The HCA Framework - A Storification Model to Support and Facilitate Gamification Design

Abstract

With the growing popularity of gamification and the variety of scenarios it can be integrated into, the number of amateur gamification designers has also increased. This has been the case of K-12 school teachers, who are incentivized to explore gamification with students, but have to cope with workloads that prevent them from taking the necessary time to experiment with gamification, so that it can be used as a cohesive, captivating, and well-balanced strategy. Empirical evidence of how to make the design of well-balanced gamification strategies achievable to the growing number of amateur gamification designers is still scarce. This study presents the Here Comes the Airplane (HCA) Framework as well as its application to a functional prototype. This framework consists of a storification model that integrates the gamification principles of the Octalysis Framework and is aimed at helping gamification designers reimagine the activity they want to gamify as a narrative. The prototype is expected to validate the framework and its impact on the narrative creation process. This study’s validation process focused on the assessment of two central aspects: the theoretical principles underlying the framework and its integration into a prototype. Two focus groups were held with researchers from the fields of digital games, narratives, and web development. The next steps include the broader impact evaluation of the final prototype in Portuguese K-12 schools.