BACKGROUND: The following memorandum will explain why message-testing Millennial and Generation X voters regarding an incentivized and gamified voter participation program will be essential to the long-term success of the RNC. The theory of gamification states that people - consumers, coworkers, or students - respond naturally and efficiently to competition, reward and the type of simulated risk that have made video games such a cultural phenomenon. “Serious games” deal with serious social, economic, health, and educational issues and are increasingly being seen as an important means of engaging new audiences and providing new tools to persuade participants of specific socio political agendas. Since voter turnout rates have been seriously decreasing, the application of a serious game to the political process could increase civic engagement..
In order to strive for maximum user engagement and participation, it is important to make the process social and competitive in nature. At each step of the process, users can obtain points by registering to vote, completing
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After compiling a list of problems their city has, citizens were notified that they could earn points by submitting proposals and solutions to the established problems. Citizens who reached certain point thresholds would then be awarded medals, and classified on three levels: (1) Interested Citizens, (2) Active Citizens, and (3) Distinguished Citizens. Ultimately, the study found that integrating e-participation applications with gamification elements keeps citizens participation active over long periods of time. I believe that my study will reflect these findings, and that by implementing the theory of gamification to a voter-participation application will lead to higher voter turnout rates and a well-informed