It is Really Not a Game: An Integrative Review of Gamification for Service Research

It is Really Not a Game: An Integrative Review of Gamification for Service Research

It is Really Not a Game: An Integrative Review of Gamification for Service Research

By Robert Ciuchita, Jonas Heller, Sarah Köcher, SörenKöcher, Thomas Leclercq, Karim Sidaoui, and Susan Stead

Abstract

“Gamification has attracted considerable practitioner attention and has become a viable tactic for influencing behavior, boosting innovation, and improving marketing outcomes across industries. Simultaneously, studies on the use of gamification techniques have emerged in diverse fields, including computer science, education, and healthcare. Despite the broad popularity of gamification in other fields, it has received only limited attention in the service literature. Moreover, the findings of extant studies on gamification in the service field are inconclusive and suggest an incomplete understanding of the employment of gamification in service contexts. Thus, this study aims to integrate the growing but scattered cross-disciplinary literature on gamification and to emphasize its relevance to service research. Specifically, we first conceptualize gamification for service and differentiate it from related concepts. Then, using a systematic literature review, we identify 34 empirical articles that reflect this gamification conceptualization and can be connected to relevant service research themes (e.g., customer participation, experience, and loyalty). Employing activity theory, we derive four higher-order functions of gamification: production, consumption, exchange, and distribution. Finally, we develop a research agenda to generate a better understanding of the central aspects within each of the identified gamification functions and stimulate future academic efforts on gamification in services.”

Reference

Ciuchita, R., Heller, J., Köcher, S., Köcher, S., Leclercq, T., Sidaoui, K., & Stead, S. (2022, April 11). It is really not a game: An integrative review of Gamification For ... Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10946705221076272

Keywords

Gamification, systematic literature review, activity theory, engagement, experience, loyalty, research