Gamified or traditional situational judgement test? A moderated mediation model of recommendation intentions via organizational attractiveness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recently, gamification and gamified assessment methods have attracted increasing attention among both scholars and practitioners in recruitment and selection. However, little is known about the role of gamified assessment methods in determining applicant outcomes and, even more, their effect compared to more traditional methods. Using signalling theory as an overarching theoretical framework, the present study attempts to contribute to this gap by comparing the effect of a gamified situational judgement test which includes game elements, such as avatars, narrative and fantasy on applicants’ recommendation intentions through their organizational attractiveness compared to a traditional situational judgement test. Moreover, we suggest that these effects are moderated by applicants’ video gaming experience. Using experimental design, we found that the positive effect of the gamified assessment method compared to the traditional method on organizational attractiveness and, in turn, recommendation intentions was significant only for those with a high level of video gaming experience. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.