The Affordance of Gamification in Enabling a Digital Disruptor: A Case Study of the goCatch Taxi Booking App

Digital disruption refers to the implementation of digital technology-enabled changes to better meet customer needs and is drawing increasing scholarly attention. However, the way in which digital disruption is achieved is still relatively understudied. This study examines the affordance of gamification in enabling digital disruption. We present an exploratory case study and qualitative analysis of our observations on a mobile application platform and app, goCatch. goCatch is widely recognized as a digital disruptor in the taxi industry. From our empirical investigation, we find that goCatch uses gamification through situational and artifactual affordances to enable digital disruption. This study clarifies the relationship between the situated motivational affordances of gamification between the key players in a digital ecosystem and value creation in a mobile commerce business. The findings from the investigation provide the empirical premise for a model illustrating the role of gamification in digital disruption.