Eco-gamification is increasingly recognized as a promising approach to address critical environmental challenges and support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of ‘net zero’ emissions and neutrality in land degradation by 2050. However, sustaining long-term engagement remains a challenge, which may be due to the insufficient integration of gamified media elements with visual representations of users' sustainability efforts. Building upon theory of media richness, this study proposes a ‘gamification-user-destination’ model to explore the psychological mechanisms underlying the connections formed between users and destinations through eco-gamification. Based on data from 308 experienced users, a higher-order model indicates that no single strategy can promote environmentally friendly behaviours. Instead, a moderated moderated-mediation effect is observed, suggesting that eco-gamification achieves optimal results when destinations demonstrate genuine environmental commitment. Conversely, superficial environmental campaigns can be counterproductive. This study contributes to the eco-gamification discourse by demonstrating how eco-gamification, in linking users and destinations, is geared toward sustainability goals.

中文翻译：

---

不仅仅是游戏：了解可持续目的地开发中的生态游戏化


生态游戏化越来越被认为是解决关键环境挑战和支持到 2050 年实现“净零”排放和土地退化中立的可持续发展目标 (SDG) 的一种有前途的方法。然而，维持长期参与仍然是一个挑战，这可能是由于游戏化媒体元素与用户可持续发展努力的视觉表现没有充分结合。基于媒体丰富性理论，本研究提出了“游戏化-用户-目的地”模型，以探索通过生态游戏化在用户和目的地之间形成的联系背后的心理机制。根据 308 位经验丰富的用户的数据，高阶模型表明没有任何单一策略可以促进环保行为。相反，观察到了适度的中介效应，这表明当目的地表现出真正的环境承诺时，生态游戏化会取得最佳结果。相反，肤浅的环保运动可能会适得其反。这项研究通过展示生态游戏化如何在连接用户和目的地方面实现可持续发展目标，为生态游戏化的讨论做出了贡献。