Behavioural Effects of Spatially Structured Scoring Systems in Location-Based Serious Games—A Case Study in the Context of OpenStreetMap

Abstract

Location-based games have become popular in recent years, with Pokémon Go and Ingress being two very prominent examples. Some location-based games, known as Serious Games, go beyond entertainment and serve additional purposes such as data collection. Such games are also found in the OpenStreetMap context and playfully enrich the project’s geodatabase. Examples include Kort and StreetComplete. This article examines the role of spatially structured scoring systems as a motivational element. It is analysed how spatial structure in scoring systems is correlated with changes observed in the game behaviour. For this purpose, our study included two groups of subjects who played a modified game based on StreetComplete in a real urban environment. One group played the game with a spatially structured scoring system and the other with a spatially random scoring system. We evaluated different indicators and analysed the players’ GPS trajectories. In addition, the players filled out questionnaires to investigate whether they had become aware of the scoring system they were playing. The results obtained show that players who are confronted with a spatially structured scoring system are more likely to be in areas with high scores, have a longer playing time, walk longer distances and are more willing to take detours. Furthermore, discrepancies between the perception of a possible system in the scoring system and corresponding actions were revealed. The results are informative for game design, but also for a better understanding of how players interact with their geographical context during location-based games.

OpenStreetMap quality assessment using unsupervised machine learning methods

“…This introduces the possibility of using gamification to assist with OSM quality management. Westerholt, Lorei, and Höfle (2020) examine the role of gamification in OSM by introducing and comparing spatially clustered and random scoring systems as a component for mapping motivation using the mobile game StreetComplete . Similar to this study, they studied the behaviour of participants, but they also found that user behaviour was altered by changing the game’s scoring system with respect to space.…”

“…This introduces the possibility of using gamification to assist with OSM quality management. Westerholt, Lorei, and Höfle (2020) examine the role of gamification in OSM by introducing and comparing spatially clustered and random scoring systems as a component for mapping motivation using the mobile game StreetComplete.…”

The Art of Tacit Learning in Serious Location-Based Games

“…The physical, social, and spatial aspects of locationbased games make them well suited to address real-world scenarios and conditions. With location-based games often requiring teamwork and collaboration, serious location-based games can entwine the social and cultural aspects of the areas in which they are played (Westerholt et al, 2020). However, there are key differences between serious games and location-based games and how each can transmit knowledge.…”

Editorial: “Serious location-based games”

“…While these games have entertainment as the primary goal, they are also well suited for achieving secondary goals, such as learning (Laine, 2018;Ribeiro et al, 2021) and physical activity (Althoff et al, 2016;Ellis et al, 2020;Laato et al, 2020). They can thereby also be considered Serious Location-based Games (SLGs)-understood as location-based games serving additional purposes beyond entertainment (Westerholt et al, 2020), such as learning and physical activity-as name above-or data collection and fostering teamwork or collaboration contextualized in social and cultural aspects of the game tasks. From a didactical perspective, learning-focused SLGs feature tools and characteristics that make their use as learning tools very appealing: SLGs guide learners to a real object's location and supplement these objects explicitly or implicitly with educational information (Walker et al, 2017).…”