This thesis aims to explore how video games have become an extremely beneficial tool in regards to education, art, medicine, psychology, economics, and beyond. Chapter 1 focuses on how ubiquitous video games have become in America, and what makes video games such a uniquely enjoyable experience to warrant such popularity. Chapter 2 explores how video games have become instrumental in various fields. Chapter 3 discusses the role that video games now play in the world of education; specifically how we, as educators, must adapt a modern pedagogy best suited to students who have grown up with video games, which have influenced how they learn. This is the thesis’ primary contention and purpose. Chapter 4 dissects the two most studied controversies which surround video games as a medium: video game violence and video game addiction.

This thesis analyses the process of knowledge-base adoption in the enterprise environment. Using data from two knowledge-management systems operated by the company, Semanta, s.r.o. we studied the day-to-day interactions of employees using the system and identified the important drivers of system adoption. We began by studying the effect of co-workers' collaborative activities on knowledge creation within the system. It was found that they had a positive and significant impact upon overall knowledge creation and thus on adoption. Secondly, we explored how the newly defined concept of gamification could help determine and encourage an increase in knowledge creation. The use of gamification tools, such as the "Hall of Fame" page, turned out to have significant influence in the adoption process. Thirdly, we examined how users continually seek knowledge within the system and how asking for missing information and being supplied with answers has an impact on adoption rates. It was shown that the quicker the responses and the more experts dealing with requests the greater the impact on knowledge base adoption. Finally, we showed that the size and character of the company deploying the knowledge management system does not influence the adoption drivers. This thesis represents an effort to fill the...

Ideation is a critical step in the creation of new solutions to problems. Brainstorming, being the most commonly known ideation method, is mostly done in groups. However, research points out that brainstorming individually is more effective than brainstorming in groups. This paper investigates if negative aspects (reduced enjoyment, motivation and self-rated performance) associated with brainstorming alone can be overcome by using a gamified approach to brainstorming. Gamified and non-gamified prototypes have been made and used in combination with a questionnaire to measure differences in these negative aspects. From the within-subject study including 20 participants, it appears that the implemented gamification approach was not different from the non-gamified approach for most of the negative aspects. Self-rated performance was however significantly higher in the non-gamified version. Using the gamified or non-gamified approach seems to largely come down to the preference of the user.

The diploma thesis deals with the development of algorithmic thinking among the lower-secondary students as one of their digital competences. It is based on the principle of algorithmic thinking related to the concept of computational thinking and it searches for the ways how to develop it in pupils. The theoretical part is supported by Skinner's concept of programmed learning and with the help of gamification proposes the research based on the students' observation in one school year in which the competence is developed. The raised issue is solved by setting a complex set of teaching materials and learning activities (both in the digital environment and unplugged activities) and their partial transfer into the teaching to a virtual, algorithmic environment of the specially designed application called Prográmko. The goal of the thesis is the analysis of the possibilities of how to include the gamification and the programmed learning into the practice of the development of algorithmic thinking taught at the lower-secondary schools. The research also evaluates the applicability of the application Prográmko and the proposed set of materials provided with methodological guidelines in the practice.

Gamification offers methods for influencing human behaviour that are not available with other approaches to behaviour-change interventions. Its widespread and successful use in business, education, and health care notwithstanding, it has so far not been extensively used for improving sustainability, nor have its underlying psychological principles been studied in depth. This dissertation investigates gamification with a special focus on the role of perspective taking and emotion. A gamified behaviour-change app was compared with a standard app and a webpage for its effect on participants’ sustainable behaviours. During the one month period the participants engaged with the intervention, they kept diaries about their experience with sustainability and the technology. Furthermore, the influence of dramatic elements was tested through an augmented reality approach. Gamification encourages longer engagement with the intervention, thereby influencing behaviour. Specifically, gamification increases knowledge about and willingness to invest effort into sustainable behaviours. Dramatic elements, using the power of narrative persuasion and immersion, are important aspects to consider in gamification. The theory of behavioural choice can fruitfully serve as a psychological model of how gamification affects behaviour. / Graduate

