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Cited by 1,750

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The rise of motivational information systems: A review of gamification research

Open access
Koivisto, Jonna, Hamari, Juho·2019·International Journal of Information Management
DOI 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.013
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Abstract

Today, our reality and lives are increasingly game-like, not only because games have become a pervasive part of our lives, but also because activities, systems and services are increasingly gamified. Gamification refers to designing information systems to afford similar experiences and motivations as games do, and consequently, attempting to affect user behavior. In recent years, popularity of gamification has skyrocketed and manifested in growing numbers of gamified applications, as well as a rapidly increasing amount of research. However, this vein of research has mainly advanced without an agenda, theoretical guidance or a clear picture of the field. To make the picture more coherent, we provide a comprehensive review of the gamification research (N=819 studies) and analyze the research models and results in empirical studies on gamification. While the results in general lean towards positive findings about the effectiveness of gamification, the amount of mixed results is remarkable. Furthermore, education, health and crowdsourcing as well as points, badges and leaderboards persist as the most common contexts and ways of implementing gamification. Concurrently, gamification research still lacks coherence in research models, and a consistency in the variables and theoretical foundations. As a final contribution of the review, we provide a comprehensive discussion, consisting of 15 future research trajectories, on future agenda for the growing vein of literature on gamification and gameful systems within the information system science field.

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Metadata

Authors
Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J.
Venue
International Journal of Information Management
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-04
Volume
45
Pages
191-210
ISSN
0268-4012 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.013
OpenAlex
W2903986723
Cited by
1,750
References
32
FWCI
115.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
hybrid
Licence
Funders
  • Business Finland (5479/31/2017, 40111/14, 40107/14, 40009/16)
  • Satakunnan korkeakoulusäätiö and its collaborators, and Academy of Finland

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Koivisto, J., & Hamari, J. (2019). The rise of motivational information systems: A review of gamification research. International Journal of Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.10.013

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