GAMIFICATION IS ALL ABOUT FUN: THE ROLE OF INCENTIVE TYPE AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

As the transformation of various services into appealing game-like experiences is in its infancy, limited research exists in the area and in particular on the way each gamification design decision affects intended outcome. In the present study we investigate the impact of two game elements (incentive type and community collaboration) on user´s experienced fun during participation in a gamified service. Via an experiment (N=108), we examine the role of Incentive Type [Accomplish an achievement versus Receive discounted offer], as a motivator for participation, and Community Collaboration, as participation setting (individual pursuit of goals versus collaborative pursuit of goals), on experienced fun in the context of a gamified consumer service. The service is aimed at assisting consumers in their efforts to adopt an ecologically conscious consumer behaviour. Results indicate that the selection of community collaboration as a form of interaction presents significant difference in experienced fun during participation, whereas accomplishing an achievement opposed to receiving discounted price does not

Gamification of Authoring Interactive E-Books for Children: The Q-Tales Ecosystem

The e-book industry is reshaping the norm of traditional book publishing and most publishing houses are concentrating their efforts in digital, in order to satisfy new market needs and capture significant market share. Currently, one of out of five e-books sold, are children-related and overall, the e-book industry is projected to be valued at $18.9 billion by 2018. Nevertheless, the increased market penetration of independent writers accompanied with continuous technological improvements leads to new challenges for the stakeholders involved, as a growing number of individuals with limited resources attempt to compete against traditional publishing houses. The Q-Tales ecosystem aims to support the community of creative professionals, experts and parents co-create new (or transform existing) children literature into high quality interactive e-books. At this new disruptive approach of self-publishing, the gamification paradigm was employed, creating game-like experiences, to motivate professionals participate in the process and adopt it. The present study focuses on the gamification aspect of Q-Tales as means to drive engagement with the entire ecosystem and promote its appropriate use, enhancing the overall goal of creating interactive children e- books. The gamification design of the Q-Tales distributed system for collaborative authoring of interactive e-books for children is presented and discussed as a case study of gamification of electronic services. More specifically, game elements, such as points, leaderboards, badges, missions and feedback were infused in the architectural units of the platform, in correspondence to the overall development of the Q-Tales Gamification Framework

EFFECTING EMPLOYEE ENERGY CONSERVATION BEHAVIOUR AT THE WORKPLACE BY UTILISING GAMIFICATION

Energy consumption is one of the widely recognised important factors that should be addressed, in reducing CO2 emissions towards addressing climate change. However, albeit the documented effect of public buildings, in specific, on energy consumption, only a limited body of research focuses on one of the most important factors that could limit it: employees’ energy consumption behaviour. Aiming to contribute to this path of research, we have identified gamification as an instrument that, when appropriately utilised, could lead to employees’ energy behaviour change. Additionally, we present a behavioural research model for employee energy conservation at work, in alignment with VBN theory of environmentalism, and a questionnaire instrument to validate it combined with practical experimentation. We consider two important categories of parameters that are connected to energy consumption behaviour in the workplace: Employees’ personal profile, which also influences the design and effectiveness of gamified apps, as well as level of environmental awareness. Concurrently, we also present preliminary findings from the analysis of the data collected after deploying the forementioned questionnaire instrument

Gamification at Work: Employee Motivations to Participate and Preference for Energy Conservation

Energy wastage, especially in public buildings, is one of the widely acknowledged issues that have to be addressed towards protecting the environment. Furthermore, affecting the occupants’ behaviour has been identified in the literature as an under-investigated means of conserving energy. In this research paper we report on the results from an investigation we conducted in three different workplaces, situated in different EU countries. In a survey of N=119 employees, we explore Employee Motivations to Participate in Gamification at work (EMPG) and identify the needs for (i)Self- Actualisation, (ii)Self-Regulation, (iii)Rewards & Recognition and (iv)Affiliation as most prominent. Additionally we examine the employees’ profiles, specific needs and preferences in game elements, towards participating in gamification aimed at conserving energy at the workplace. Correlations of the four types of EMPG with basic game elements and energy-saving actions at work are consequently explored and discussed. Ultimately, taking into consideration employees’ motivations and preferences, we derive and propose design guidelines for gamified applications providing personalised feedback towards saving energy at work

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements