Gaming as a Driver for Social Behaviour Change for Sustainability

Social interventions emerging from the field of social psychology have drawn attention to the social dimension of behaviour change for meeting sustainability objectives. Gamified Behaviour Change Programmes (GBCPs) are one such example, which have been quite effective in stimulating a positive change in behaviour and in establishing a culture of sustainability within the targeted groups. Gaming is an integral part of GBCPs as it adds fun and excitement to the process and motivates the players to adopt sustainable actions in a playful way. By investigating some of the effectively implemented cases of GBCPs, the study intends to develop a deeper understanding of the process of social behaviour change, particularly of the role that elements of game mechanics play in engaging and motivating the participants and in facilitating an influential social environment for behaviour change. This understanding would provide some essential touchpoints for applying game mechanics to the process of social behaviour change for environmental benefit.