From game design elements to gamefulness: defining "gamification"
28 Sep 2011-pp 9-15
TL;DR: A definition of "gamification" is proposed as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts and it is suggested that "gamified" applications provide insight into novel, gameful phenomena complementary to playful phenomena.
Abstract: Recent years have seen a rapid proliferation of mass-market consumer software that takes inspiration from video games. Usually summarized as "gamification", this trend connects to a sizeable body of existing concepts and research in human-computer interaction and game studies, such as serious games, pervasive games, alternate reality games, or playful design. However, it is not clear how "gamification" relates to these, whether it denotes a novel phenomenon, and how to define it. Thus, in this paper we investigate "gamification" and the historical origins of the term in relation to precursors and similar concepts. It is suggested that "gamified" applications provide insight into novel, gameful phenomena complementary to playful phenomena. Based on our research, we propose a definition of "gamification" as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts.
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06 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The review indicates that gamification provides positive effects, however, the effects are greatly dependent on the context in which the gamification is being implemented, as well as on the users using it.
Abstract: This paper reviews peer-reviewed empirical studies on gamification. We create a framework for examining the effects of gamification by drawing from the definitions of gamification and the discussion on motivational affordances. The literature review covers results, independent variables (examined motivational affordances), dependent variables (examined psychological/behavioral outcomes from gamification), the contexts of gamification, and types of studies performed on the gamified systems. The paper examines the state of current research on the topic and points out gaps in existing literature. The review indicates that gamification provides positive effects, however, the effects are greatly dependent on the context in which the gamification is being implemented, as well as on the users using it. The findings of the review provide insight for further studies as well as for the design of gamified systems.
3,108 citations
Cites background from "From game design elements to gamefu..."
...[9], on the other hand, emphasize that the affordances implemented in gamification have to be the same as the ones used in games, regardless of the outcomes (Figure 2)....
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...During the last couple of years, gamification [9][28][31] has been a trending topic and a subject to much hype as a means of supporting user engagement and enhancing positive patterns in service use, such as increasing user activity, social interaction, or quality and productivity of actions [25]....
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01 Feb 2015-International Journal of Human-computer Studies \/ International Journal of Man-machine Studies
TL;DR: A systematic survey on the use of gamification in published theoretical reviews and research papers involving interactive systems and human participants is presented and points of departure are suggested for continued empirical investigations of gamified practice and its effects.
Abstract: Gamification has drawn the attention of academics, practitioners and business professionals in domains as diverse as education, information studies, human-computer interaction, and health. As yet, the term remains mired in diverse meanings and contradictory uses, while the concept faces division on its academic worth, underdeveloped theoretical foundations, and a dearth of standardized guidelines for application. Despite widespread commentary on its merits and shortcomings, little empirical work has sought to validate gamification as a meaningful concept and provide evidence of its effectiveness as a tool for motivating and engaging users in non-entertainment contexts. Moreover, no work to date has surveyed gamification as a field of study from a human-computer studies perspective. In this paper, we present a systematic survey on the use of gamification in published theoretical reviews and research papers involving interactive systems and human participants. We outline current theoretical understandings of gamification and draw comparisons to related approaches, including alternate reality games (ARGs), games with a purpose (GWAPs), and gameful design. We present a multidisciplinary review of gamification in action, focusing on empirical findings related to purpose and context, design of systems, approaches and techniques, and user impact. Findings from the survey show that a standard conceptualization of gamification is emerging against a growing backdrop of empirical participants-based research. However, definitional subjectivity, diverse or unstated theoretical foundations, incongruities among empirical findings, and inadequate experimental design remain matters of concern. We discuss how gamification may to be more usefully presented as a subset of a larger effort to improve the user experience of interactive systems through gameful design. We end by suggesting points of departure for continued empirical investigations of gamified practice and its effects. We present findings from a survey of the gamification literature.Theoretical findings suggest that gamification is a distinct concept.Conceptual foundations tend to converge on psychological theories of motivation.Early applied work suggests positive-leaning but mixed results.Empirical work on specific elements with direct ties to theory and stronger experimental designs is needed.
1,585 citations
Cites background from "From game design elements to gamefu..."
...Indeed, Deterding et al. (2011a) suggest that gamification is but gameful design in practice....
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...Deterding et al. (2011a) consider gamification to be an instance of gameful design – gamification is gameful design in practice....
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...Deterding et al. (2011a) suggest that gamification involves applying elements of “gamefulness, gameful interaction, and gameful design” with a specific intention in mind (p. 10)....
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...An emerging strategy in this area is gamification, which has been largely, though inconsistently, referred to as the selective incorporation of game elements into an interactive system without a fully-fledged game as the end product (Deterding, 2012; Deterding et al., 2011a, 2011c)....
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...…extent to which gamification differs from games; for the purposes of this paper, we will draw the same distinction between games and gamification as Deterding et al. (2011a), and rely on the reported perspectives of researchers, designers and perhaps users in determining whether a system is an…...
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TL;DR: A gamification plugin is designed and built for a well-known e-learning platform and an experiment is made using it in a university course, suggesting that some common beliefs about the benefits obtained when using games in education can be challenged.
Abstract: Gamification is the use of game design elements and game mechanics in non-game contexts. This idea has been used successfully in many web based businesses to increase user engagement. Some researchers suggest that it could also be used in web based education as a tool to increase student motivation and engagement. In an attempt to verify those theories, we have designed and built a gamification plugin for a well-known e-learning platform. We have made an experiment using this plugin in a university course, collecting quantitative and qualitative data in the process. Our findings suggest that some common beliefs about the benefits obtained when using games in education can be challenged. Students who completed the gamified experience got better scores in practical assignments and in overall score, but our findings also suggest that these students performed poorly on written assignments and participated less on class activities, although their initial motivation was higher.
1,299 citations
03 Oct 2012
TL;DR: A new definition for gamification is proposed, which emphases the experiential nature of games and gamification, instead of the systemic understanding, and ties this definition to theory from service marketing because majority of gamification implementations aim towards goals of marketing, which brings to the discussion the notion of how customer / user is always ultimately the creator of value.
Abstract: During recent years "gamification" has gained significant attention among practitioners and game scholars. However, the current understanding of gamification has been solely based on the act of adding systemic game elements into services. In this paper, we propose a new definition for gamification, which emphases the experiential nature of games and gamification, instead of the systemic understanding. Furthermore, we tie this definition to theory from service marketing because majority of gamification implementations aim towards goals of marketing, which brings to the discussion the notion of how customer / user is always ultimately the creator of value. Since now, the main venue for academic discussion on gamification has mainly been the HCI community. We find it relevant both for industry practitioners as well as for academics to study how gamification can fit in the body of knowledge of existing service literature because the goals and the means of gamification and marketing have a significant overlap.
1,148 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: A study of the published works on the application of gamification to education aims to shed light on the tendencies and emerging practices in this area by presenting a thematic analysis instead of narrative summaries that focus on a qualitative review.
