Informational, but not Intrinsically Motivating Gamification': Preliminary Findings

Motivational psychology suggests that informationally designed gamification can increase intrinsic motivation. However, there has been little empirical research to test this assumption. In a first experiment we compared whether a gamified and a non-gamified application differed in terms of usability, intrinsic motivation and need satisfaction. No significant differences emerged, yet descriptive data and participants' open-ended answers indicated that there were differences in how informational game elements such as scoreboards were perceived. We conclude with a discussion of implications and opportunities for future research.