Gabriel Kenny

Motivation has always been a key aspect to video games and gamified systems. Trying to nudge a player towards a certain behaviour, persuading a user to invest more time in an application or make systems easier and more engaging to use are common challenges for designers. Whilst there are existing frameworks to help us overcome them, a motivation-based approach could add to the techniques and vocabulary with which games and gamified systems are created.

Following an overview of contemporary research into motivation, as well as gamification, I am creating a framework with which to evaluate design elements. This is applied and tested in a rowing application with the ultimate goal of understanding how to strengthen and support existing motivation, instead of replacing it with superficial points and leaderboards.