Abstract: Introduction Traditional schooling is perceived as ineffective and boring by many students. Although teachers continuously seek novel instructional approaches, it is largely agreed that today's schools face major problems around student motivation and engagement (Lee & Hammer, 2011). The use of educational games as learning tools is a promising approach due to the games' abilities to teach and the fact that they reinforce not only knowledge but also important skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. Games have remarkable motivational power; they utilize a number of mechanisms to encourage people to engage with them, often without any reward, just for the joy of playing and the possibility to win. Creating a highly engaging, full-blown instructional game however is difficult, time consuming, and costly (Kapp, 2012a), while typically targeting only a single set of learning objectives as chosen by the game designer. In addition, their effective classroom adoption requires certain technical infrastructure and appropriate pedagogical integration. As opposed to using elaborate games requiring a large amount of design and development efforts, the "gamification" approach suggests using game thinking and game design elements to improve learners' engagement and motivation. Gamification, defined by Deterding et al. (2011) as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, is a fairly new and rapidly growing field. The concept of gamification is different from that of an educational or serious game. While the latter describes the design of full-fledged games for non-entertainment purposes, "gamified" applications merely employ elements of games. The term "gamification" is quite recent: According to (Deterding et al., 2011) its first documented use is in 2008 but it did not see widespread adoption before the second half of 2010. Nevertheless, the concept itself is not new. For example, badges and ranks have been long used in the military, in the early Soviet era, game elements were used by the Soviet Union leaders as a substitute for monetary incentives for performing at work, etc. In recent years gamification has seen rapid adoption in business, marketing, corporate management, and wellness and ecology initiatives. This is driven by its potential to shape users' behavior in a desirable direction. Loyalty programs such as the frequent-flyer programs, Foursquare, and Nike+ are often given as examples of successful gamified mass-market products. Stackoverflow.com provides another example in which users' reputations increase as they answer questions and receive votes for their answers. Online education sites such as codeacademy.com and khanacademy.org use game elements to better engage users. The more courses and lessons that users complete, the more badges they earn. Sites like eBay and Fitocracy use game elements to keep people engaged and to encourage friendly competition between users. Gamification is still rising in popularity. According to Gartner's Hype Cycle (Gartner, 2013), a research methodology that outlines an emerging technology's viability for commercial success, gamification is at the peak of the Hype Cycle in 2013, with an expectation for reaching the productivity plateau in five to ten years. This position, however, mainly reflects its use in business contexts. The penetration of the gamification trend in educational settings seems to be still climbing up to the top, as indicated by the amount and annual distribution of the reviewed works. This paper presents the results of a study of the published works on the application of gamification to education, which aims to shed light on the tendencies and emerging practices in this area. There are few literature reviews on gamification (see Xu, 2012; Hamari, Koivisto, & Sarsa, 2014; Nah, Zeng, Telaprolu, Ayyappa, & Eschenbrenner, 2014), with only the last one focusing on education. This study differs from the latter by presenting a thematic analysis instead of narrative summaries that focus on a qualitative review. …
1,001 citations
Cites background from "From game design elements to gamefu..."
...Gamification, defined by Deterding et al. (2011) as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, is a fairly new and rapidly growing field....
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...For example, the popular game element “badges” is considered as a game interface design pattern in (Deterding et al., 2011), a game mechanic in (Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011), a game dynamic in (Iosup & Epema, 2014), a motivational affordance in (Hamari, Koivisto, & Sarsa, 2014), and a game…...
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...Although most of the reviewed papers report promising results, more substantial empirical research is needed to determine whether both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of the learners can be influenced by gamification....
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...Differently, Deterding et al. (2011) categorize game design elements at five levels of abstraction....
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...The term “gamification” is quite recent: According to (Deterding et al., 2011) its first documented use is in 2008 but it did not see widespread adoption before the second half of 2010....
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References
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Book•
01 Oct 2003
TL;DR: This text offers an introduction to game design and a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games.
Abstract: This text offers an introduction to game design and a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games Also included are concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games
4,333 citations
Book•
20 Jan 2011
TL;DR: McGonigal et al. as mentioned in this paper found that games benefit us mentally and emotionally when we play up to 3 hours a day, or 21 hours a week, and that if we spend all our time competing with others, we miss out on the special benefits of co-op play.
