for gamification: The Kaleidoscope of Effective Gamification. We take a look at current models of game design, self de- termination theory and the principles of systems design to deconstruct the gamification layer in the design of these applications. Based on the layers of our model, we provide design guidelines for effective gamification.},
Address = {Stratford, ON, Canada},
Author = {D. L. Kappen and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of gamification 2013},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-Kaleidoscope-of-Effective-Gamification-Deconstructing-Gamification-in-Business-Applications.png},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {119-122},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {The Kaleidoscope of Effective Gamification: Deconstructing Gamification in Business Applications},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/the-kaleidoscope-of-effective-gamification-deconstructing-gamification-in-business-applications},
Year = {2013},

Developers of gamified business applications face the chal- lenge of creating motivating gameplay strategies and crea- tive design techniques to deliver subject matter not typically associated with games in a playful way. We currently lack models that frame what makes gamification effective (e.g., what drives people to engage with a business application). Thus, we propose a design approach and analysis tool for gamification: The Kaleidoscope of Effective Gamification. We take a look at current models of game design, self de- termination theory and the principles of systems design to deconstruct the gamification layer in the design of these applications. Based on the layers of our model, we provide design guidelines for effective gamification.

Time's Up: Studying Leaderboards for Engaging Punctual Behaviour

@inproceedings{costa2013time,
Abstract = {In the workplace, an individual's punctuality will not only have an effect on how a person is viewed by colleagues, but will also reverberate on their productivity. Being late for a meeting can be disruptive to the working team, costing everyone time and causing the individual to miss valuable information. Little has been done to improve the punctuali- ty of working teams. Therefore, we were interested in stud- ying the effectiveness of leaderboards, a common gamifica- tion technique, for improving punctuality of participants to regular work meetings. Leaderboards were comprised of data collected by monitoring the arrival times of the partici- pants, which influenced their scores in the leaderboards. We found that leaderboards themselves did not promote punc- tuality of every participant, but gave rise to various gameful social comparisons. These gameful social comparisons that emerged among participants when using leaderboards for our meetings were reported to be the cause of their punctu- ality improvements.},
Address = {Stratford, ON, Canada},
Author = {J. P. Costa, R. R. Wehbe, J. Robb, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of gamification 2013},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {26-33},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Time's Up: Studying Leaderboards for Engaging Punctual Behaviour},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/time's-up-studying-leaderboards-for-engaging-punctual-behaviour},
Year = {2013},

In the workplace, an individual's punctuality will not only have an effect on how a person is viewed by colleagues, but will also reverberate on their productivity. Being late for a meeting can be disruptive to the working team, costing everyone time and causing the individual to miss valuable information. Little has been done to improve the punctuali- ty of working teams. Therefore, we were interested in stud- ying the effectiveness of leaderboards, a common gamifica- tion technique, for improving punctuality of participants to regular work meetings. Leaderboards were comprised of data collected by monitoring the arrival times of the partici- pants, which influenced their scores in the leaderboards. We found that leaderboards themselves did not promote punc- tuality of every participant, but gave rise to various gameful social comparisons. These gameful social comparisons that emerged among participants when using leaderboards for our meetings were reported to be the cause of their punctu- ality improvements.

Year 2011

Calibration Games : Making Calibration Tasks Enjoyable by Adding Motivating Game Elements

@inproceedings{Flatlaetal2011,
Abstract = {Interactive systems often require calibration to ensure that input and output are optimally configured. Without calibration, user performance can degrade (e.g., if an input device is not adjusted for the user's abilities), errors can increase (e.g., if color spaces are not matched), and some interactions may not be possible (e.g., use of an eye tracker). The value of calibration is often lost, however, because many calibration processes are tedious and unenjoyable, and many users avoid them altogether. To address this problem, we propose calibration games that gather calibration data in an engaging and entertaining manner. To facilitate the creation of calibration games, we present design guidelines that map common types of calibration to core tasks, and then to well-known game mechanics. To evaluate the approach, we developed three calibration games and compared them to standard procedures. Users found the game versions significantly more enjoyable than regular calibration procedures, without compromising the quality of the data. Calibration games are a novel way to motivate users to carry out calibrations, thereby improving the performance and accuracy of many human-computer systems.},
Address = {Santa Barbara, CA, United States},
Author = {D. R. Flatla, C. Gutwin, L. E. Nacke, S. Bateman, and R. L. Mandryk},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of acm uist 2011},
Doi = {10.1145/2047196.2047248},
File = {::},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Calibration-Games-Making-Calibration-Tasks-Enjoyable-by-Adding-Motivating-Game-Elements.png},
Isbn = {9781450307161},
Keywords = {calibration,computer games,game design,gamification,gaming,modeling,motivation,system},
MendeleyTags = {calibration,gamification,gaming,modeling,motivation,system},
Pages = {403-412},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Calibration Games : Making Calibration Tasks Enjoyable by Adding Motivating Game Elements},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/calibration-games-making-calibration-tasks-enjoyable-by-adding-motivating-game-elements},
Year = {2011},
BdskUrl1 = {https://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Calibration-Games-Making-Calibration-Tasks-Enjoyable-by-Adding-Motivating-Game-Elements.pdf},
BdskUrl2 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2047196.2047248}}

Interactive systems often require calibration to ensure that input and output are optimally configured. Without calibration, user performance can degrade (e.g., if an input device is not adjusted for the user's abilities), errors can increase (e.g., if color spaces are not matched), and some interactions may not be possible (e.g., use of an eye tracker). The value of calibration is often lost, however, because many calibration processes are tedious and unenjoyable, and many users avoid them altogether. To address this problem, we propose calibration games that gather calibration data in an engaging and entertaining manner. To facilitate the creation of calibration games, we present design guidelines that map common types of calibration to core tasks, and then to well-known game mechanics. To evaluate the approach, we developed three calibration games and compared them to standard procedures. Users found the game versions significantly more enjoyable than regular calibration procedures, without compromising the quality of the data. Calibration games are a novel way to motivate users to carry out calibrations, thereby improving the performance and accuracy of many human-computer systems.

