Gamification as a trend in the development of civic and political participation

1. Gamification as a Trend in the Development
of Civic and Political Participation
Olga Sergeyeva1(&)
, Elena Bogomiagkova1
,
Ekaterina Orekh1
, and Natalia Kolesnik2
1
St Petersburg University, Smolnogo st. 1/3 Entrance 9, St. Petersburg, Russia
o.v.sergeyeva@spbu.ru
2
Sociological Institute of the RAS, a Branch of the FCTAS of the RAS,
7 Krasnoarmeyskaya st. 25, St. Petersburg, Russia
Abstract. The paper analyzes the methods of gamification in the practices of
civic and political participation and it identifies research questions about the
problems and prospects of this trend of social inclusion. Gamification creates a
new experience of political actors, be it a leader, a political consultant or a
representative of the masses; a review of the research allows us to clarify the
actual “growth points” of social analytics of gamification. Particular attention is
paid to cases related to game mechanics of urban participation, immersive
journalism and the use of digital resources by political technologists in election
campaigns. The analysis of the scientific discussion about urban participatory
democracy revealed that the success of these practices is influenced not only by
political will of the coordination potential of the local social structure but also by
autonomy and financial capabilities of a political organization interested in civil
participation and the design of the participation process. The possible examples
of immersive journalism and its gamified product, newsgames, in Russian
realities are such information resources as “Lentach” and “Meduza”. New digital
products are actively used by politicians and political technologists at the federal
and regional levels. In conclusion, the authors discussed the phenomena of
interpassivity.
Keywords: Digital media Gamification Participatory culture Digital
engagement Political alienation Participatory Budgeting Newsgames
1 Introduction
Transforming impact of digital media can be seen, among other things, in new forms of
civic and political participation. Interactive media embodied in miniature gadgets
allows changing the mechanism of citizen mobilization. There is intensively devel-
oping a new media trend - gamification or the use of game elements (points, badges,
virtual currencies, levels and progress indicators) to motivate participants in social and
political interactions, to hold their attention and interest. Political tacticians hope that
gamification can withstand political absenteeism, unwillingness to participate in
political issues, fatigue, and political frustration.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Chugunov et al. (Eds.): EGOSE 2019, CCIS 1135, pp. 125–137, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39296-3_10

2. Even though the stimulation of social activity with the help of game elements -
ratings, points, awards - existed in social organizations of past time, a real turn towards
gamification became possible thanks to the variety of “digital footprints” that accom-
pany most of the actions of a today’s user. Due to the global infrastructure of computer
networks, “digital footprints” can be converted into points, create activity leader lists,
thereby encouraging some actions and restricting others. Thus, by supporting gamifi-
cation, digital media can form behavioral responses, mobilize a person through the
loyalty of the organization where, for example, he scored more points.
Observing the genesis of game projects in the political sphere is an essential subject
of critical social analysis because it gives us information about changes in the
engagement institutes. Gamification creates a new experience of political actors,
whether leader or an average person. Scientific knowledge of gamification in the
spheres of politics and civil society lags far behind the spheres of the economy,
organization communications, and education. The experience of gamification analytics
available from game studies whose thesaurus effectively combines the languages of IT
specialists and residents of cultural studies is not systematized enough. Consequently,
the article aim is to provide an overview of gamification directions in the practice of
civic and political participation, based on which to put questions about the problems
and prospects of this trend of social involvement. We attributed the gamification
directions to activities of the main political actors, which traditionally include the state,
parties, citizens, and the media. We also sought to identify the process in which the
game elements were introduced. The logic of our overview of gamification cases is
shown in the following diagram (see Fig. 1):
Fig. 1. Visualization of gamification trends in politics
126 O. Sergeyeva et al.

