Cities and their populations are constantly growing, and this is putting a great strain on the planet’s resources. Cities consume 75% of all the global natural resources, one of which is water. The...Show moreCities and their populations are constantly growing, and this is putting a great strain on the planet’s resources. Cities consume 75% of all the global natural resources, one of which is water. The city’s density and economic activity affect the distribution of these resources and it is one of the reasons why cities are turning to the Smart City concept. This allows cities to use technology to gather large amounts of real time data and adjust the existing and future plans. However, more data is needed to help these adjustments become more effective. Some researchers have turned towards the citizens as the prime generators of data, calling it citizen science. As a result, methods which motivate citizens to adopt the smart city technology are essential to enable data generation. This research focused on the following question: How can gamification theory facilitate the data collection for urban water management models in the city of The Hague? Through literature research and a questionnaire, the research showed how gamification can help generate more data by motivating the citizens of The Hague. By using the existing water management system as a basis, implementing gamification characteristics which influence the user’s utilitarian perspective like badges, overview tables, notifications and rewards, a user can become more motivated to use the water consumption system, generate data which can be used by urban water management models and ultimately make cities a more sustainable environment.Show less
With terrorist attacks still on the rise and several terrorist organizations marginalized, ‘lone wolf terrorism’ and ‘leaderless jihad’ are becoming one of the main strategies adopted by al-Qaeda....Show moreWith terrorist attacks still on the rise and several terrorist organizations marginalized, ‘lone wolf terrorism’ and ‘leaderless jihad’ are becoming one of the main strategies adopted by al-Qaeda. Instead of living and training physically with al-Qaeda, more and more individuals are radicalized in their own country. With an average age of 26, al-Qaeda related lone-wolf terrorists are increasingly recruited online. The accelerating use of the Internet to radicalize and mobilize youth has become crucial for al-Qaeda. Not only does al-Qaeda launch, use and engage with several Jihadist websites, forums and social media, the use of gamification to engage with aspiring jihadists and to encourage violence is one of their newest strategies. And a very savvy one as well (Brachman & Levine, 2011). Where gamification is primarily used online, al-Qaeda uses gamification language offline as well. However, little to no research has been conducted considering the use of gamification language in al-Qaeda’s magazine Inspire. Even though al-Qaeda’s power has been weakened ever since the death of Osama bin Laden, a recent UN report of 2019 still warns that “Al-Qaeda senior leaders are strengthening the network’s global command structure and continuing to encourage attacks against the West” (US Intelligence Community, 2019, p.12). This research examines this question using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and gamification theory. Through this multimodal approach, this thesis analyses how al-Qaeda uses power relations through gamification language in order to create social identities and radicalize and recruit lone wolf terrorists.Show less
This thesis analyses the increasing gamification of our present-day global capitalistic societies. It explores the ways gamification, through the production of ‘playbor’, the hybridization of play...Show moreThis thesis analyses the increasing gamification of our present-day global capitalistic societies. It explores the ways gamification, through the production of ‘playbor’, the hybridization of play and work, is shaping a new system of social domination executed through the subjection of its individuals. It proposes that a disengaged and decelerated aesthetic experience of contemporary art can function as an alternative process of subjection which, in turn, can help to counteract our increasing gamified and self-exploitative subjections.Show less
