DOES THE WINNER TAKE IT ALL? – TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THERE MIGHT BE NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL GAMIFICATION DESIGN

Abstract

Despite the popularity of gamification, and the positive effects of games in daily life, many gamification projects fail. A possible explanation for this observation is that most projects follow a one-size-fits-all approach without considering what the intended users really want. Closely related to this, most approaches focus on the integration of competitive game structures even though several mechanisms are available. This applies especially for the learning context of the study. Consequently, we aim to investigate the effectiveness of multiple gamification configurations based on different underlying motivational structures of users. To achieve our goal, we combine social comparison and social interdependence theory. This integration of theories helps to identify reward structures. They serve to analyze differences in user needs concerning their motivation to learn. We develop hypotheses that expose four different reward structures: autonomous, competitive, cooperative, and co-competitive. Our research-in-progress paper closes with an outline of an upcoming experiment. Once our research is completed, we expect to be able to better understand how differences in the users’ motivational structures influence their motivation in the context of learning, and how gamification configurations can be adapted based on a user’s underlying motivational structures