3. 2 Literature Review
The term “gamification” originated in the environment of IT developers and was taken
up by philosophers and social scientists. The first mentions of gamification in the
scientific bases Scopus and Web of Science relate to 2011. In 2011 in the Russian
eLibrary, the term “gamification” is referred in the full texts of two articles only.
However, in 2012, Russian publications are containing this term in the title, annotations
or keywords. It is now clear that for nearly a decade, an interdisciplinary research field
is developing, the focus of which is the manifestation of gamification in various public
spheres.
So far, the authors have been competing in their attempts to define gamification,
and operating with this concept fluctuates between two primary meanings. First,
gamification relates to the widespread adoption and institutionalization of computer
games, which affect the everyday life experience and interactions. Secondly, it is
considered as the use of game elements (points, badges, virtual currencies, levels and
indicators of progress) to motivate participants of any action, increase their activity and
retain attention and interest. Researcher and game designer S. Deterding stresses that
gamification is not a participation in games, but only some entertainment elements
embedded in other social contexts to make non-game products, services or applications
more motivating and/or attractive to use [4].
Much progress in the study of gamification practices was made in the areas of
marketing and organizational communications. The first books on gamification,
“Game-Based Marketing” and “Gamification by Design” by Zichermann were pub-
lished in 2010 and 2011 [23, 24]. At that time, there was already a practical imple-
mentation of the principles of gamification in the form of the Saleforce platform,
created in 2007 by “Bunchball” (founded in 2005). In 2010, “Badgeville”, which also
specializes in software that gamifies business processes, have begun to work. It is these
processes associated with the economy - labor, personnel management, consumer
behavior - today demonstrate approbation of gamification strategies and theoretical
elaboration of these innovations.
The works analyzing the specifics of gamification of political interactions rely a lot
on ideas about participatory culture. Digital participation arose where the roles of
information users and information creators are intertwined: Web 2.0 gives users a
platform for civic expression. Joint games also become such areas [18].
Crowdsourcing is another concept explaining the nature of the policy field in
connection with gamification. Crowdsourcing means “transferring work to the crowd,”
and it is closely related to the idea of a “collective mind” that supports an egalitarian
society. Usually, gamers individually seek to a goal, while crowdsourcing unites all this
human power to solve one particular problem. According to ideas of well-known media
analysts Bogost, Ferrari, and Schweizer gamification of journalism is the case of
political crowdsourcing [2]. On the examples of “Wired magazine” projects, they
explain the effects of interactive game models, in which many citizens participate, who
can offer solutions to the topical issues of current politics.
In addition to the above, it can be stated that the academic vision of policy field
gamification has two epistemological branches - positive and critical. The first is
Gamification as a Trend in the Development of Civic 127

4. presented, for example, in the works of game developer and researcher J. McGonigal.
In her book “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can
Change the World” she explores the role of games in empowering social and political
participation in societies in which people are tired of aggressive, annoying, direct
coercion and engagement. Game applications are, in her opinion, the system of “fixing
broken reality” [10]. If computer games were first assessed as a way to escapism, then
McGonigal explains the participatory game resources with examples, trying to prove
that the connections between people do not disappear, but they are regrouping (or, as
she writes, “reinventing”).
Critical position on the gamification of the policy field denotes the developing trend
as libertarian paternalism. Libertarian paternalism implies, for example, that the state
gives citizens the freedom to choose, but introduces rules for a limited number of
options. People should feel free, but their behavior is regulated. This principle is known
to all gamers: the available choice is somewhat limited in most computer games, but
with these restrictions, some do good deeds, and some do wrong [16]. Participants can
choose only those options that are provided to them. Feature options are embedded in a
carefully built selection architecture. Critics of gamification see in it a method aimed
not at changing the ideas of a person, but a means of controlling visible behavior. The
computer game researcher Bogost expresses bright polemical judgments: gamification
is a means of exploitation, perversion, and simplification of the game medium, created
by marketers and big business for easy gain [3].
A literature review allows clarifying the current “growth points” of social analytics
of gamification. Political issues worked out much less representatively than economic.
There is no systematization of gamification cases in the field of politics, and this is
important for considering the positive and negative effects.
3 Game Mechanics of Citizen Participation
Disappointment in politics and civil structures, expressed in absenteeism, diminished
interest in cooperation and collaboration with neighbors and colleagues, and the
avoidance of political news are all global processes. In this context, the tools for
increasing the motivation with which the political elites (both governing and opposi-
tion), civic activists of any movements try to interest and mobilize citizens for their
support to become especially in demand. Political actors view the use of gaming
principles and technical resources of digital media as a super strategy to engage.
The level of local policy shows the steadiest trend of gamification. A prime
example is a movement of “Participatory Budgeting in Your City,” which implies the
joint decision of citizens on how to spend public money with the maximum benefit for
the local community. Authors analyzing contemporary participatory democracy attri-
bute this practice of budget formation to the number of the most advanced municipal
innovations, emphasizing two of its essential characteristics: (1) people intervene in a
strategic scope of the power - they begin to control the money; (2) this practice breaks
the standards of non-participatory culture that are already entrenched in Western
societies and induces new methods of collective action [1, 12, 13].
128 O. Sergeyeva et al.

