Missing the forest for the trees: Balancing personalization costs and benefits in persuasive games

Research has shown that personalization of persuasive games along certain dimensions (e.g. gender, player types) can increase the persuasive effect. However, when designing a personalized game the question arises, which player characteristics should be used as personalization factors? Considering too many factors quickly results in extensive or even unmanageable design efforts, whereas focusing on too few leads to the risk of stereotyping or addressing only a small part of the target group. In this position paper, we discuss issues of personalization in design practice and present the approach we choose in designing persuasive games for promoting an active lifestyle. We conclude with the need for empirical research in order to estimate costs and benefits of personalization.