OSC's Latest Report On Gamification: Changing The Game

Last month, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) published an additional behavioural science research report on gamification, entitled "Gamification and Retail Investing: Positive Use Cases and Mitigation Techniques." Unlike prior research reports, this one focused on use cases where gamification techniques could have a positive outcome on investor decision making, as well as available techniques to help mitigate any negative influences on retail investor behaviours. In this context, gamification refers to the use of game-like elements (e.g., points, rewards, leaderboards) to influence user behaviour.

Like other studies, to conduct this research the OSC and the Behavioural Insights Team held an online simulated trading experiment involving more than 4,000 Canadians, each of whom invested a hypothetical $10,000 across eight stocks. Participants were subjected to different gamification techniques, with the aim of trying to increase the diversification of their portfolios. These