5. The summing up of the national examples of Participatory Budgeting in European
countries (Spain, Slovakia, Estonia, Germany [8, 9]) in the USA, Canada [17], and
Brazil [20] allows us to characterize clearly which game elements are used to activate
citizens. We can say that in the game terms, Participatory Budgeting corresponds with
the favorite genre of computer games - economic strategies, ideally offering the gamer
to feel like a demiurge. Let us remember Tropico 5 (2014) or Cities: Skylines (2015–
2018), where the community well-being depend on the gamer’s actions. Obviously, in
Participatory Budgeting these feelings are not so unambiguous, and the visual com-
ponent of the gaming environment is far from the graphics of “Tropico 5”, but we
cannot no take into account the immersion in the pleasure of control. The competition
of budget proposals generates more obvious gaming excitement among the actors of
Participatory Budgeting. Citizens vote online or in-person for funding ideas, which are
reflected in the online table of leading proposals.
The Russian experience of gamification of civic participation at the municipal level
is the functioning of the “Active Citizen” as an online platform for voting among
Moscow residents on city development. Voting results are implemented either in the
adoption of laws of the Moscow city or in departmental decisions. However, calling the
experience of “Active Citizen” an electronic referendum, we must bear in mind that the
results of the voting have no legal validity, but they are an advisory agent in the choice
of government decisions. The actions of the participants of the “Active Citizen” are
comparable to the games, because on this platform awards for activity were introduced.
The “Online Store of Reword” works here, the bright interface of which is typical for
any online store. A voting resident of Moscow, thus, can get gaming pleasure from
both promoting his opinion, and from gaining points.
Fig. 2. Screenshot of the “Online Store of Reword”, the Moscow project “Active citizen”
https://shop.ag.mos.ru/catalog/
Gamification as a Trend in the Development of Civic 129

6. The researchers of municipal participatory democracy underline that the success of
these practices depends on the balance of four factors: “(1) political will, (2) organi-
zational capacity of the social fabric of a territory, (3) autonomy and financial capacity
of the promoter political entity and (4) organizational architecture (or “design”) of the
participatory process” [1]. Gamification is the design of a participatory process (factor
4) that is expected to be able to “reanimate” the self-organization of citizens tired of
traditional involvement.
4 The Appeal of Issues Through Immersive Journalism
Agenda setting as a process of formation of the ideas about the issues that are important
for the political and social life of the country, what decisions should be taken, and
which of them are correct and most appropriate, who is responsible for their imple-
mentation, etc. is an integral part of modern public policy. Both the political elite and
representatives of civil society, as well as the media are involved in this process. «The
appeal of issues» is one of the variables influencing the mobilization for participation,
which was justified by American researcher Rosenau in the middle of XX century. The
term stands for the ability of the organizers of the mobilization campaigns to pick up
the questions, the content of which forces to intensify the socio-political perceptions
and the personal activity of individuals [15]. One of the modern ways to attract the
attention of audiences, which appeared with the development of digital media, is
immersive journalism and newsgames as its gamified product. Even though certain
game elements were part of the journalist practice for a long time (you can remember
crossword puzzles and word search in print newspapers, etc.) newsgames give the
audience another, namely, an interactive experience. Newsgames is an interactive
format for presenting important political and social events, news, combining the fea-
tures of a computer game and journalism. This format appeared recently, and its clear
comprehension has an even shorter history. In the Web of Science Core Collection
database, the first publication on newsgames dates to 2007. Famous game designer and
scholar G. Frasca is credited with creating the term newsgames. He focused on edi-
torial games and described these games as political cartoons meets computer simula-
tions. Another researcher I. Bogost «moved the field forward by opening the definition
to anything created at the intersection of journalism and gaming» [6].
Currently, the newsgames format is becoming increasingly widespread. Renowned
newspapers and magazines like “The New York Times” and “Wired magazine” have
featured newsgames on their websites [2]. News Internet media company BuzzFeed’s
announced the establishment of studio solely for the creation of newsgames [14]. James
reports: «American University’s JoLT (Journalism Leadership Transformation) pro-
gram for journalism and game design hosts an online resource of games designed by
and for journalists that will be useful for teaching and researching the history of digital
technologies and the evolution of emerging media in journalism» [6, p. 379]. The site
contains the database, which is a collection of online games, simulations, and inter-
actives created by journalism organizations or with journalistic value. In Russia, the
information resources “Lentach” (Lentach (oldlentach) is an online community focused
on unusual or political news. For more details see http://lenta.ch/news) and “Meduza”
130 O. Sergeyeva et al.

