Exploring the ineffectiveness of gamification health management: a U-shaped relationship between competition and technological exhaustion
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 12 April 2023
Issue publication date: 8 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Gamification design is considered an effective way of changing users' health behavior and improving their health management performance. Even though numerous studies have investigated the positive effect of gamification competition on users, little research has considered gamification's ineffectiveness and negative effects. In particular, how gamification competition affects users' technological exhaustion remains unclear.
Design/methodology/approach
According to flow theory and related research on gamification, this study discusses the nonlinear relationship between gamification competition and users' technological exhaustion. Furthermore, the authors analyze the moderating effect of user type (socializers and achievers) and users' health condition on this nonlinear relationship. Based on flow theory, the authors propose a series of research hypotheses. To test all research hypotheses, the authors collected information from 407 users via a questionnaire as the data for this study.
Findings
The empirical results found a U-shaped relationship between gamification competition and technological exhaustion. Technological exhaustion gradually decreases as competition increases until reaching the lowest point; after that, technological exhaustion gradually increases as competition increases. Further, being a socializer and health condition play a moderating role in the U-shaped relationship between competition and technological exhaustion.
Originality/value
This study's findings not only enrich the related research in flow theory and gamification, but also contribute to the effective design of gamification in health management platforms.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The study was partially funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants (72001049; 71901073). The authors highly appreciate the Editors and anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions. All errors remain the authors’ own.
Citation
Li, D., Yang, H. and Hu, Z. (2024), "Exploring the ineffectiveness of gamification health management: a U-shaped relationship between competition and technological exhaustion", Information Technology & People, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 1229-1250. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2022-0347
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited