Use of gamification in physical activity applications

This paper addresses the topic of using gamification in physical activity applications. The first part of the thesis consists of a literature research of these topics, where it explores them in depth trying to explain them to the reader as best as possible and point out the connections between them. The main aim of the first part of the thesis is to introduce the topics themselves, such as physical activity, the effect of movement on human health, gamification and gamification of movement through physical activity apps. Also, the four research questions of this thesis related to gamified apps and their effect on motivation and frequency of movement, as well as the effect of movement on mental health and individual's perception of stress, are based on this part of the thesis. The second part of the thesis consists of quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative research was carried out through an experiment with a control and experimental group. In this experiment, these groups completed entry and exit questionnaires that were used to obtain basic information about the respondents and then to compare their frequency of exercise before and after the research, as well as to evaluate the effects of the application on the experimental group. Within this, answers to the research questions were also sought. At the end of this section, linear regression with interaction was used to statistically evaluate the answers obtained. This was followed by the qualitative research part in the form of structured interviews with members of the experimental group. During these interviews, they were asked nine questions that were instrumental in gaining a deeper understanding of how gamified physical activity apps affect their users and how users perceive them. The work revealed that these gamified physical activity apps can have a positive effect on users' motivation, either providing them with additional motivation on days when they don't feel like exercising completely or bringing some form of fun into exercise. It has also been found that these apps can increase the frequency of exercise in individuals but not to a statistically significant extent. The majority of respondents also agreed that physical activity has a positive effect on their overall psychological well-being and brings them stress relief. Thanks to the qualitative part, it was possible to understand more about how users perceive and experience these apps. When in most cases these apps are very simple and intuitive to use and users have positive experiences with them and perceive them as a good tool to keep them motivated to exercise. The research part of the thesis contains some shortcomings such as the small sample of individuals in the quantitative part and also that the sample of respondents comes from my neighbourhood, which may not 100% represent the common distribution of society. Another shortcoming is the short period of the research, which may indicate only shortterm effects of gamified applications. Therefore, for future researches of this type, I would recommend having a large enough sample of respondents to ensure statistically significant quantitative research results and also to ensure a more authentic distribution of society. Furthermore, I would recommend a minimum research duration of six months, which could reveal the shortcomings or, on the contrary, the positives of gamified applications in the long run.