The advantages of gamification for collecting linguistic data: A case study using Word Ladders

This paper delves into the integration of gamification techniques within the field of linguistics to enhance data collection for academic research purposes. Through an exploration of the Word Ladders mobile application, designed to elicit hierarchical word associations and therefore linguistic data, the study investigates the potential benefits of gamification in terms of data quality, user experience, and motivation in taking part to the research and to the data collection task. The experimental design examines the advantages of a gamified approach compared to traditional research methods (online surveys), through an experimental session followed by a survey (n=189). Results showed that competition between users is a powerful motivator that can be easily integrated in gamified approaches and less so in classic online surveys, driving engagement and potentially enhancing the scalability of data collection while retaining the quality of data collected in classic lab settings. While challenges persist, our research contributes to the understanding of gamification’s impact on data collection, user experience, and motivation, laying the foundation for transformative advancements in the field of language and communication sciences.