Playful finance: Gamification and intermediation in FinTech economies

IF 3.4 2区社会学 Q1 GEOGRAPHY Geoforum Pub Date : 2024-05-01 DOI:10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103848

Karen P.Y. Lai, Paul Langley

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Abstract

This paper examines how digital gamification techniques, which incorporate video gaming elements (rather than full-fledged games) into apps, are reshaping the logics and practices of intermediation that are core to FinTech economies. First, we argue gamification brings into view socio-technical knowledges, such as behavioral science, digital marketing, and user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, which are increasingly important to constituting FinTech intermediation. Second, gamification features specialist firms that are presently overlooked by research into the roles of changing advanced producer services (APS) complexes in FinTech and financial intermediation. Third, gamified apps are deployed to advance competitive intermediary positions which playfully capture user attention and configure user behavior, contrasting with FinTech strategies that typically promise users’ ease of access, reduced transaction costs and personalized products and services. We illustrate these arguments through three firm-level case studies from across Asia, where the development of gamified FinTech apps has been especially prominent.

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游戏金融：金融科技经济体中的游戏化和中介服务

本文探讨了将视频游戏元素（而非完整的游戏）融入应用程序的数字游戏化技术如何重塑作为金融科技经济核心的中介逻辑和实践。首先，我们认为游戏化将行为科学、数字营销、用户体验（UX）和用户界面（UI）设计等社会技术知识带入人们的视野，这些知识对于金融科技中介的构成日益重要。其次，游戏化以专业公司为特色，而这些公司目前在研究不断变化的先进生产者服务（APS）综合体在金融科技和金融中介中的作用时被忽视了。第三，游戏化应用的部署是为了推进竞争性中介地位，以游戏的方式吸引用户注意力并配置用户行为，这与金融科技战略形成鲜明对比，后者通常承诺为用户提供便利、降低交易成本并提供个性化产品和服务。游戏化金融科技应用程序的发展在亚洲尤为突出，我们将通过三个公司层面的案例研究来说明这些论点。

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来源期刊

Geoforum GEOGRAPHY-

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

5.70%

发文量

201

期刊介绍： Geoforum is an international, inter-disciplinary journal, global in outlook, and integrative in approach. The broad focus of Geoforum is the organisation of economic, political, social and environmental systems through space and over time. Areas of study range from the analysis of the global political economy and environment, through national systems of regulation and governance, to urban and regional development, local economic and urban planning and resources management. The journal also includes a Critical Review section which features critical assessments of research in all the above areas.