<div>Growing automobile dependency and usage continue to exacerbate traffic congestion, air pollution, and physical inactivity in metropolitan areas. Extensive efforts have been made to leverage advanced technology and related policies to influence short- (within-day and day-to-day) and long-term (mobility and lifestyle) travel decisions to address these issues from the system operator and individual traveler perspectives. However, most studies have yet to address system operator and individual traveler needs together; provide sufficient understanding of the impacts of such technologies on safety and health; and consider the impacts of distinctive regional and political characteristics on responses to different policies among population subgroups.</div><div>This dissertation seeks to facilitate the leveraging of information technologies and related policies to influence short- and long-term travel decisions by: (1) developing a framework for apps that integrate augmented reality, gamification, and social component to influence travel decisions that address multiple user- and system-level goals, (2) understanding the safety and health impacts of these apps, (3) developing strategies to influence residential location decision-making to foster sustainable post-relocation travel behavior, (4) investigating the impacts of economic and legal policies on travel decisions by considering distinctive regional and political characteristics.</div><div>This dissertation can provide insights to system operators for designing a new generation of apps to dynamically manage traffic in real-time, promote long-term mode shifts from single-occupancy driving to carpooling, public transit use, walking and cycling, and address individual traveler needs. The dissertation also presents app mechanisms for providing feedback to legislators and app developers for designing policies and apps geared towards safe usage and promoting the physical and mental health of its users. </div><div>In addition, by considering the impacts of distinctive regional and political characteristics on population subgroups in terms of their responses to information technologies and economic and legal policies, additional measures can be deployed to support and facilitate the implementation of such technologies and policies.</div><div><br></div>

Gamification has previously demonstrated successful results when it comes to increasing the user retention rate in many different sectors. Non-profit charity organisations have for the last 10 years had a retention rate that is below 50%. This thesis investigates the possibility of increasing the user retention rate in the non-profit charity application The Life You Can Save(TLYCS) by implementing gamification. The gamification mechanic that was chosen for implementation was achievements. To measure understandability the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire was used, the four satisfaction scores of the questionnaire were measured with a number between one and seven. Sven represented the highest number and one represented the lowest number. All four satisfaction scores had an average number that was higher than 6. Because of the previously proved successful results of gamification and a usable implementation of achievements in the mobile application TLYCS the possibility of an increased user retention rate is assessed to be high.

How can coaching services encourage user engagement? The objective of this thesis has been to conduct research with a service design approach of what changes can be made to a service to further engage and motivate users. The already existing service provided by Scania called Driver Coaching is used as a case study. The thesis contributes to research by exploring how coaching services can implement gamification aspects in its customer journey. Using said case study as an example, user studies were conducted and resulted in an extensive list of insights and user needs. A gamification framework called Octalysis was used to locate what aspects of the service that could be changed in order to increase user motivation. The user needs and the lacking core drives in the current Octalysis were connected during the ideation phase. Connecting the gamification theory with the service design case study, a design proposal took form. In this case study, the design proposal is a modular concept with five different components that can be implemented in the service on their own or all together. Even though this design proposal is specific to the case study, the process of using the gamification theory and methods could be applied to other cases.

Abstract Background:  Both the fitness and gamification industry are booming with no signs of slowing down in the near future. Gamified applications are entering the markets, attempting to induce gameful elements into tedious environments to enhance intrinsic motivation. The same goes for the gym sector, as market leaders, such as the Swedish gym chain Nordic Wellness, are increasingly implementing gamification elements into their business models.   Problem: The true effectiveness of gamification on intrinsic motivation remains underdeveloped. Literature highlights the necessity of adapting gamification design towards the end-user, by considering the different effects from the individual game elements and the context. However, the gym context has been completely neglected, even though gamification has become increasingly utilized in this sector.     Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the body of knowledge on how extrinsic mechanisms such as gamification can influence intrinsic motivation. This study utilizes the context of a gamified gym application for Nordic Wellness to determine the motivational potential of game elements. Thereby, the research team attempts to add to the body of literature by expanding on the effectiveness of gamification on intrinsic motivation, while also contributing through entering a currently undiscovered domain of gamification in the gym context.   Method: A qualitative approach with fifteen semi-structured interviews has been conducted on young Swedish adults attending the Swedish gym chain Nordic Wellness.   Results: The findings suggest Self-Determination Theory as a valid framework to examine the effects of gamification on intrinsic motivations. Through connecting the identified themes and theory, a framework is proposed for the evaluation on the effectiveness of game elements on intrinsic motivation. From evaluating the discussed game elements through this framework, recommendations are made for a gamified gym application that is argued to positively satisfy the psychological needs and therefore enhance the intrinsic motivations in a gym context.

Gamification as an educational tool has been explored extensively in traditional academic contexts such as universities and schools. There is however a lack of research on the usage of games for educational purposes in organizations, and even less research has evaluated games’ potential in creating organizational awareness. To understand if companies could benefit from gamification, this study looked at how employees’ professional backgrounds, social interaction and context during a game experience can influence employees’ awareness of the organization. In order to do that, a digital game that portrayed the supply chain process of an industrial company and focused on specific key aspects was built and tested with 17 employees in a large international organization. The results show that digital games can further both awareness of the organization by letting employees play and experience key aspects of the delivery process. The most noticeable increase in awareness were with the participants whose work is not directly involved in the supply chain.