Gamification and serious games within the domain of domestic energy consumption: A systematic review

Energy consumption is a significant and critical social issue. Gamification and serious games offer a means of influencing people regarding energy consumption. A systematic review of articles (written in English) was conducted according to the specifications of the PRISMA checklist, in order to examine the literature and assess empirical support for the effectiveness of gamification and serious games in impacting domestic energy consumption. The search strategy included a combination of terms relating to gamification and serious games, and domestic energy consumption. Only primary studies reporting empirical data relating to the value of gamification and serious games on energy consumption were included. More comprehensive selection criteria were applied throughout the selection process (reported in full in the main text). Twenty-five primary studies published in 26 research articles were included in the final review. The findings indicate that gamification and serious games appear to be of value within the domain of energy consumption, conservation and efficiency, with varying degrees of evidence of positive influence found for behaviour, cognitions, knowledge and learning and the user experience. A common feature across many articles reviewed was the limited amount and quality of empirical evidence, which suggests that more rigorous follow-up studies are required to address this gap. The article makes specific recommendations to help address this challenge.