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In light of the recent increase in the scholarly attention given to meaningful engagement with gamified information systems (IS), this research explores the definition and measurement of meaningful engagement as well as its role in predicting employees’ knowledge contributions via gamified knowledge management systems (KMSs).

The authors conducted two empirical studies. Study 1 develops a measure of meaningful engagement and evaluates its validity and reliability. Drawing on the literature on user engagement and work gamification theory, Study 2 places meaningful engagement in a nomological network and assesses the construct’s utility for predicting the quantity and quality of knowledge contributions via a gamified KMS.

The results show that meaningful engagement encompasses five specific dimensions: intense involvement, sense of meaning, self-discovery, pursuit of excellence, and personal expressiveness. The results also indicate that fostering meaningful engagement, which goes beyond hedonic and instrumental engagement, is essential to enhance the quality and quantity of knowledge contribution.

This research contributes to the literature on gamification by drawing scholarly attention to meaningful engagement as a parsimonious yet powerful construct that complements the notions of hedonic and instrumental engagement with KMSs. Although previous studies have highlighted the significance of meaningful engagement with gamified IS, little effort has been made to develop a scale to measure meaningful engagement. The scale the authors have developed will help researchers precisely measure users’ meaningful engagement and systematically examine its role in gamified systems compared to that of other forms of engagement. The study also has practical implications, as the results can inform future design strategies to enable the successful implementation of gamified KMSs that facilitate knowledge contribution in the workplace.

The development of new constructs is the starting point for theoretical development. This research responds to the call to conceptualize meaningful engagement with gamified IS.

This study argues that to drive users' continuance use behaviors, it is necessary to satisfy their desire for a meaningful experience when using information systems (IS). Therefore, this research explores the influencing mechanism by which gamified IS (immersive-related interaction, achievement-related interaction, and social-related interaction) impacts users' perceived benefits and continuance intention.

In this research, 367 users of Ant Forest are investigated in two waves through random sampling and the use of a structural equation model with SmartPLS 3.0 software.

The research results reveal the following: (1) both achievement-related interaction and social-related interaction can affect the user's continuance intention, while the direct impact of immersive-related interaction on the user's continuance intention is not supported; (2) users' perceived self-benefits fully mediate the relationships between achievement-related interaction and social-related interaction and users' continuance intention; and (3) perceived social benefits fully mediate the relationships between achievement-related interaction and social-related interaction and users' continuance intention.

This study supports the retention effects of gamification design on users' continuance intention by evocating users' dual perceived benefits.

This research draws on goal framing theory and gamification affordance to understand how gamification design encourages users' continuous usage of information systems (IS) to perform proenvironmental behaviors.

Survey data (N = 307) were collected from users of a gamified IS designed for environmental protection. The research model was examined with structural equation modeling.

Satisfying users' demand on green effectiveness, enjoyment, and social gain directly/indirectly predicts users' intention to continue to utilize the gamified IS for proenvironmental behaviors. Moreover, gamification affordance of autonomy support, visibility of achievement, competition, and interactivity influences the satisfaction of the users' relevant demands.

This research contributes to the IS research for environmental sustainability at the individual level. Specifically, this research extends the understanding of users' decision-making on continuance and the role of gamification design in the context of gamified IS developed for environmental conservation.

This study aims to examine the impact of the gameful experience on behavioural outcomes. Drawing from stimulus–organism–response theory, it proposes and tests a new model that investigates the relationship between the gameful experience, brand loyalty and intention to use gamified branded applications in the sports context. In addition, it explores the mediating role of customer–brand engagement (CBE) and the moderating role of self-image congruity (SIC).

A sample of 436 active users of sport-related branded gamified applications was used to test the model. Data was collected from online sports forums, brands’ Facebook communities and during sporting events.

Results indicate that the gameful experience positively and directly impacts behavioural intentions but does not directly influence brand loyalty. This relationship becomes partially significant when mediated by CBE. In addition, results show that users with high levels of SIC are more likely to continue using the gamified application, whereas users with low levels are more likely to engage with the brand.

This study expands the gamification literature in the sports sector by revealing the importance of the gameful experience in driving loyalty, behavioural intentions and CBE. It proposes a new model that sheds light on the emotional aspect of the interaction between a user and a gamified system and the importance of exploring the effects of moderators, such as SIC, in these relationships.

The present study aims to synthesize and conceptualize, through a systematic literature review (SLR), the current state of gamification knowledge in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) sector, providing a roadmap for future research recommendations for service research and practice.

The research is based on a systematic literature review and adopts a systematic quantitative approach to summarize existing evidence on gamification usage in the T&H sector, focusing on relevant service literature on gamification. The authors analyze 36 papers published between 2011 and 2019.

The authors synthesize existing knowledge into five themes describing gamification's role in T&H (Edutainment, Sustainable behavior, Engagement factors, Service provider-generated content and User-generated reviews). Then, a cross-analysis of the five themes reveals the pivotal elements (affordances, behavioral and psychological outcomes, and benefits) generated by gamification mechanics in T&H, simultaneously highlighting potential implications and relevant insights for service literature. The review identifies critical issues affecting gamification research and provides a future research agenda, considering opportunities for T&H and service research.

The study provides the first SLR investigating gamification in T&H. The findings present potential implications and relevant insights for T&H contributing to the construction of a more holistic understanding of gamification adoption in service research.

This study aims to examine how gamification increases employees’ knowledge contribution to the place of work. It develops and tests the conjecture that gamification adds hedonic value to the use of an enterprise collaboration system (ECS), which, in turn, increases in both the quality and quantity of knowledge contribution.

