{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T17:49:43Z","timestamp":1790790583714,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":92,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,1]],"date-time":"2026-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769904000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,1]],"date-time":"2026-02-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769904000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["DIGITAL HEALTH"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Digital technologies increasingly shape the work environment of knowledge workers and can negatively affect employee well-being. While organizations have introduced digital workplace health promotion programs to address these challenges, many initiatives struggle with low engagement. Gamification is considered a promising approach to enhance participation, yet it remains unclear how different game design elements influence various dimensions of employee well-being, leaving organizations with limited guidance on how to design effective gamified health interventions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study examines how gamification in digital workplace health promotion programs contributes to employee well-being by (1) identifying the targeted well-being dimensions, (2) analyzing game design elements and their theoretical foundations, and (3) extracting Self-Determination Theory-related success factors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a structured literature review across AIS eLibrary, PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, last searched in 2023. The search yielded a total of 823 papers for screening. Studies were included if they empirically examined gamification technologies in workplace contexts and their effects on well-being or health-related behavior among knowledge workers; non-empirical studies, studies outside the workplace context, and studies without gamification or well-being-related outcomes were excluded. Eligible studies were analyzed using a concept matrix to systematically map game design elements, well-being dimensions, and Self-Determination Theory-related success factors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Eighteen studies were included in the final synthesis. Most studies focused on physical well-being, while mental well-being and job-related outcomes were examined less frequently. Four design strategies emerged: progress-, social-, financial-, and immersion-oriented elements. Self-Determination Theory appears useful for understanding gamification effects, although few studies explicitly apply theoretical frameworks.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Gamified digital workplace health promotion programs show promise in enhancing employee well-being, yet existing research remains conceptually narrow and insufficiently theory driven. Therefore, we propose a research agenda calling for greater conceptual clarity, stronger theoretical grounding, and the evaluation of long-term, personalized, and adverse effects.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/20552076261481633","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T21:03:26Z","timestamp":1787605406000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Playing for better health: Gamification in digital workplace health promotion \u2013 A structured review of design elements, outcomes, and mechanisms from a self-determination theory perspective"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Kristina","family":"Hall","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Fraunhofer FIT, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering"},{"name":"University of Bayreuth"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Watkowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fraunhofer FIT, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering"},{"name":"University of Bayreuth"},{"name":"FIM Research Center for Information Management"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-5996-0748","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Berit","family":"Helmus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fraunhofer FIT, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering"},{"name":"University of Bayreuth"},{"name":"FIM Research Center for Information Management"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","first-page":"e15083","article-title":"A persuasive mHealth behavioral change intervention for promoting physical activity in the workplace: feasibility randomized controlled trial","volume":"4","author":"Haque MS","year":"2020","unstructured":"Haque MS, Kangas M, J\u00e4ms\u00e4 T. 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