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Ethics of Transparency in Gamified System Exploring Transparency and Ethical Implications in Gamification

Ivarsson, Nina LU and Franzon, Maria LU (2025) INFM10 20251
Department of Informatics
Abstract (Swedish)
As gamification becomes increasingly integrated into digital systems, concerns around its ethical implications have gained relevance. This thesis investigates transparency as a central ethical issue in the socio-technical usage of gamified systems. While prior research has focused on user engagement and system design, less attention has been paid to how transparency is understood and enacted by those who develop and manage these systems. The study adopts an interpretivist research approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in gamification across varied organizational contexts. A thematic analysis identified five key themes: transparency in system use and communication, data collection and ethical... (More)
As gamification becomes increasingly integrated into digital systems, concerns around its ethical implications have gained relevance. This thesis investigates transparency as a central ethical issue in the socio-technical usage of gamified systems. While prior research has focused on user engagement and system design, less attention has been paid to how transparency is understood and enacted by those who develop and manage these systems. The study adopts an interpretivist research approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in gamification across varied organizational contexts. A thematic analysis identified five key themes: transparency in system use and communication, data collection and ethical visibility, reward structures and fairness, autonomy and perceived control, and emotional and psychological impact. Furthermore, findings show that transparency is not a static feature but a dynamic and context-sensitive challenge. Participants described tensions between transparency and engagement, and between ethical clarity and strategic ambiguity. These insights suggest that transparency must be deliberately designed and communicated, rather than assumed through disclosure alone. This thesis contributes to IS research by offering a grounded understanding of transparency as a socio-technical construct and by providing practical guidance for more ethically informed use of gamification. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ivarsson, Nina LU and Franzon, Maria LU
supervisor
organization
course
INFM10 20251
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Gamification, Transparency, Autonomy, Ethics, Gamified Systems
language
English
id
9200940
date added to LUP
2025-06-17 13:53:12
date last changed
2025-06-17 13:53:12
@misc{9200940,
  abstract     = {{As gamification becomes increasingly integrated into digital systems, concerns around its ethical implications have gained relevance. This thesis investigates transparency as a central ethical issue in the socio-technical usage of gamified systems. While prior research has focused on user engagement and system design, less attention has been paid to how transparency is understood and enacted by those who develop and manage these systems. The study adopts an interpretivist research approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in gamification across varied organizational contexts. A thematic analysis identified five key themes: transparency in system use and communication, data collection and ethical visibility, reward structures and fairness, autonomy and perceived control, and emotional and psychological impact. Furthermore, findings show that transparency is not a static feature but a dynamic and context-sensitive challenge. Participants described tensions between transparency and engagement, and between ethical clarity and strategic ambiguity. These insights suggest that transparency must be deliberately designed and communicated, rather than assumed through disclosure alone. This thesis contributes to IS research by offering a grounded understanding of transparency as a socio-technical construct and by providing practical guidance for more ethically informed use of gamification.}},
  author       = {{Ivarsson, Nina and Franzon, Maria}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Ethics of Transparency in Gamified System Exploring Transparency and Ethical Implications in Gamification}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}