Preface

Since the second half of 2010, gamification has been gaining much attention and is being implemented in several sectors to support user engagement as well as provide benefits such as increased user activity, social interaction, and more. While a standard definition of gamification does not yet exist, the official meaning is the use of game elements in non-game contexts to provide a set of benefits to users as well as organizations adopting these types of elements. Indeed, it is true that gamified applications aim to increase users' motivation and awareness towards the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and the quality and quantity of the given activities' output. In addition, gamification is based on motivational and behavioral factors. As the aim of gamification is to engage users, developers of gamified services often consider users' needs, various characteristics, interests, and preferences. The introduction of these factors in applications is a challenge because developers must combine psychological principles with software requirements.

Thus, gamification by itself is a complicated concept for software engineers to deal with since it demands a lot of effort to understand and elicit the appropriate requirements that will combine the functionality of the system with the gamified elements and the non-functional requirements (security, privacy, trust, etc.) derived from this combination. This book provides novel contributions and research efforts related to gamification by shedding light on the technical aspects of gamification in various fields. The book consists of six chapters that provide readers, including both experienced and young researchers, the opportunity to engage with this modern and interesting field and identify modern trends and future research opportunities. Chapter authors present their works in a clear and accessible way so that readers are able to understand the meaning of these contributions in relation to the book's objectives.

I would like to thank all authors for their contributions and the editorial team at IntechOpen for their valuable support during the preparation and publication of this book.

> **Christos Kalloniatis** Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Lesvos Island, Greece

**1**

**1. Introduction**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Gamification: A Necessary

*Aikaterini-Georgia Mavroeidi, Angeliki Kitsiou* 

literature educational methods and privacy awareness issues.

**Keywords:** gamification, game elements, privacy, training program,

instructional simulation, educational simulation, method, framework, model

The established utilization of technologies in various activities, such as the use of cloud systems [1] is an accepted fact [2]. However, several challenges arise concerning privacy protection due to the storage of users' information. Personal information is crucial to be protected while using any type of technology. Thus, privacy should be taken into consideration at the early stages of designing a system. A sequence of methods and steps have been recorded in previous literature and by following them, privacy concepts can be analyzed in systems [3–5] in order for users' privacy to be protected. This analyzation includes the incorporation of privacy requirements in systems [3, 6]. Especially, according to the General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR [7], users' personal data should be protected while using

Training Programs

*and Christos Kalloniatis*

Element for Designing Privacy

The benefits, deriving from utilizing new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as Internet of Things or cloud computing, raise at the same time several privacy risks and concerns for users. Despite the fact that users' inability to protect their privacy has been recognized, hence users do not get involved in processes for enhancing their awareness on such issues. However, in order to protect their fundamental right of privacy and to manage it in a practical way when using ICT, privacy literacy is crucial. Users should be trained on privacy issues through appropriate educational programs. Specifically, the development of instructional simulation programs could be of great importance. Relevant methodologies for the development of such services have been recorded in previous literature. Since the concept of training is advanced by creating attractive interaction environments, the educational privacy process could be also more efficient. Towards this, the implementation of game elements serves that purpose, contributing to the design of gameful educational programs. However, despite its benefits, gamification has been noticed to be used more as a tool rather than a concept which could be included in instructional methods. Thus, in this work, gamification features are explained to highlight their importance along with the recorded in the
