Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition

This research investigates the utilization of entertainment approaches, such as serious games and gamification technologies, to address various challenges and implement targeted tasks. Specifically, it details the design and development of an innovative gamified application named “J-Plus”, aimed at...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Eleni Siamtanidou, Lazaros Vrysis, Nikolaos Vryzas, Charalampos A. Dimoulas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Societies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/3/54
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850280358932643840
author Eleni Siamtanidou
Lazaros Vrysis
Nikolaos Vryzas
Charalampos A. Dimoulas
author_facet Eleni Siamtanidou
Lazaros Vrysis
Nikolaos Vryzas
Charalampos A. Dimoulas
author_sort Eleni Siamtanidou
collection DOAJ
description This research investigates the utilization of entertainment approaches, such as serious games and gamification technologies, to address various challenges and implement targeted tasks. Specifically, it details the design and development of an innovative gamified application named “J-Plus”, aimed at both professionals and non-professionals in journalism. This application facilitates the enjoyable, efficient, and high-quality collection of emotionally tagged speech samples, enhancing the performance and robustness of speech emotion recognition (SER) systems. Additionally, these approaches offer significant educational benefits, providing users with knowledge about emotional speech and artificial intelligence (AI) mechanisms while promoting digital skills. This project was evaluated by 48 participants, with 44 engaging in quantitative assessments and 4 forming an expert group for qualitative methodologies. This evaluation validated the research questions and hypotheses, demonstrating the application’s diverse benefits. Key findings indicate that gamified features can effectively support learning and attract users, with approximately 70% of participants agreeing that serious games and gamification could enhance their motivation to practice and improve their emotional speech. Additionally, 50% of participants identified social interaction features, such as collaboration, as most beneficial for fostering motivation and commitment. The integration of these elements supports reliable and extensive data collection and the advancement of AI algorithms while concurrently developing various skills, such as emotional speech articulation and digital literacy. This paper advocates for the creation of collaborative environments and digital communities through crowdsourcing, balancing technological innovation in the SER sector.
format Article
id doaj-art-e7a122b4e6fd4cbe95b7cbea51e76a33
institution OA Journals
issn 2075-4698
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Societies
spelling doaj-art-e7a122b4e6fd4cbe95b7cbea51e76a332025-08-20T01:48:46ZengMDPI AGSocieties2075-46982025-02-011535410.3390/soc15030054Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion RecognitionEleni Siamtanidou0Lazaros Vrysis1Nikolaos Vryzas2Charalampos A. Dimoulas3Multidisciplinary Media and Mediated Communication (M3C) Research Group, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceMultidisciplinary Media and Mediated Communication (M3C) Research Group, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceMultidisciplinary Media and Mediated Communication (M3C) Research Group, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceMultidisciplinary Media and Mediated Communication (M3C) Research Group, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceThis research investigates the utilization of entertainment approaches, such as serious games and gamification technologies, to address various challenges and implement targeted tasks. Specifically, it details the design and development of an innovative gamified application named “J-Plus”, aimed at both professionals and non-professionals in journalism. This application facilitates the enjoyable, efficient, and high-quality collection of emotionally tagged speech samples, enhancing the performance and robustness of speech emotion recognition (SER) systems. Additionally, these approaches offer significant educational benefits, providing users with knowledge about emotional speech and artificial intelligence (AI) mechanisms while promoting digital skills. This project was evaluated by 48 participants, with 44 engaging in quantitative assessments and 4 forming an expert group for qualitative methodologies. This evaluation validated the research questions and hypotheses, demonstrating the application’s diverse benefits. Key findings indicate that gamified features can effectively support learning and attract users, with approximately 70% of participants agreeing that serious games and gamification could enhance their motivation to practice and improve their emotional speech. Additionally, 50% of participants identified social interaction features, such as collaboration, as most beneficial for fostering motivation and commitment. The integration of these elements supports reliable and extensive data collection and the advancement of AI algorithms while concurrently developing various skills, such as emotional speech articulation and digital literacy. This paper advocates for the creation of collaborative environments and digital communities through crowdsourcing, balancing technological innovation in the SER sector.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/3/54speech emotion recognition systemsgamification technologiesgamified applicationsserious gamescrowdsourcingdigital communities
spellingShingle Eleni Siamtanidou
Lazaros Vrysis
Nikolaos Vryzas
Charalampos A. Dimoulas
Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition
Societies
speech emotion recognition systems
gamification technologies
gamified applications
serious games
crowdsourcing
digital communities
title Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition
title_full Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition
title_fullStr Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition
title_full_unstemmed Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition
title_short Gamified Engagement for Data Crowdsourcing and AI Literacy: An Investigation in Affective Communication Through Speech Emotion Recognition
title_sort gamified engagement for data crowdsourcing and ai literacy an investigation in affective communication through speech emotion recognition
topic speech emotion recognition systems
gamification technologies
gamified applications
serious games
crowdsourcing
digital communities
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/3/54
work_keys_str_mv AT elenisiamtanidou gamifiedengagementfordatacrowdsourcingandailiteracyaninvestigationinaffectivecommunicationthroughspeechemotionrecognition
AT lazarosvrysis gamifiedengagementfordatacrowdsourcingandailiteracyaninvestigationinaffectivecommunicationthroughspeechemotionrecognition
AT nikolaosvryzas gamifiedengagementfordatacrowdsourcingandailiteracyaninvestigationinaffectivecommunicationthroughspeechemotionrecognition
AT charalamposadimoulas gamifiedengagementfordatacrowdsourcingandailiteracyaninvestigationinaffectivecommunicationthroughspeechemotionrecognition