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Habits at play: Applying game theory to improve life quality
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Department of Game Design.
2023 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Applying game theory and incorporating aspects of games into apps with a purpose beyond entertainment is a concept that has become more and more prevalent over time. Adding features such as leaderboards, badges, points, collectable items and streaks to make the underlying purpose more appealing has been shown to have a considerable effect on engagement. This two-part study looks at how gamification - the act of applying game-like elements to increase appeal, can be used to produce extrinsic motivation for personal behavioural improvements. Part one focuses on the analysis of the gamified productivity app Habitica as a serious game – a game designed for a purpose beyond mere entertainment. The Serious Game Design Assessment (SGDA) framework is used to examine each element individually, and how well they align with the intended purpose forming a holistic understanding of Habitica and the associated potential emergence of extrinsic motivation utilizing elements of role-playing games (RPGs). Part two of the study is focused on a proposed reward-and-punishment system, designed for Table-top role-playing games (TTRPGs), with a similar purpose of producing extrinsic motivation by the utilization of RPG elements. A participant study focusing on the user experience of both systems was conducted to assess how well the systems align with their stated intended purpose. In conclusion, both Habitica and the proposed TTRPG reward-and-punishment system showed the potential to fulfil a utilitarian purpose beyond that of mere entertainment for its users, albeit with a varying degree of estimated efficacy, and with a high level of susceptibility to subjective preference and experience.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. , p. 55
Keywords [en]
Gamification, serious games, SGDA, Habitica, TTRPG, motivation, behaviour, habits
National Category
Human Computer Interaction Educational Sciences Art History
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-524263OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-524263DiVA, id: diva2:1841793
Subject / course
Game Design
Educational program
Bachelor's Programme in Game Design and Project Management
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2024-03-01 Created: 2024-02-29 Last updated: 2024-03-01Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association
  • vancouver
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More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
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  • Other locale
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Output format
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