Abstract

‘Good citizenship’ has become a game to play, with real prizes to be won. This talk focuses on the ‘gamification of citizenship’ through a discussion of digital rewards, participation and volunteering. In recent years, a proliferation of mobile apps have incentivised behaviour change in various contexts such as health and sustainability. I argue that the growth of ‘gamification’ (using elements of game design in non-gaming contexts) in these popular mobile apps has wider implications for debates on citizenship and raises important questions about the use of gambling style techniques within apps for ‘social good’. The seminar then charts some of the latest trends in the US and the UK related to citizenship, volunteering and ‘character’, reflecting on wider geographies of immigration and the contested politics of volunteering as ‘good behaviour’.