Gamification on long-term sustainability decisions

Abstract

Gamified software products are among the developed contributions toward the implementation of a sustainably developed world: people adopt an environmentally conscious lifestyle, societal development advances through economic growth, and environmental resources and biospheres are protected. However, gamified technologies are bound to fail when game mechanics are improperly applied within the system's environment and when human cognitive limitations and hindrances, such as shortsightedness and impulsivity, are not considered. Additionally, existing studies indicate that behavioral change is difficult to successfully implement and sustain for prolonged periods; current methods of environmental protection education are insufficiently impactful for the target audience. To properly incentivize people to engage in the promoted actions and behaviors and to integrate a new attitude toward the presented material long-term, gamified technology must utilize the most appropriate game mechanics in areas that support behavior change while eliminating human cognitive decision-making shortcomings. Bower, Ant Forest, and JouleBug were selected as case studies in this paper to examine their efficacy and persuasive performance based on implemented operational mechanics and design interfaces.