Play, games, and gamification to support sustainability transitions: a scoping review and research agenda

Abstract

Transitioning towards more sustainable systems is crucial in an era where carbon emissions continue to rise and planetary boundaries have been exceeded. However, traditional methods for public engagement with institutionally, technically, and ecologically complex issues have shown limited results in motivating change. In response, play, games, and gamification promise to support sustainability transitions by engaging diverse stakeholders and promoting psychological and behavioral changes. Despite these promises, we lack systematic knowledge of whether such techniques, which typically leverage individual motivation and agency, can bring together stakeholders in diverse areas. Thus, we conducted a scoping review of 86 empirical outputs, which revealed untapped potential to transform practices and support large-scale transitions. Based on our findings, we propose three future agendas. First, our contextual agenda encourages clearly anchored and critical sustainability conceptualizations, engaging practitioners for resilient transitions, considering emotions, supporting technical and ecological transitions, and expanding beyond the West and the local scale. Second, for design, we suggest user-centered approaches, customizable interventions, a broader conceptualization of play, combining game and goal types, including more immersive game elements and technologies, and leveraging tools and methods beyond gamification. Third, our empirical agenda calls for larger sample sizes and longer studies, contrasting conditions, employing mixed methods, exploring double and triple loop learning, displaying critical reflexivity, and reporting clearer causal links and experiences. Future research may utilize these points to explore and leverage the potential of playful and gameful interventions in changing transition dynamics, environments, and actors for practice and regime-level system transformations.