Océane Lissillour

University of York

I started my journey in France’s Celtic land Britanny where I did a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. It was here that I found my love for the field of ergonomics, leading me to specialise in serious video games. Moving to Toulouse to undertake my dream MSc in technological innovation and cognitive psychology, enabled work in collaboration with researchers of the CLLE, a laboratory branch of the national research centre. This furthered my knowledge and awareness of video games and engagement processes. Afterwards, I moved on to work in Aeronautics and I am now in my second year as a postgraduate researcher in the IGGI programme researching gamification.

A description of Océane's research:

My research focuses on the act of taking a regular activity and ‘gamifying’ it by applying mechanics commonly found inside video games (such as points). This technique has been widely applied within research but its psychological aspects have seldom been studied. The aim of this thesis is to assess the efficacy and applicability of this technique, particularly the score element mechanic. It focuses on educational settings, as literature has shown that this is a field where engagement is particularly crucial. It has been proposed that the use of gamification will provide a partial solution to the critical decline in learners’ motivation and engagement the schooling system faces today.