The Dark Side of Health Gamification

The use of gamification by businesses and consumers has become widespread. It’s more visible in the digital health arena, but there are hidden dangers for users.

Gamifying our lives may seem like an easy way to motivate ourselves and others toward healthy behaviors. However, gamified incentives could also lead people away from their goals—and even make them more vulnerable to unhealthy habits.

In an Information Processing & Management study this year, researchers developed a theoretical model to investigate the effects of characteristics on stressors (privacy invasion and social overload) and strain (gamification tiredness) on humans.