TY - JOUR
T1 - What's the Point?
T2 - A Review of Reward Systems Implemented in Gamification Interventions
AU - Lewis, Zakkoyya H.
AU - Swartz, Maria C.
AU - Lyons, Elizabeth J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Z.H.L. was supported by Predoctoral Fellowship grant 16PRE27090012 from the American Heart Association. E.J.L. was supported by a Mentored Research Scholar grant MRSG-14-165-01-CPPB in Applied and Clinical Research from the American Cancer Society. E.J.L. and M.C.S. were also supported by Beginning Grant-in-Aid 13BGIA17110021 from the American Heart Association. M.C.S. was also supported by Comparative Effectiveness Research on Cancer in Texas from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (grant RP140020).
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2016, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2016.
PY - 2016/4/1
Y1 - 2016/4/1
N2 - Rewards are commonly used in interventions to change behavior, but they can inhibit development of intrinsic motivation, which is associated with long-term behavior maintenance. Gamification is a novel intervention strategy that may target intrinsic motivation through fun and enjoyment. Before the effects of gamified interventions on motivation can be determined, there must be an understanding of how gamified interventions operationalize rewards, such as point systems. The purpose of this review is to determine the prevalence of different reward types, specifically point systems, within gamified interventions. Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles. Data sources included Medline OVID, Medline PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, and PsycINFO. Out of the 21 articles retrieved, 18 studies described a reward system and were included in this review. Gamified interventions were designed to target a myriad of clinical outcomes across diverse populations. Rewards included points (n = 14), achievements/badges/medals (n = 7), tangible rewards (n = 7), currency (n = 4), other unspecified rewards (n = 3), likes (n = 2), animated feedback (n = 1), and kudos (n = 1). Rewards, and points in particular, appear to be a foundational component of gamified interventions. Despite their prevalence, authors seldom described the use of noncontingent rewards or how the rewards interacted with other game features. The reward systems relying on tangible rewards and currency may have been limited by inhibited intrinsic motivation. As gamification proliferates, future research should explicitly describe how rewards were operationalized in the intervention and evaluate the effects of gamified rewards on motivation across populations and research outcomes.
AB - Rewards are commonly used in interventions to change behavior, but they can inhibit development of intrinsic motivation, which is associated with long-term behavior maintenance. Gamification is a novel intervention strategy that may target intrinsic motivation through fun and enjoyment. Before the effects of gamified interventions on motivation can be determined, there must be an understanding of how gamified interventions operationalize rewards, such as point systems. The purpose of this review is to determine the prevalence of different reward types, specifically point systems, within gamified interventions. Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles. Data sources included Medline OVID, Medline PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, and PsycINFO. Out of the 21 articles retrieved, 18 studies described a reward system and were included in this review. Gamified interventions were designed to target a myriad of clinical outcomes across diverse populations. Rewards included points (n = 14), achievements/badges/medals (n = 7), tangible rewards (n = 7), currency (n = 4), other unspecified rewards (n = 3), likes (n = 2), animated feedback (n = 1), and kudos (n = 1). Rewards, and points in particular, appear to be a foundational component of gamified interventions. Despite their prevalence, authors seldom described the use of noncontingent rewards or how the rewards interacted with other game features. The reward systems relying on tangible rewards and currency may have been limited by inhibited intrinsic motivation. As gamification proliferates, future research should explicitly describe how rewards were operationalized in the intervention and evaluate the effects of gamified rewards on motivation across populations and research outcomes.
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U2 - 10.1089/g4h.2015.0078
DO - 10.1089/g4h.2015.0078
M3 - Review article
C2 - 26812253
AN - SCOPUS:84992756958
SN - 2161-783X
VL - 5
SP - 93
EP - 99
JO - Games for Health Journal
JF - Games for Health Journal
IS - 2
ER -