A definition for gamification: anchoring gamification in the service marketing literature

http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s12525-015-0212-z&domain=pdf

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Web End = Electron Markets (2017) 27:2131 DOI 10.1007/s12525-015-0212-z

RESEARCH PAPER

A definition for gamification: anchoring gamification in the service marketing literature

Kai Huotari1,2 & Juho Hamari3

Received: 1 May 2014 /Accepted: 17 December 2015 /Published online: 15 January 2016 # Institute of Information Management, University of St. Gallen 2016

Abstract BGamification^ has gained considerable scholarly and practitioner attention; however, the discussion in academia has been largely confined to the humancomputer interaction and game studies domains. Since gamification is often used in service design, it is important that the concept be brought in line with the service literature. So far, though, there has been a dearth of such literature. This article is an attempt to tie in gamification with service marketing theory, which conceptualizes the consumer as a co-producer of the service. It presents games as service systems composed of operant and operand resources. It proposes a definition for gamification, one that emphasizes its experiential nature. The definition highlights four important aspects of gamification: affordances, psychological mediators, goals of gamification and the context of gamification. Using the definition the article identifies four possible gamifying actors and examines gamification as communicative staging of the service environment.

Keywords Gamification . Game design . Service marketing . Service design . Persuasive technologies . Service-dominant logic

JEL Classification M3 Marketing and Advertising . M31 Marketing

Introduction

Gamification has raised significant interest both in industry (Kim 2008) and increasingly in academia (see Hamari et al. 2014a; Hamari et al. 2014b for reviews) in the last few years. However, this discussion has remained primarily in the realm of game studies and humancomputer interaction (HCI). Although games are offered in increasing numbers as services to consumers, very few academic articles have been published that bridge game studies and the service or marketing literature (e.g., Hamari and Jrvinen 2011; Hamari and Lehdonvirta 2010; Hamari et al. 2015; Sigala 2015; Stenros and Sotamaa 2009). Anchoring findings from game studies in the existing service marketing literature could provide a framework in which game play can be viewed as a part of the overall service and for understanding how it supports the core service offering.

Electronic commerce and electronic markets are one of the main areas where service marketing and technology...