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Prof. Ethan MollickWharton School
• A history of what we know, and how we know it
• Data from studies by Prof. Nancy Rothbard and myself
• Paradox of “mandatory fun” and consent
• How to avoid gamification as a double-edged sword
Karl Maydens
Evan Long
Fast-growing and successful social e-commerce company
Field Experiment:Three sales floors, fairly random assignmentMultiple surveys, plus individual performance data
Examining consent:I followed the game closelyI understood rules of the gameThe game was fair
Game Condition Control Condition
Alternative Control: “Competition” Condition
• Basketball-themed game
• Score points by closing deals
• Warm leads “layups”; cold calls “jump shots”
• Large display screens showed basketball themed animation when points were scored.
• Daily emails sent out to update participants on game status.
No intervention
• Large screen “scoreboards”
• Performance statistics
• Data similar to game condition without the game mechanics
Leaderboard Game w/Consent Game w/o Consent
Performance Borderline - No Effect Borderline -
Affect No Effect Strong + Strong -
Attitude to co. No Effect Strong + No Effect
Leaderboard Game w/Consent Game w/o Consent
Performance Borderline - No Effect Borderline -
Affect No Effect Strong + Strong -
Attitude to co. No Effect Strong + No Effect
Leaderboard Game w/Consent Game w/o Consent
Performance Borderline - No Effect Borderline -
Affect No Effect Strong + Strong -
Attitude to co. No Effect Strong + No Effect
• Winning and losing had minor effects• Legitimacy of games (hours of gameplay)…second experiment to find out more…
• We created three versions of the same game
• We created three versions of the same game
• We randomized between three possible choice conditions
• Three factors of consent (understand the rules, pay attention think it is fair)
• Highest for groups that had a choice
• Generally similar (except for understanding the rules) for those that were not presented with a choice
• Lowest for groups that got the opposite of their choice
• Gamification without consent can actually lower performance and attitude
• This is often hidden because:
– In voluntary settings non-consenters drop out
– Measurement is often bad or non-existent in gamification
• Gamification without consent is mandatory fun
• Consent is absolutely critical in games to avoid the paradox of mandatory fun
• Consent can be gained by giving people agency over their decisions
• Measure what you want to change, and also what you want to avoid changing
