Gamification Engagement Scale

What it measures

Measures consumer engagement with gamification elements in digital marketing contexts — points, leaderboards, achievements/badges, and narratives. Gamification (applying game mechanics to non-game contexts) is widely used in loyalty programmes, apps, retail, and health marketing. Engagement with different gamification elements varies by consumer type and context.

Response format

Likert (1–7, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Scale items

Points/Rewards Engagement — motivation from earning points and rewards (Likert 1–7, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

• Earning points motivates me to continue using this app/service.
• The reward system in this app makes me want to engage more.
• I am motivated by the point system to participate more.

Leaderboard Engagement — motivation from competition and rankings

• Seeing my position on the leaderboard motivates me to perform better.
• I am motivated by competing with others on the leaderboard.
• The ranking system encourages me to engage more.

Achievement/Badge Engagement — motivation from earning achievements and recognition

• Earning badges or achievements motivates me to keep using the service.
• I feel proud when I earn a new achievement or badge.
• Unlocking new achievements encourages me to continue participating.

Narrative Engagement — motivation from story and progress elements

• The story/narrative elements of this service make it more engaging.
• Following a progression or journey keeps me engaged.
• The sense of progress within the service motivates me to continue.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Four subscale scores. Score = mean per element. Points and badges are the most commonly implemented gamification elements but leaderboards are most motivating for competitive consumers. Gamification effectiveness is moderated by intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation orientation — intrinsically motivated users respond better to narrative and mastery elements.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Mekler, E.D., Brühlmann, F., Tuch, A.N., & Opwis, K. (2017). Towards understanding the effects of individual gamification elements on intrinsic motivation and performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 525–534.

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