2021
Thibault, Mattia; Legaki, Nikoletta Zampeta; Buruk, Oğuz; Hamari, Juho
Etsijä's Call: Gamifying Virtual Conferences with Alternate Reality Games Proceedings Article
In: Bujić, Mila; Koivisto, Jonna; Hamari, Juho (Ed.): Proceedings of the 5th International GamiFIN Conference Levi, Finland, April 7-9, 2021, pp. 160-169, CEUR-WS, 2021, ISSN: 1613-0073.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Alternate reality games, Conference game, Conference participation, Engagement, Gamification, Online conferences
@inproceedings{Thibault2021e,
title = {Etsijä's Call: Gamifying Virtual Conferences with Alternate Reality Games},
author = {Mattia Thibault and Nikoletta Zampeta Legaki and Oğuz Buruk and Juho Hamari},
editor = {Mila Bujić and Jonna Koivisto and Juho Hamari},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202106296125},
issn = {1613-0073},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-04-07},
urldate = {2021-04-07},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 5th International GamiFIN Conference Levi, Finland, April 7-9, 2021},
pages = {160-169},
publisher = {CEUR-WS},
abstract = {Gamification has spread into almost all scientific fields as a way to achieve beneficial outcomes such as productivity, engagement, learning and health. However, gamification has been less applied into enhancing scientific process and science communication themselves. As a case in point, in this paper we demonstrate how an international gamification conference was gamified through Etsija's Call, a mysterious Alternate Reality Conference Game, to enhance conference engagement, create a positive mood for livelier communication and networking as well as to build a communal spirit among participants. The international GamiFIN conference 2020 was held online due to COVID-19. Therefore, the present paper also contributes to the growing literature on remote work and online research and dissemination practices. In this research effort, we employ both design science and mixed-method empirical work (N=47). First, we outline the process and materials involved in the ideation, design and implementation of the game, secondly, we outline the thematic analysis (n=17) of materials gathered throughout the conference from interaction with the game, and thirdly, we report preliminary results of the adapted Gameful Experience Questionnaire (GAMEFULQUEST) based on the participants' experience (n=6) and the game's probable influence on the conference experience (n=13). Our preliminary analyses show that conference participants had a meaningful interaction with the game which further enabled them to engage with several conference facets, situations and participants as indicated by the qualitative analysis of participants' interactions with the game. Moreover, the preliminary quantitative analyses based on the responses on the GAMEFULQUEST indicate that respondents had had a positive gameful experience as a consequence of interacting with Etsija's Call While the present study was preliminary and a first pilot of the conference game, future research on Etsija's Call and other similar implementations should attempt to increase the volume of the investigation in terms of participants.},
keywords = {Alternate reality games, Conference game, Conference participation, Engagement, Gamification, Online conferences},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Gamification has spread into almost all scientific fields as a way to achieve beneficial outcomes such as productivity, engagement, learning and health. However, gamification has been less applied into enhancing scientific process and science communication themselves. As a case in point, in this paper we demonstrate how an international gamification conference was gamified through Etsija's Call, a mysterious Alternate Reality Conference Game, to enhance conference engagement, create a positive mood for livelier communication and networking as well as to build a communal spirit among participants. The international GamiFIN conference 2020 was held online due to COVID-19. Therefore, the present paper also contributes to the growing literature on remote work and online research and dissemination practices. In this research effort, we employ both design science and mixed-method empirical work (N=47). First, we outline the process and materials involved in the ideation, design and implementation of the game, secondly, we outline the thematic analysis (n=17) of materials gathered throughout the conference from interaction with the game, and thirdly, we report preliminary results of the adapted Gameful Experience Questionnaire (GAMEFULQUEST) based on the participants' experience (n=6) and the game's probable influence on the conference experience (n=13). Our preliminary analyses show that conference participants had a meaningful interaction with the game which further enabled them to engage with several conference facets, situations and participants as indicated by the qualitative analysis of participants' interactions with the game. Moreover, the preliminary quantitative analyses based on the responses on the GAMEFULQUEST indicate that respondents had had a positive gameful experience as a consequence of interacting with Etsija's Call While the present study was preliminary and a first pilot of the conference game, future research on Etsija's Call and other similar implementations should attempt to increase the volume of the investigation in terms of participants.