Gamification User Types in Professional Football: Implications for Personalized Training Systems

Gamification is increasingly used in digital systems to influence user engagement and behavior. Identifying user types is important for designing personalized gamified systems. This study aims to identify the gamification user types that characterize professional football players, examine whether these types differ according to dominant foot, highest league played, and playing position, and provide implications for the design of gamified training environments. A survey was conducted with 113 male professional football players in Türkiye recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Turkish version of the Gamification User Types Scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis tests. The most common user type among professional football players is Achiever, and the least common is Disruptor. No statistically detectable differences were observed according to dominant foot, highest league played, and playing position. A conceptual framework is provided to guide the design of personalized gamified training environments for athletes.