7. (Meduza is a Russian-language online publication registered in Latvia, created by the
former editor-in-chief of the online edition Lenta.ru Galina Timchenko. For more
details see https://meduza.io/) also used the format of newsgames.
In the context of the spread of ideas and practices of participatory government, the
inclusion of game mechanics and principles in media communication is designed to
overcome both interactive fatigue [19] and reducing of public interest in the political
and social life of the country, as well as engage audiences not only in perception, but
also in the production of content. Becoming gamers previously «passive» users get a
personal experience of perception of information and become accomplices of news
creation.
The newsgames format has several features. First, newsgames are distinguished
from a usual computer game by using real social, cultural or political events (current or
past) as a game space (setting) as well as the images of political leaders, public figures,
news heroes, and representatives of different social groups as game characters. So,
Plewe and Fürsich consider an example of newsgames, in which gamers will immerse
themselves in the everyday reality of refugees and migrants to feel their experience
[14]. Current news become a narrative for the game. Second, since potential users of
newsgames are large audiences, they need to be quickly and universally accessible for
everyone: “Newsgames need to make use of simple or previously existing game
mechanics that their gamers are already familiar with” [14, p. 2472]. Also, as a rule,
newsgames are posted on the online platforms of media publications. Third, news-
games, offering specific rules, allow the gamer not only to feel like a participant in
actual events but also to influence them.
For several years (since 2014), the “Lentach” information resource has used the
newsgames format for summarizing and evaluating the results of the year. The idea of
these games is that successful actions of the user who turned out to be a participant in
the events of the past year can change the present, albeit in virtual reality. The game has
the slogan “It is time to change history!”. Political and social events that have attracted
attention in the past year act as game plots, and the gamer is offered, consistently
moving from one situation to another, with the help of game simulations to prevent
what happened or affect it. The game assumes the presence of several levels, and the
transition to the next level is possible only with the successful completion of the
previous one (turn-based game). The characters of newsgames are well-known political
figures, such as the President, deputies, governors, etc. However, the user is not invited
to take their place, to manage the avatar, he is instead an external observer of situations
(view in the game from a third party).
As an example, we can consider playing around a high-profile case of 2018 with
deputy L. Slutsky, who was accused of sexual harassment. The plot of the game lies in
the fact that somebody’s hands symbolizing harassment try to touch the girls-
journalists when they interview the deputy. The gamer must prevent harassment by
clicking on the hands approaching the journalists (Fig. 2).
Gamification as a Trend in the Development of Civic 131

8. Visual and sound signals accompany successful or unsuccessful blocking of hands.
After successfully passing the level, the game reports that the deputy was punished
(which was not) and informs about the changes in social reality that could have hap-
pened if everything had happened. Next, the gamer is invited to participate in other
events which are the next levels of the game.
Lentach as a resource known for its provocative uses dramatic political events as
plots for newsgames, caricature ridiculing them. In this case, the game can be compared
with satire. The visual content of newsgames by Lentach is simple and schematic, the
process of the game is accompanied by music, which also sets a specific context for
immersing and experiencing what is happening on the screen. Newsgame by Lentach
does not require special skills or technical equipment from the gamer; success in the
game depends on the performance of simple functions. Instead, the user needs a speed
of reaction and timely keystrokes.
Another example is the game of the “Meduza” company, which also presumes
relatively simple mechanics and contains not only information but also an assessment
of current events in Russia. So, one of newsgames by “Meduza”, based on the problem
of billions of dollars in debt for gas in some regions of Russia, offers the gamer to
collect these debts. The mechanics of the game are similar to “Tetris”. Money is
pouring from the top of the screen, and the gamer needs to manipulate obstacles to get
the money into the wallet standing at the bottom. Depending on how much debt the
gamer was able to collect, at the end he gets a particular title, for example, «Holy» that
has not collected debts (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Screenshot of the game «The new year 2019» by the information resource Lentach,
https://russia2518.lenta.ch
132 O. Sergeyeva et al.

