Gamification is a multi-faceted phenomenon that affects multiple domains of human life. Therefore, we welcome submissions related to this ludic transformation of our reality under several domains and related (but not limited) to e.g. the following keywords:
-Users: e.g. Engagement, experience, user types
-Education: e.g. Gamification in education, serious games, game-based learning, games & math
-Media: e.g. eSports, streaming, gamification in journalism
-Commerce: e.g. Business models, free-to-play, gambling, gamification as marketing
-Work: e.g. Organizational gamification, gameful work, gamification in leadership
-Technology: e.g. Virtual reality, augmented reality, Internet of things
-Toys & play: e.g. Toy play, toy design/creation, toys in education, Internet of Toys
-Health: e.g. Quantified self, games for health, health benefits
-Culture: e.g. Ludification, history of games and gamification
-Theories/concepts/methods: Contributions to science around gamification
During the last decades, games have penetrated the everyday by becoming an established vein of entertainment and consumer culture, and an increasingly common and integral part of people’s daily lives. The ways in which people play and employ games have become and continue to be more varied. There are more different kinds of games available for a multitude of different platforms, mediated through different technologies that cater for differing gaming needs for widening audiences and which use a wide variety of business models.
Following these developments, our reality and lives are increasingly game-like, not only because video games have become a pervasive part of our lives, but perhaps most prominently because activities, systems and services that are not traditionally perceived as game-like are increasingly gamified. Gamification refers to designing products, services and organizational practices to afford similar experiences to games, and consequently, to attempt to create value and affect people’s behaviour. In recent years, the popularity of gamification has skyrocketed and is manifested in growing numbers of gamified applications, as well as a rapidly increasing amount of research. Healthcare, educational and organizational contexts have been especially prominent fields for gamification interventions and solutions. Gameful restructuring of activities has been perceived as a potentially effective way of increasing motivation and participation in such contexts. Research in the given contexts has seemed to support the idea that gamification can indeed be beneficial for increasing engagement and commitment in, for example, healthy habits and exercise, learning, and work.
Beyond intentional gamification, gamification also refers to the general ludic transformation of our reality, culture and everyday lives. For example, recently we have witnessed the popular emergence of augmented reality games and virtual reality technologies that enable a more seamless integration of games into our physical reality. The media ecosystem has also experienced a degree of ludic transformation, with user generated content becoming an important competitor for large media corporations. This transformation has led to the development of several emerging phenomena such as streaming and esports, that have penetrated the cultural membrane allowing games to seep into domains hitherto dominated by traditional media. Furthermore, current developments in smart home and smart office solutions, and the integration of sensor technology and connectivity to tangible everyday objects, and the development of the Internet of Things, are creating new avenues for creating playful and gamified experiences. Today, many toys also incorporate technology, extending the ways they can be used and interacted with. Connected, smart playthings and the Internet of Toys (IoToys) have widened both our understandings of play and what comprises contemporary, digital playgrounds, exemplifying the toyification of technology. At the same time, when shared on social media platforms, play with non-technological toys is becoming increasingly gamified.