Gamifying Sustainability: How can gamification be utilized to promote sustainable consumption?

The current industrialized world is based on patterns of production and consumption that need improvement in terms of sustainability. The way we consume has drastic impacts on the environment, such as excessive CO2 emissions and resource extractions, pollution and loss of biodiversity, that are already affecting the living conditions on Earth. Gamification, the concept of utilizing game elements in non-game contexts, has opened a whole new way to motivate consumers towards a more sustainable way of living. Doing a literary review, this study examines previous research on gamified interventions for promotion of sustainable consumption, exposing the topic to theoretical conceptualization. The study combines the theory of planned behavior with previous research on gamified interventions, offering insights into how the concept can be utilized in the task of promoting sustainable consumption. The results show that by creating competition and cooperation among players, providing feedback on personal progress and exposing users to continuous reflection and evaluation of their actions, gamification can foster behavior change towards more sustainable consumption habits. The results can be applied in future research and design of gamified sustainability. To provide practical implications this study concludes with four concrete recommendations for applying gamification in promoting sustainable consumption, as well as states potential lines of future research on the topic