9. In Russia, the potential of newsgames is used primarily by opposition information
companies. The very mechanics of the game puts the gamer in the position of a critic of
the phenomenon that underlies the game plot. Offering some rather than other situa-
tions as elements of the game, the company designates them as necessary and sig-
nificant, highlighting them from the whole space of problems that can become visible
to users, thereby contributing to the agenda setting. The creators of the games deter-
mine a specific perspective on the topic. Newsgames contain an explicit or hidden
assessment of political and social events, and gamers can only act in conditions that are
set by the logic of the game (Fig. 4).
5 Election with Gamification
Interestingly, the online space of modern social networks gamifies the field of politics
with its technological permissibility, without the need for the additional introduction of
game mechanics or game elements. This is due to the presence of accounts of politi-
cians who support active self-presentation online in social networks. The attraction of
interest of the electorate is promoted by their comments, photos and video clips;
shocking statements and presentations of ambitious projects collect feedback from the
audience that can reward politician’s posts with “likes” and comments on the posts,
along with rewarding the most noticeable comments with “likes”. However, there is a
complex background behind the innocent likes: firstly, such “likes” can be regarded as
a form of statements “for” or “in support”, respectively, they perform a legitimizing
function. Symbolic approval of posts means approval of political ideas and attitudes.
Secondly, “likes”, received for the best - the wittiest and accurate - comments, are
regarded as a reward (bonuses) and are a pleasure for commentators, and most
importantly - encourage all the following comments. People access social networks, are
capable of joining political communities and, thus, form a stable connection with the
source of pleasure.
Further, thanks to the algorithm of the Internet and social networks and records that
are filtered based on individual preferences, a person may have a feeling that many
Fig. 4. Screenshot of the game «Collect debts for gas», https://meduza.io/games/soberi-dolgi-
za-gaz
Gamification as a Trend in the Development of Civic 133

10. people share his or her position, this can lead a person to share even more statements,
comments and likes. Awards in the form of likes in social networks make the very
process of participation in support of political statements and ideas pleasant to users.
Nevertheless, such “public” political participation causes reasonable skepticism.
Political statements and ideas are legitimized without proper consideration, which can
create additional problems in the political interaction of elites offline. Nominal
involvement in political issues is growing, but the quality of this involvement leaves
much to be desired.
The problem of mobilizational appeal is especially acute during periods of election
campaigns. During that period of time participation through likes is insufficient for
political leaders, so, both traditional and new technologies of voter’s involvement are
used. Gamification was successfully used by the last US President Barack Obama
during his election campaign in 2012, who has connected a social network with the
Foursquare function. This network provides users with the ability to mark their location
in various places and notify their friends about it. During the campaign Obama’s
supporters had the “achievement” reward: those who followed the future president in
five events organized by the candidate’s headquarters became the lucky ones. They
received the “Obama for America” badge directly in “Foursquare,” and then they could
win a dinner with the candidate [7].
Modern political technologists state that the style of political communication is
changing towards a more interactive form. According to Morris, the practician of
political campaigns today, a political consultant should not only provide a voter with
information but also involve him in some attractive activity (participation in ratings,
quests, flash mobs, free competitions or in exchange for bonuses) [11].
In Russian politics at the federal and regional levels, more and more often new
technologies are used in electoral technologies. In the Russian media this process is
referred to as “uberization of politics” or “politics without barriers” - on the principle of
open doors. Active involvement of digital products by the new politicians in their
campaigns is being considered: sites and accounts of the election headquarters of
political parties and social and political organizations, personal sites and pages in social
networks, blogs, free applications for smartphones.
The digital resource is used by both representatives of (pro) governmental struc-
tures and oppositionists, both politicians of megalopolises and those who live in small
municipal settlements. According to D. Gudkov and M. Katz, the “political Uber”
created by them for the municipal candidates in Moscow in 2018 “allowed political
newcomers to overcome the fear of bureaucracy and conduct their campaign according
to the quest rules”. As a result, the United Democrats Coalition held 266 candidates for
deputies in 62 district councils. D. Gudkov explains this successful result by several
factors: the revolution in the minds, the victory of new technologies and progress, the
common sense, the existing demand for change, the “coolest headquarters”, the support
provided from below and self-financing through fundraising [22].
Innovative political strategies were also used at the federal level, for example, in the
presidential election campaign of 2018 when one of the candidates K. Sobchak man-
aged to build a working network-oriented political party. There were not only tradi-
tional but also, and most significantly, digital methods involved in the conducted
election campaign. The process of interaction between all the participants in the
134 O. Sergeyeva et al.

