Do games attract or sustain engagement in citizen science?: a study of volunteer motivations

Authors:
Ioanna Iacovides;Charlene Jennett;Cassandra Cornish-Trestrail;Anna L. Cox
Affiliations:
University College London, London, United Kingdom;University College London, London, United Kingdom;University College London, London, United Kingdom;University College London, London, United Kingdom
Venue:
CHI '13 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Year:
2013

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Abstract

Increasingly, games are being incorporated into online citizen science (CS) projects as a way of crowdsourcing data; yet the influence of gamification on volunteer motivations and engagement in CS projects is still unknown. In an interview study with 8 CS volunteers (4 from Foldit, 4 from Eyewire), we found that game elements and communication tools are not necessary for attracting new volunteers to a project; however they may help to sustain engagement over time, by allowing volunteers to participate in a range of social interactions and through enabling meaningful recognition of achievements.