Abstract: Practical Advice for Gamers by Jane McGonigal Reality is Broken explains the science behind why games are good for us--why they make us happier, more creative, more resilient, and better able to lead others in world-changing efforts. But some games are better for us than others, and there is too much of a good thing. Here are a few secrets that arent in the book to help you (or the gamer in your life) get the most positive impact from playing games. This practical advice--5 key quidelines, plus 2 quick rules--is scientifically backed, and it can be summed up in a single sentence: Play games you enjoy no more than 21 hours a week; face-to-face with friends and family as often as you can; and in co-operative or creator modes whenever possible. 1. Dont play more than 21 hours a week. Studies show that games benefit us mentally and emotionally when we play up to 3 hours a day, or 21 hours a week. (In extremely stressful circumstances--such as serving in the military during war-time--research shows that gamers can benefit from as many as 28 hours a week.) But for virtually everyone else, whenever you play more than 21 hours a week, the benefits of gaming start to decline sharply. By the time youre spending 40 hours or more a week playing games, the psychological benefits of playing games have disappeared entirely--and are replaced with negative impacts on your physical health, relationships, and real-life goals. So always strive to keep your gaming in the sweet spot: 721 hours a week. 2. Playing with real-life friends and family is better than playing alone all the time, or with strangers. Gaming strengthens your social bonds and builds trust, two key factors in any positive relationship. And the more positive relationships you have in real life, the happier, healthier and more successful you are. You can get mental and emotional benefits from single-player games, or by playing with strangers online--but to really unlock the power of games, its important to play them with people you really know and like as often as possible. A handy rule-of-thumb: try to make half of your gaming social. If you play 10 hours a week, try to play face-to-face with real-life friends or family for at least 5 of those hours. (And if youre not a gamer yourself--but you have a family member who plays games all the time, it would do you both good to play together--even if you think you dont like games!) 3. Playing face-to-face with friends and family beats playing with them online. If youre in the same physical space, youll supercharge both the positive emotional impacts and the social bonding. Many of the benefits of games are derived from the way they make us feel--and all positive emotions are heightened by face-to-face interaction. Plus, research shows that social ties are strengthened much more when we play games in the same room than when we play games together online. Multi-player games are great for this. But single-player works too! You can get all the same benefits by taking turns at a single-player game, helping and cheering each other on. 4. Cooperative gameplay, overall, has more benefits than competitive gameplay. Studies show that cooperative gameplay lifts our mood longer, and strengthens our friendships more, than competing against each other. Cooperative gameplay also makes us more likely to help someone in real life, and better collaborators at work--boosting our real-world likeability and chances for success. Competition has its place, too, of course--we learn to trust others more when we compete against them. But if we spend all our time competing with others, we miss out on the special benefits of co-op play. So when youre gaming with others, be sure to check to see if there are co-op missions or a co-op mode available. An hour of co-op a week goes a long way. (Find great co-op games for every platform, and a family-friendly list too, at Co-Optimus, the best online resource for co-op gaming.) 5. Creative games have special positive impacts. Many games encourage or even require players to design and create as part of the gameplay process--for example: Spore, Little Big Planet, and Minecraft; the Halo level designer and the Guitar Hero song creator. These games have been shown to build up players sense of creative agency--and they make us more likely to create something outside of the game. If you want to really build up your own creative powers, creative games are a great place to start. Of course, you can always take the next creative step--and start making your own games. If youve never made a game, its easier than you think--and there are some great books to help you get started. 2 Other Important Rules: * You can get all of the benefits of a good game without realistic violence--you (or your kids) dont have to play games with guns or gore. If you feel strongly about violence, look to games in other genres--theres no shortage of amazing sports, music, racing, puzzle, role-playing, casual, strategy and adventure games. *Any game that makes you feel bad is no longer a good game for you to play. This should be obvious, but sometimes we get so caught up in our games that we forget theyre supposed to be fun. If you find yourself feeling really upset when you lose a game, or if youre fighting with friends or strangers when you play--youre too invested. Switch to a different game for a while, a game that has lower stakes for you personally. Or, especially if you play with strangers online, you might find yourself surrounded by other players who say things that make you uncomfortable--or who just generally act like jerks. Their behavior will actually make it harder for you to get the positive benefits of games--so dont waste your time playing with a community that gets you down. Meanwhile, if you start to wonder if youre spending too much time on a particular game maybe youre starting to feel just a tiny bit addicted--keep track of your gaming hours for one week. Make sure they add up to less than 21 hours! And you may want to limit yourself to even fewer for a little while if youre feeling too much gamer regret.
2,343 citations
PARC1
TL;DR: A rudimentary theory of intrinsically motivating instruction is developed, based on three categories: challenge, fantasy, and curiosity, which suggests that cognitive curiosity can be aroused by making learners believe their knowledge structures are incomplete, inconsistent, or unparsimonious.
2,169 citations