From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining "Gamification"

@inproceedings{deterding2011game,
Abstract = {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.},
Address = {Tampere, Finland},
Author = {S. Deterding, D. Dixon, R. Khaled, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of mindtrek 2011},
Doi = {10.1145/2181037.2181040},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/From-Game-Design-Elements-to-Gamefulness-Defining-Gamification.png},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {9-15},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining "Gamification"},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/from-game-design-elements-to-gamefulness-defining-%E2%80%9Cgamification%E2%80%9D},
Year = {2011},
BdskUrl1 = {https://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/From-Game-Design-Elements-to-Gamefulness-Defining-Gamification.pdf},
BdskUrl2 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040}}

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.

Gamification: Toward a Definition

@article{deterding2011gamificationa,
Abstract = {This paper proposes a working definition of the term gamification as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts. This definition is related to similar concepts such as serious games, serious gaming, playful interaction, and game-based technologies.},
Address = {Vancouver, BC, Canada},
Author = {S. Deterding, R. Khaled, L. E. Nacke, and D. Dixon},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Gamification-Toward-a-Definition.png},
Journal = {Proceedings of chi ea 2011},
Title = {Gamification: Toward a Definition},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/gamification-toward-a-definition},
Year = {2011},
BdskUrl1 = {https://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Gamification-Toward-a-Definition.pdf}}

This paper proposes a working definition of the term gamification as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts. This definition is related to similar concepts such as serious games, serious gaming, playful interaction, and game-based technologies.

Gamification: Using Game Design Elements in Non-Gaming Contexts

@inproceedings{deterding2011gamificationi,
Abstract = {"Gamification" is an informal umbrella term for the use of video game elements in non-gaming systems to improve user experience (UX) and user engagement. The recent introduction of 'gamified' applications to large audiences promises new additions to the existing rich and diverse research on the heuristics, design patterns and dynamics of games and the positive UX they provide. However, what is lacking for a next step forward is the integration of this precise diversity of research endeavors. Therefore, this workshop brings together practitioners and researchers to develop a shared understanding of existing approaches and findings around the gamification of information systems, and identify key synergies, opportunities, and questions for future research.},
Address = {Vancouver, BC, Canada},
Author = {S. Deterding, M. Sicart, L. E. Nacke, K. O'Hara, and D. Dixon},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of chi ea 2011},
Doi = {10.1145/1979742.1979575},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {2425-2428},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Gamification: Using Game Design Elements in Non-Gaming Contexts},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/gamification-using-game-design-elements-in-non-gaming-contexts},
Year = {2011},
BdskUrl1 = {https://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Gamification-Using-Game-Design-Elements-in-Non-Gaming-Contexts.pdf},
BdskUrl2 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/1979742.1979575}}

"Gamification" is an informal umbrella term for the use of video game elements in non-gaming systems to improve user experience (UX) and user engagement. The recent introduction of 'gamified' applications to large audiences promises new additions to the existing rich and diverse research on the heuristics, design patterns and dynamics of games and the positive UX they provide. However, what is lacking for a next step forward is the integration of this precise diversity of research endeavors. Therefore, this workshop brings together practitioners and researchers to develop a shared understanding of existing approaches and findings around the gamification of information systems, and identify key synergies, opportunities, and questions for future research.

Year 2010

Methods for Evaluating Gameplay Experience in a Serious Gaming Context

@article{Nacke2010a,
Annote = {This paper presents an approach to formalize gameplay experience evaluation methods applied during the process of player-game interaction and a roadmap for applying these mechanisms in the context of serious games. Based on related work of user experience and player experience models, we propose a three-layer framework of gameplay experience. We also discuss potential use of this framework within the field of game-based learning and serious gaming for sports and health.},
Author = {L. E. Nacke, A. Drachen, and S. Göbel},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Methods-for-Evaluating-Gameplay-Experience-in-a-Serious-Gaming-Context.png},
Journal = {International Journal of Computer Science in Sport},
Keywords = {Affect,Gameplay,Psychophysiology,Serious Gaming,User Experience,experience,gameplay,games,model,theory,ux,ux model},
MendeleyTags = {Affect,Gameplay,Psychophysiology,Serious Gaming,User Experience,theory},
Number = {2},
Title = {Methods for Evaluating Gameplay Experience in a Serious Gaming Context},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/methods-for-evaluating-gameplay-experience-in-a-serious-gaming-context},
Volume = {9},
Year = {2010},
BdskUrl1 = {https://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Methods-for-Evaluating-Gameplay-Experience-in-a-Serious-Gaming-Context.pdf}}

This paper presents an approach to formalize gameplay experience evaluation methods applied during the process of player-game interaction and a roadmap for applying these mechanisms in the context of serious games. Based on related work of user experience and player experience models, we propose a three-layer framework of gameplay experience. We also discuss potential use of this framework within the field of game-based learning and serious gaming for sports and health.