Gamification in Health Behavior Change Support Systems - A Synthesis of Unintended Side Effects

Manuel Schmidt-Kraepelin, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Department of Economics and Management, Karlsruhe, Germany
Scott Thiebes, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Department of Economics and Management, Karlsruhe, Germany
Stefan Stepanovic, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Tobias Mettler, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Ali Sunyaev, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Department of Economics and Management, Karlsruhe, Germany

Description

Gamification has become a popular and promising tool to positively impact the usage of health behavior change support systems (HBCSSs). Fun and engaging components are purposefully integrated in the design of HBCSSs in an effort to encourage users to employ the system in a more regular manner or over a longer period of time. Although extant research has made extensive efforts to understand the psychological and behavioral outcomes of gamification, its potential unintended side effects have been mostly neglected. We approached this gap by reviewing 33 articles on gamification in HBCSSs. We identified 16 potential unintended side effects in five categories. By taking a critical view, our research contributes to a more nuanced approach to gamification, which helps to understand how it can be utilized as a valuable tool for developers that motivates and does not harm users of HBCSSs.

 
Mar 8th, 8:00 AM

Gamification in Health Behavior Change Support Systems - A Synthesis of Unintended Side Effects

Gamification has become a popular and promising tool to positively impact the usage of health behavior change support systems (HBCSSs). Fun and engaging components are purposefully integrated in the design of HBCSSs in an effort to encourage users to employ the system in a more regular manner or over a longer period of time. Although extant research has made extensive efforts to understand the psychological and behavioral outcomes of gamification, its potential unintended side effects have been mostly neglected. We approached this gap by reviewing 33 articles on gamification in HBCSSs. We identified 16 potential unintended side effects in five categories. By taking a critical view, our research contributes to a more nuanced approach to gamification, which helps to understand how it can be utilized as a valuable tool for developers that motivates and does not harm users of HBCSSs.