ABSTRACT
In recent years, using elements from game design in nongaming contexts, gamifi cation, has become a major trend within the industry (Deterding et al. 2011). If we put our trust in Jane McGonigal, consultant and author of the book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (2011), gamifi cation has the power to save the world due to its potential to promote desirable behaviors. Al Gore, former vice president of the U.S. and environmentalist, argues that gamifi cation can be effective not least within the area of environmental sustainability, where saving the world is the ultimate goal. By gamifying ordinary life practices, such as recycling, energy saving and sustainable consumption, games could be “the new normal” (Gore 2011). Although gamifi ed solutions have not been developed to a great extent within the area of sustainability yet, applications that promote energy-effi cient behavior, make recycling fun and help us travel more eco-friendly do exist on the market today.
