Breaking the ice: A social exchange study on gamification, library anxiety, and the willingness to return at the University of Malta Library

Grounded in Social Exchange Theory, this study investigates the efficacy of gamified orientation as an initiatory social transaction to mitigate Library Anxiety. It aims to determine if gamification lowers the psychological “cost” of entry and increases the “benefit” of return intention compared to traditional methods, while evaluating the moderating role of “Game Literacy.” A quasi-experimental, post-test-only design was employed with 132 first-year undergraduates at the University of Malta. Following a pilot study to validate content, intact classes were assigned to either a traditional lecture ( n = 65) or a gamified narrative quest ( n = 67). Immediate affective outcomes were measured using the Library Anxiety Scale and Net Promoter Score. Gamification produced a statistically significant reduction in Library Anxiety ( d = 1.55) and higher return intentions compared to the control group. However, a significant interaction effect revealed a “literacy tax”: while gamification benefited all participants, students with low game literacy reported higher anxiety than their high-literacy peers, indicating that game mechanics can impose a secondary cognitive load. Unlike studies focusing solely on learning outcomes, this research quantifies the affective impact of gamification through a social exchange lens. It provides empirical evidence that while gamification successfully “breaks the ice,” equitable implementation requires “low-threshold” mechanics to ensure non-gamers are not disadvantaged.