Competition in a Household Energy Conservation Game

Jan Dirk Fijnheer, Herre van Oostendorp, Geert-Jan Giezeman and Remco C. Veltkamp
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Jan Dirk Fijnheer: Department of Information & Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Herre van Oostendorp: Department of Information & Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Geert-Jan Giezeman: Department of Information & Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Remco C. Veltkamp: Department of Information & Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-25

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a game study, comparing Powersaver Game including a competition feature versus the same game excluding a competition feature with respect to energy conservation in the household. In a pretest–posttest design, we tested whether change in attitude, knowledge and behavior with respect to energy conservation in the household was different for participants playing Powersaver Game with or without competition. All energy conservation activities that the application provides (e.g., washing clothes at low temperatures) take place in the real world and feedback is based on real-time energy consumption. This so-called reality-enhanced game approach aims to optimize the transfer between the game world and the real world. Household energy consumption changed significantly and positively in the long term due to competition. A significant difference of 8% in energy consumption between both conditions after the intervention was detected. Besides energy conservation, no further differences were detected between conditions. The chain of events, that an increase in knowledge leads to attitude change, which in turn results in behavior change in the long term is confirmed by means of a path analysis. We conclude that Powersaver Game is effective in the transfer of energy conservation knowledge, which leads to energy saving behavior in the long term while competition additionally contributes to more change in behavior.

Keywords: gamification; energy conservation; user studies; reality enhanced games; attitude change; behavior change; competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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