Ahmed Gamal
PhD fellow at University of Agder
Ahmed Gamal is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD candidate in Information Systems at the University of Agder in Norway, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. His research explores gamification in the metaverse and augmented business innovation. His PhD project develops a strategic framework that combines gamification, modelling, and behavioral nudging to enhance business value and promote ethical digital engagement in immersive virtual environments. Ahmed holds a BSc in Economics from Suez Canal University and an MSc in Economics from Philipps Marburg University and the Lebanese American University. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a senior economic consultant on AI policy and as a lecturer in economics across Europe and the Middle East. He has also collaborated with international organizations, including Transparency International (Berlin) and the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Center, with the aim of advancing responsible, evidence-based digital innovation that bridges academic research, industry practice, and public policy.
Tell us about your project!
This PhD project investigates how gamification can be strategically integrated into the metaverse to enhance consumer engagement and business value. While gamification and the metaverse have been widely studied independently, there is a lack of structured frameworks explaining how gamified mechanisms operate within immersive, persistent virtual environments. Addressing this gap, the study develops a design-level framework that combines gamification theory, game-theoretic modelling, and behavioral nudging to optimize business–consumer interactions in the metaverse. Using a convergent mixed-methods approach, the research integrates controlled experiments with metaverse users, in-depth interviews with gamification designers, and computational game-theoretic simulations. The project evaluates key engagement outcomes, such as participation, retention, and loyalty, while critically addressing ethical challenges including data privacy, digital addiction, and fairness. The findings aim to contribute theoretically and practically by guiding businesses toward ethical, sustainable, and value-driven gamified metaverse strategies.
“My PhD project develops a strategic framework that combines gamification, modelling, and behavioral nudging to enhance business value and promote ethical digital engagement in immersive virtual environments”
— Ahmed Gamal on his PhD project “Gamification in the Metaverse for Business and Market Research: A Strategic Framework Augmented Business Innovation”