Gamification and sustainable development: Role of gamified learning in sustainable purchasing

Contemporary technologies have facilitated the development of gamification. It can potentially shape individuals’ behavior; however, how gamification influences their sustainable purchasing is still unexplored. Drawing on the framework of behavioral reasoning theory and the theory of gamified learning, this research not only investigates the association of value and sustainable purchases with the integration of contextual boundary factors in users but also explores the perspective of non-users. This comparative study focuses on gamification platforms such as Ant Forest, and the valid data of 320 users and 238 non-users is assessed through partial least square structural equation modeling. Results unveil the significant role of value entrenched in gamified learning in perceptive mechanisms; nevertheless, substantial impacts of reasons for, reasons against, and sustainable purchasing attitude, including the moderating effect of perceived sustainable expertise, are distinctive between both samples. However, most of the hypotheses are supported. This study provides novel insights to comprehend the gamification avenue, which contains the potential to bolster sustainable purchasing and ultimately attain the objective of sustainable development.