Drawing on the framework of successful gamification against a backdrop of affordance theory, this study develops and tests a theoretical model that explains the effects of gamification affordances on knowledge contribution via the use of an ECS. Empirical data were gathered from 166 employees at a global company that used a gamified ECS designed to aid knowledge sharing.

Results using structural equation modeling showed that three gamification affordances – rewardability, competition and visibility of achievement – jointly influenced employees’ perceived hedonic value of the ECS, which, in turn, increased knowledge contribution.

The results indicate that designing affordances that can increase hedonic value is central to facilitating employees’ knowledge contribution. However, simply incorporating game artifacts does not guarantee increased hedonic value of an ECS. Instead, assessing, monitoring and diagnosing what affordances users perceive from the use of a gamified system are important.

By conceptualizing gamification affordances rather than specifying the design features of enterprise applications, this study provides meaningful insights into how the benefits of gamification can be harnessed for knowledge management in organizations.

Inspired by the dynamic changes in our daily lives enabled via quantified-self technologies and the urgent need for more studies on the human-computer interaction design mechanisms adopted by these applications, this study explores the value of user affective experience mirroring and examines the empowerment effect of meaningful gamification in a psychological self-help system (PSS) that aids people in work stress relief.

Based on an analysis of the existing systems and theories in relevant fields, we conducted mixed-method research, involving semi-structured interviews, experience sampling experiments and user bio data triangulations, to identify the benefits of user affective experience mirroring and examine the impact of visual impact metaphor–based (VIM) meaningful gamification on PSS users.

For a gamified PSS, users generally perceive VIM as arousing more feelings of enjoyment, empathy, trust and usefulness, empowering them to gain more mastery and control over their emotional well-beings, especially with relieving their occupational stress and upbringing their level of perceived happiness. Overtime, VIM-based meaningful gamification further boosts such value of a PSS.

Weaving together meaningful gamification and psychological empowerment theories, the results emphasized that successful empowerment of user through gamification in PSSs relies heavily on whether a deeper and meaningful affective connection can be established with the users, in short, “meaningful gamification for psychological empowerment”. Such an understanding, as demonstrated in our research framework, also sheds light on the design theories for persuasive technology and human influence tactics during human computer interactions.

The results of the study demonstrate to practitioners how to make the best use of gamification strategies to deeply relate to and resonate with users. Even without complicated game-play design, meaningful gamification mechanisms, such as VIM facilitate the empowerment of users while gaining their appreciation, establishing a deeper connection with them and eventually generating persuasive effects on intended future behavioural outcomes.

The effective management of work-related stress with handy tools such as a VIM-based PSS can be beneficial for many organizations and, to a large extent, the society.

This study proposed and empirically demonstrated the empowerment effect of meaningful gamification for PSS users. In this cross-disciplinary study, theories from different research domains were synthesized to develop a more thorough and multi-faceted understanding of the optimal design strategies for emerging information systems like this VIM-based PSS.

Based on cognitive evaluation theory and gamification affordances, this study aims to understand how gamification affordances influence users’ intention to engage in sustainable behaviour and how new trends in Ant Forest influence its impact on green intrinsic motivation to support sustainable behaviours.

The authors developed a research model to explore the mechanisms underlying gamification affordances, psychological needs and green intrinsic motivation. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to assess the survey data (n = 393) and test the research model.

The results show that different gamification affordances can satisfy users’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, which positively influences their green intrinsic motivation and engagement in sustainable behaviours. However, some affordances, such as competition, might negatively impact these psychological needs.

This research updates information system research on environmental sustainability and the Ant Forest context. The authors provide a new framework that links gamification affordances, psychological needs and sustainable behaviour. The study also examines changing trends in Ant Forest and their implications.

Gamification is a strategic approach employed by practitioners to foster meaningful engagement and enhance the acceptance of recommendations. Gamification affordances (e.g. achievement, self-expression, interaction, and cooperation) catalyze significant psychological processes in consumers, leading to behavioral changes. Despite its application, a gap remains in understanding how these gamification affordances in e-commerce contexts impact customers' perceived values and drive recommendation acceptances.

Employing affordance theory and perceived value theory as our foundation, we have crafted a comprehensive framework that addresses the multifaceted nature of e-commerce gamification, thereby unifying the fragmented knowledge in this area. We implemented a quantitative research design to empirically test the proposed model.

The research reveals that the four principal affordances of gamification – achievement, self-expression, interaction, and cooperation – significantly enrich consumer values across hedonic, utilitarian, and social dimensions. This enrichment facilitates an increased propensity for accepting recommendations.

This study provides a novel lens through which to view the influence of gamification affordances on recommendation acceptance within gamified e-commerce settings. It delineates the effects of each affordance on consumers' perceived value and highlights the pivotal affordances that shape gamified e-commerce experiences. These insights yield actionable strategies for practitioners aiming to refine e-commerce gamification designs and cultivate more engaging consumer interactions.

Recently, both practitioners and researchers are beginning to recognize the great potential of social gamification in green information technology (IT) services. This study focuses on the roles of three social gamification affordances (interactivity, cooperation and competition) in gamified green IT services use, from the perspectives of recognition and social overload.

An online survey is conducted to examine the research model using structural equation modeling with users of Ant Forest, which is an example of green IT services in China.

Results indicate that interactivity, cooperation and competition can positively affect recognition, which further positively affects green IT services use; however, interactivity and cooperation can increase social overload, which negatively affects green IT services use.

This study provides new insights into the effects of social gamification affordances in green IT services by investigating the effects of interactivity, cooperation and competition on recognition and social overload. In addition, this study highlights the positive effect of recognition and negative effect of social overload on gamified green IT services use, extending the literature reviews surrounding gamified services use.