Leveraging gamification technology to motivate environmentally responsible behavior: An empirical examination of Ant Forest

Realizing the role of their consumers in mitigating environmental problems, companies have started leveraging gamification technology with persuasive interventions to induce consumers' behavioral changes. Ant Forest-a gamified initiative launched by a prominent Chinese fintech company-empowers users to manage their ecological footprint and promote ethical behavior. However, the research community has primarily focused on Ant Forest's adoption and continuation intention, paying limited attention to how gamification promotes users' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) in the postadoption stage. This study contributes to this domain by developing a model based on persuasion and motivation theories and the affordances-psychological outcomes-behavioral outcomes framework. This model highlights the impact of gamification on consumers' ERB through psychological need satisfaction and belief or attitude persuasion. A total of 1869 survey responses regarding the use of Ant Forest were collected from nine cities in China. The results demonstrate that, from gamification experiences with Ant Forest, users perceive psychological need satisfaction (i.e., perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness), which significantly explains their green beliefs and attitudes (i.e., green task performance, green belief confirmation, and green self-identity), leading to increased ERB. Additionally, users with a higher green absorptive capacity demonstrate a stronger link between green beliefs or attitudes and ERB. This research shifts the focus from adoption and continuation intention to postadoption behavioral modification and offers insights into creating effective gamification systems for fostering ethical behavior and addressing environmental concerns.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the impact of gamification on users' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) in the postadoption stage. It finds that gamification experiences with Ant Forest satisfy users' psychological needs, leading to the development of green beliefs and attitudes and ultimately promoting ERB. Users with higher green absorptive capacity demonstrate a stronger link between green beliefs or attitudes and ERB.