En grundfaktor för att en digital tjänst ska komma till användning är vilken motivation den ger användarna. Med detta i åtanke bör de motivationer tänkta användare av en tjänst har, kartläggas och ämnas uppfyllas. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka hur spelifiering kan påverka användares engagemang och motivation för en social speltjänst. Studien utgick ifrån teorimodellen HMSAM (Hedonic-Motivation System Adaption Model), för att förstå hur uppfattad användarvänlighet, uppfattad användarnytta, glädje, kontroll och nyfikenhet kan leda till inre motivation, med tillägget spelifiering som en faktor. En modell och en tes över hur detta kunde samverka skapades, och därifrån undersöktes studiens frågeställning genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, där fokusområdet var en social speltjänst, som hjälper människor att spela tillsammans på travspel, och de tillfrågade användarna lagkaptener för lag som använder sig av tjänsten. Frågor rörande motivation, engagemang, social kontakt och relationer, samt glädje ställdes. Mönster gjordes utifrån resultatet, och dessa kategoriserades sedan inom relevanta områden. Undersökningens resultat visade att tjänsten redan bistår med hög upplevd- användarvänlighet och användarnytta samt kontroll. Områden där motivationen skulle kunna ökas är glädjen och nyfikenheten - även om det i dagsläget finns en del som främjar detta, framkom det att stödet för de två känslorna inte existerar fullt ut. Datan från intervjuerna resulterade i tre gränssnittsförslag på hur spelifiering skulle kunna implementeras för användarna på den befintliga webbsidan. Gränssnitten som togs fram antas öka den inre motivationen genom att bistå med infrastruktur dels för direkt och tydlig kommunikation - som väntas leda till att användarna upplever ökad glädje och nyfikenhet, och dels en möjlighet att tävla lag emellan - som väntas leda till ökad nyfikenhet. Studien visade att bland användarnas största motivation till användning var möjligheten att spela tillsammans, där gränssnitten som tagits fram kan bidra med en starkare social känsla och att underhålla den solidaritet många känner med sitt lag. Vidare testning av gränssnitten behöver göras över en längre period för att kunna verifiera förändringarnas påverkan på det fortsatta engagemanget och motivationen. / A key factor for the use of a digital service is which motivation it provides the users with, where the intrinsic- and extrinsic motivations are triggered by different functions, elements and feeling. With this in mind, the different motivations of the service’s users should be researched and strived to be fulfilled. The purpose of this study has been to examine how Gamification can affect users engagement and motivation regarding a social game service. The theory of the study has been grounded in the theory model HMSAM (Hedonic-Motivation System Adaption Model), to understand how perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, joy, control and curiosity can lead up to intrinsic motivation, with Gamification as a contributing factor to the motivation. With the support of these two main subjects, a model and thesis were formed on how this could work together. The method used in this study was semi structured interviews, where the focus area was the social game service ‘ATG Tillsammans’ - which provides a platform for people to bet on horse racing together, and the subjects were captains for teams on that platform. The results of the study showed that the service already provides highly perceived ease of use and usefulness, and control. The areas where the motivation could be increased are joy and curiosity - even though they are somewhat supported today, the results indicated that the support wasn’t enough. The data from the interviews resulted in three different interface proposals, where Gamification was significant in the design process. The created interfaces are assumed to increase the intrinsic motivation, by providing an infrastructure for direct and clear communication - which is expected to lead the users perceiving more joy and curiosity, and also an opportunity to compete between the teams - which is presumed to lead to increased curiosity for the service. The study showed that among the users largest motivation for using the service was the opportunity to bet together with others, where the interface proposals could lead to a stronger social feeling och help maintain the solidarity that many feel towards their own team. Further research and testing over time is needed, to be able to verify the alterations effect on the continued engagement and motivation.

Microtransactions are part of a business model used almost extensively in the video-gaming industry where developers offer virtual goods or features via micropayments. The concept is relatively new and still unknown to many but deeply rooted in modern video-game developers’ business strategies. Microtransactions are found in smartphone applications, online games played on computer or gaming consoles, and while the concept might be unfamiliar to many, the odds are most have encountered it.   Most published games will feature in-game purchases where users have to option to purchase features, items or content for a small amount of money. A microtransaction in its most simplistic form is ad-removal, here developers offer the user a way to get rid of ads by charging a small amount, like $.99. While one microtransaction may seem insignificant, multiple impulsive purchases can quickly add up to considerable sums. This has resulted in the use of microtransactions becoming the most profitable business strategy for game developers.   This study seeks to describe what stimulates a person to complete a purchase by using the components of hedonic motivation from the HMSAM theory leading to the research question: Which hedonic motivations induce use of microtransaction systems and does it vary by age? To research the phenomena a quantitative questionnaire was formed based on hedonic motivations, including three motivations added by the author, gathering responses from 398 video-game players having completed a microtransaction purchase.   After analyzing the results, some components protruded more than others while the consensus suggested that the influence of hedonic motivation was comparatively low. The argument for this outcome may be that players see in-game items as objects of real-world value, making the microtransaction system within a game a utilitarian-motivation system. The general attitude towards microtransactions appeared to be poor which contradicts some elements of previous research while supporting others.   This thesis will contribute to the field of informatics by complementing the traditional technology acceptance model (TAM) with hedonic motivations, as proposed by Lowry et al. in 2013. The author of this study argue it is a modernized way of researching intentions to use asort of system.