Gamification for self-tracking: From World of Warcraft to the design of Personal Informatics systems

by | Apr 1, 2018 | Research Publications

Author(s):

  • Rapp, Amon

Abstract:

World of Warcraft (WoW) may be a source of inspiration to enrich the Personal Informatics systems user’s experience and, at the same time, improve gamification design. Through the findings of a four-year reflexive ethnography in WoW, I outline how its game design elements support players in making sense of their own data, emphasizing how “game numbers” are turned into meanings. On the basis of the study results, I propose a series of design considerations to be used in the design of self-tracking systems, which recommend to embody data into digital entities, provide different analytical tools depending on the users’ expertise through a flexible model, and foster the formation of “communities of practice” in order to support learning processes.

Document:

https://doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3173654

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