Understanding the Antecedents and Outcomes of Ambivalence in the Gamification of Green Information Systems: The Case of Ant Forest

It has become increasingly common to include gamification elements in non-gamified platforms. However, our understanding of the real psychological state of users in the process of participating in games and how gamification design affects users' usage behavior is still limited. Based on cognitive dissonance theory, this study takes Ant Forest, a domestic gamified green information system, as an example to explore the antecedents and outcomes of users' ambivalent dilemmas in the process of participating in games. Based on the structural equation modeling (SEM) estimation method of partial least squares (PLS), we conducted an online survey with 265 Ant Forest users. The results of the empirical study suggest that visibility of achievement, privacy concerns, and their interactions lead to users' ambivalence. In addition, ambivalence further leads to intermittent discontinuance among users.