Sustainability of gamified citizen-science platforms in Latin America: gamified and non-gamified initiatives contrasted

Dennyse María Patricia Hermosa Guzmán, D.hermosa@udla.edu.co, Medardo Rodríguez López and Semiramis Alejandra Gómez Sánchez

SAP Gamification and Augmented Reality, 2025

Abstract: Citizen-science platforms depend on volunteers who keep contributing, and gamification is often proposed to secure that continuity. This narrative review contrasted what the literature published between 2013 and 2025 in or about Latin America reports on gamified and non-gamified citizen-science initiatives. The core corpus contained 36 studies, 11 gamified and 25 non-gamified, from 7 countries. All gamified studies described game mechanics, but none reported participation beyond its evaluation window in its abstract. Funding and institutional anchoring were reported by 14 non-gamified studies and by none of the gamified ones. Multi-year programs documented hundreds or thousands of contributors, yet participation concentrated in a few users, municipalities and regions, and technology, goal mismatch and funding limited continuity. These patterns suggest that the sustainability of gamified platforms in the region has been designed more than measured. Reporting retention, maintenance status and funding alongside game mechanics would allow direct comparison.

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwf:grarti:gr2025267

DOI: 10.62486/gr2025267

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