Effects of Gamification on Customer Engagement in Online Communities

Despite the increasing use of gamification mechanics to engage customers in these communities, the risks of such use for customers’ well-being remain unclear. To address this gap, this research examines the potential negative effects of gamification on customer engagement in online communities. Based on a field experiment, the impacts of multiple gamification mechanics on customer intentions to further contribute to a community are analyzed. We show that gamification practices may engender a sense of unfairness, especially among community newcomers who believe that their submissions will be treated differently from the submissions of members who are highly engaged in the community. This research contributes to the extant literature by providing an understanding of the extent to which gamification may backfire in online communities and negatively impact members’ well-being