11. election process was mediated by an automatic system using a whole set of technical
tools. The website of K. Sobchak allowed the candidate’s supporters not only to
participate in writing the “123 difficult steps” candidate program but to provide
financial assistance, receive e-mails, text and voice messages from the candidate and
symbolic awards for completed tasks as well.
6 Discussion
Gamification is the reality of today and it is logical to imagine that this process is a
result of social changes in contemporary society. In this sense, we are not just talking
about trendy technology used by someone for some purpose but also about the ubiq-
uitous trend of our time brought about by certain circumstances. The need to use
special mechanisms of involvement in any process is caused by weakening attention, a
decreasing interest, a reduction or lack of desire to participate among consumers. It is
hard to disagree with Zichermann and Linder that “the classical ways of engaging in
the modern world no longer work, given the huge number of distractions that are
rapidly increasing” [25, p. 23]. They are echoed by Werbach and Hunter: “traditional
ways of motivating customers and employees often do not live up to expectations. The
carrots and sticks method does not work anymore and money, social status and the fear
of being punished work up to a certain point only” [21].
At first glance, the idea of gamification as a technology used in the sphere of
politics is rather transparent: it is assumed that the introduction of game mechanics or
game elements will stimulate, involve, allow to overcome the problem of political
absenteeism, the person’s refusal to participate in politics (management) by that in itself
the game brings to man the pleasure - the pleasure of the game. It is crucial to keep in
mind that today we are dealing with automated technological games. Automation is
manifested in the fact that part of the activity is delegated to the game. As computer
games analyst Galloway writes, modern games that are based on program code are
active environments that enable gamers to perform actions but also produce actions
themselves [5, p. 25]. In addition, by delegating activity to games we delegate passivity
to them. Pfaller and Zizek, were the first to have written about the possibility of
contemporary media being passive objects instead of man put in that position. In other
words, computer games can perform actions for us, but they can also undergo and
experience something instead of us [26].
Delegation of passivity or inter-passivity leads to a more accurate understanding of
the gamification of political participation. We can discuss a process in which citizen
engagement through online resources that automatically count points that assign a place
in a rating, allows people not only to act but also to evade action. While in the era of
television politics the question was raised about couch activism or weakness of the
viewer who was placed in front of the screen, today interpassivity is relevant - when
digital media balance activity with a measure of relaxation of a visually involved
participant, for example, in a flash mob. Thus, with the spread of gamification the niche
of interpassivity can expand raising new questions about political ontology in the
digital age.
Gamification as a Trend in the Development of Civic 135

12. 7 Conclusion
Any game is a system based on the rules and involves the achievement of a quantified
result in the form of points, scores, places, etc. Taking on the roles of gamers, users not
only follow the logic of game achievements (points, scores, etc.) and seek to influence
the result but also enjoy the process of the game, that is an essential part of this format.
Digital game projects are being introduced into politics today, both at the national and
municipal levels. Game design is incorporated in the agenda setting, citizen science,
citizen-sensing, citizen sourcing, public deliberation, participatory budgeting, the
preparation of meetings in support of candidate/party. The overview of electoral cases
allows us to say that today the interaction of elites and masses is no longer possible
without gaming components, while the consolidation of voters through IT platforms
give active citizens to feel themselves inside the process continuously.
A distinct track of gamification is the development agenda with the help of
immersive journalism. Involvement, participation, immersiveness are the critical
characteristics of newsgames. Newsgames are the part of immersive journalism, which
is an emerging trend that amplifies the impact of the news on a person by creating a
sensory and interactive experience. The goals of this format can be different and range
from overcoming interactive fatigue to the economic and political ones.
The trend of gamification in politics is a new challenge for the social sciences,
which can raise critical questions about the cultural and behavioral effects of gaming
stimulation of activism. Critical emphasis increases the discussion, opposing man-
agerialism, widespread among political consultants.
Acknowledgments. The reported study was funded by RFBR and EISR according to the
research project № 19-011-31375.
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