Designing a healthy lifestyle platform : Investigating theuse of gamification to promote enduring healthy lifestyle choices

Past research has examined whether game mechanics can be used to motivate people to change their behaviour in the short-term. However, it is currently unclear how game mechanics can be used to motivate behaviour that persists long after people have stopped playing a game. This research project will explore how game mechanics, such as narrative and avatar creation, can be hamessed by a game-based health intervention to create meaningful experiences and memories in order to promote long-tenn healthy lifestyle choices. This research will contribute to the scientific community by providing insights into how game mechanics can be used to promote positive long-tenn behaviour outside of game environments, and will also allow the industry partner to develop a more effective healthy lifestyle platform.

Faculty Supervisor:

Neil Randall

Student:

Partner:

Ikkuma Inc

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: