Explaining the Outcomes of Social Gamification: A Longitudinal Field Experiment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zhang, Jun; Jiang, Qiqi; Zhang, Wenping; Kang, Lele; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Zhang, Xiong
• 署名单位: Wuhan University; Copenhagen Business School; Renmin University of China; Nanjing University; Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University; Beijing Jiaotong University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0742-1222
• DOI: 10.1080/07421222.2023.2196776
• 发表日期: 2023
• 页码: 401-439
• 关键词: constructive competition; interdependence theory; online; INFORMATION; DESIGN; achievement; engagement; IMPACT; goals; games

摘要

Social gamification, which allows technology users to interact with each other in gamified tasks, has drawn increasing interest due to its effectiveness in facilitating users' game engagement and task efforts. In social gamification, users can compete or cooperate with other users or teams to complete game tasks and achieve game goals. However, it remains unclear how various social interaction mechanisms (SIMs), such as cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition, influence gamification outcomes when they are separately or jointly implemented. In addition, the effects of SIMs on experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes have not been well differentiated. In this study, we systematically investigate the influences of these fundamental SIMs, as well as the possible interaction effects among them, on fitness app users' game engagement and fitness behavior. Using a fitness app custom-developed for the Chinese market, Fitness Castle, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment to test our proposed model and hypotheses. The results indicate that when separately implemented, cooperation and interpersonal competition can lead to differential instrumental gamification outcomes in the fitness context. We also systematically compare the differential gamification outcomes when cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition are combined in various coopetition settings. Our study offers a theory-based framework and design principles for social gamification. Our findings help practitioners better design SIMs in their gamified technologies with the purpose of achieving optimal experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes simultaneously.