Space for Seriousness?

Quiz apps as a genre have seen a huge leap in distribution over the past year. Their applicability to any subject matter of any subject area, along with their ubiquitous availability, means they could be considered as a potential learning tool. However, popular quiz apps are optimized for entertainment. Furthermore, multiple choice questions have so far been used predominantly for assessment but not for learning. We have examined popular quiz apps in a two-stage approach. First, test persons played quiz apps of their choice on a daily basis and took field notes. A questionnaire for an online survey was then developed from the results. Our research questions were: (1) What are the contexts in which quiz apps are played? (2) What game mechanics are perceived as motivating? The survey with 396 participants helped us identify usage characteristics and the main motivations for utilizing these apps. Among relevant findings are a distinct willingness to learn and the phenomenon of sociability, i.e. the motivation to play with and compete against friends.