Author: Marius Zoican, Associate Professor of Finance, University of Calgary

Gamification is rapidly reshaping how people consume information and engage with the world. It uses strategies such as clear goals, instant rewards and engaging visuals to make everyday tasks more enjoyable, often in a digital setting. The COVID-19 pandemic nudged consumers to embrace no-contact, instant gratification experiences in an increasingly digital world. Businesses found that gamification attracts new customers while keeping the existing ones engaged. As evidenced by the meteoric rise of the Robinhood investment app, even trading platforms haven’t been able to escape the pull of gamification. While trading gamification attracts new and younger investors to financial markets, a…