City Marketing through Gamification

Games are able to fulfil our innate motivational needs as well as our learned social needs. Therefore, games are motivating. While motivation is a key aspect within the process of behavioural change, games can effectively be deployed as a persuasive technology. Gamification, the use of game design elements in any non-game context, is seen as the next generation marketing trend. City marketing was found to be another marketing trend, as a result of globalisation and the increasing popularity of city marketing itself. City marketing authorities attempt to positively engage (new) residents, (new) visitors, (new) companies and (new) investors to their city, in order to improve the mental, absolute or relative position of the city. While pervasive technologies can visually overlay the environment, persistently run during daily life or add additional meaning upon the real world, pervasive games could allow city consumers to engage with their city environment through real- and virtual world interaction and experiences. Therefore, city marketing through gamification may be brimming with potential. This project resulted in the design of a mobile, pervasive city game for new Delft students to be played during the five days student introduction (OWee) for the underlying purpose of raising awareness and appreciation of local resources. A prototype was developed and tested that could be played by new students during the OWee (21-08-2016 / 25-08-2016).

Rob J. M. Hulst
rjmhulst@gmail.com

Siriaraya, P., Keyson, D.

master thesis, November 2016