Ethics of Gamification in Health and Fitness-Tracking.

Chirag Arora,Maryam Razavian

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111052

Abstract

The use of game-like elements is become increasingly popular in the context of fitness and health apps. While such “gamified” apps hold great potential in motivating people to improve their health, they also come with a “darker side”. Recent work suggests that these gamified health apps raise a number of ethical challenges that, if left unaddressed, are not only morally problematic but also have adverse effects on user health and engagement with the apps. However, studies highlighting the ethical challenges of gamification have also met with criticism, indicating that they fall short of providing guidance to practitioners. In avoiding this mistake, this paper seeks to advance the goal of facilitating a practice-relevant guide for designers of gamified health apps to address ethical issues raised by use of such apps. More specifically, the paper seeks to achieve two major aims: (a) to propose a revised practice-relevant theoretical framework that outlines the responsibilities of the designers of gamified health apps, and (b) to provide a landscape of the various ethical issues related to gamified health apps based on a systematic literature review of the empirical literature investigating adverse effects of such apps.

Highlights

Gamification can be generally defined as the use of techniques and elements of video game design in non-game contexts [1,2]
Our first task in this paper was to analyze and revise the framework offered by Kim and Werbach to identify ethical issues in gamification
Based on a theoretical analysis of this framework and arguments from moral theory, we argued for a revised practicerelevant theoretical framework that suggests three broad categories of responsibilities designers have in addressing ethical issues in gamified health apps

Summary

Introduction

Gamification can be generally defined as the use of techniques and elements of video game design in non-game contexts [1,2]. Wearable activity trackers, in conjunction with gamified smartphone apps, have been promoted as promising tools for increasing physical activity among their users [3]. Some examples of game-like elements used in gamified health apps include points and rewards for health activity as well as social elements like competitions and challenges with other people [1,4]. Gamification is often distinguished from more immersive, fullfledged, or “serious games”, and the intention in gamification is to mimic experiences reminiscent of games to affect the behavior and motivation of users [5]. In the context of health, gamification generally seeks to alter user behavior by increasing their physical activity and/or adopting a healthier lifestyle through game-like experiences

Methods

Results

Conclusion