游戏化对在线品牌社区用户参与的激励机理——基于小米的案例研究

Gamification Stimulating Mechanism for User Engagement in Online Brand Communities:A Case Study Based on Xiaomi

利用游戏化激励在线品牌社区用户参与已经成为社区运营趋势,但对游戏化促进用户参与的激励机理的基础性理论研究尚有不足。基于情境视角,采用单案例研究方法,完整地描绘和揭示了游戏化对社区用户参与的激励机理。研究结果表明:游戏化可以利用游戏元素符号及其所支撑和强化的游戏机制框架在社区内创建社区成员与自我、其他成员、社区事务之间新的关联,建构起一个新的情境;游戏元素符号和机制框架共同塑造的游戏体验即强关联感,与用户在情境中的互动参与行为可以相互促进,帮助用户完成对情境的解构,并促成其对行动意义的情境诠释;情境诠释可以通过影响用户的个体情境因素促进用户的参与结果,最终达成社区期望的营销性目的。采用情境视角解释在线品牌社区的游戏化激励机理,既可以为游戏化激励系统的基础性理论研究提供新的方向,也可以为在线品牌社区促进用户参与提供实践指导。

It has become a trend of community operation to encourage the engagement of online brand community users with gamification,but the basic theoretical research on the incentive mechanism of gamification to promote user engagement is still insufficient.Based on the situational perspective,this paper uses a single case study method to describe and reveal the incentive mechanism of gamification to community user engagement.The results show that:(1)Gamification can use game elements as symbols and the game mechanisms as frameworks which are supported and the strengthened by game elements,to create a new connection between community members and the self,other members and community affairs in the online brand community,thus construct a new situation;(2)Game experiences created by game elements and mechanisms,that is,a strong sense of connection,and the user’s engagement behavior in the situation can promote each other,help users deconstruct the situation and promote the situational interpretation of the action meaning;(3)The situational interpretation can promote the users’engagement outcome through influencing the users’individual situation factors,thus finally achieve the marketing purpose expected by the community.Based on situational perspectives to explain the incentive mechanism of gamification used by online brand community can not only provide a new direction for the basic theoretical research of gamification incentive systems,but also provide guidance for online brand communities to promote user engagement.