Exploring the Future of Gamification Research: A Ranking-type Delphi Study

Abstract

Gamification has become a focal topic of interest for many scholars in information systems, human-computer interaction, and related fields. Over the last 15 years, scientific literature on gamification exploded and developed in many different directions. Yet, certain trends with regard to the most important research problems have emerged over time. In this work, we aim to take a brief look into the future of gamification research. To do so, we conducted a ranking-type Delphi study with 18 gamification scholars who have previously engaged with the community by publishing on the HICSS gamification track. Our results comprise ten directions for future research and seven application areas of gamification with unused potential that experts deem important to study within the next five years. Our work contributes to gamification research by identifying and discussing new fields of inquiry that are worth investigating and that might spark the interest of scholars in the future.