Game elements enabling citizens’ engagement: an integrative literature review into elements, motivations, drivers and barriers

Gamification may foster citizen relationships with the government but can also result in a disinterest in participation. In the context of digital government, we do not know which game elements specifically contribute to citizen engagement. In this paper, we conduct an integrative study, drawing from existing literature on citizen engagement through gamification. We examined the citizens’ motivation to engage with the government, linked it with game elements explored in the literature, and finally exhibited how these elements could support or inhibit citizens’ motivation. Using self-concordance and civic engagement models, we investigated gamification focusing on individual experiences, both personally and as citizens. The findings of this research show a link of static game elements with external and introjected forms of motivation. In contrast, dynamic game elements seem more aligned with intrinsic and identified motivation. We develop a taxonomy outlining these relationships, enabling further research on game elements and their impact on citizen engagement over time.