Field Of Gamification Research Articles

Ten Years of Gamification-Based Learning: A Bibliometric Analysis and Systematic Review

Gamification-based learning is a recent trend that has received increasing attention in the last few years due to digital development. Gamification has emerged as a vital aspect of the educational setting, with gamified elements playing a crucial role in e-learning environments. The current study is motivated by the need to address a gap in the existing research on the utilization of gamification in education. This gap exists due to a lack of studies that monitor the developments and effects of gamification in the educational environment. It is important to conduct such studies to provide guidance for future research in the field of gamification. A bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review were conducted to understand and describe gamification and its potential for learning. The results of the bibliometric analysis revealed that the most frequently used keywords in the studies were gamification, game-based learning (GBL), motivation, and engagement. The majority of research published in this field was conducted in the United States, followed by Spain and Britain. The Journal of Computers in Human Behavior and the Journal of Computers and Education were the two journals that focused primarily on the field of GBL. The most famous authors in this field are Hamari, Juho, Patel, Mitesh S., Landers, and Richard N. The field is experiencing significant growth, with the number of studies increasing from 7 in 2012 to 917 in 2021. The systematic review has found that undergraduates are the most frequent participants in gambling activities. The game elements that are most utilized are points, leaderboards, and badges, while the learning outcomes most addressed are achievement, engagement, and motivation. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive guide to scholars and research institutes, outlining the key areas of emphasis related to the subject of gamification. The systematic research also identified the key components of gamification that instructors and e-learning designers may rely on most frequently.

Gamification and Computational Thinking in Education: A systematic literature review

The rapid development of gamification and computational thinking seems to open up new educational horizons by providing new opportunities for students to acquire the basic digital skills needed for their cognitive development. Gamification, on the side, flourishes because it brings about high degree of participants’ engagement in an activity. Accordingly, on the other side, the growing scientific interest in computational thinking centers on the fact that it provides a fruitful field of dialogue in the research community for the development of critical and analytical thinking of students. Hence, this paper aims to synthesize knowledge about gamification and computational thinking for improving education for the benefit of students. Specifically, this paper describes: (a) the theoretical background of gamification in learning and education, (b) relevant studies in literature and their findings, and (c) specific gamified applications of STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics] which have been developed to this subject area. Four databases were searched, and 37 papers were finally selected for this review. The findings from the presented learning theories set the foundation on how students obtain knowledge, and the relevant studies in the field of gamification and computational thinking showed some first positive outcomes stemming some first research attempts which need further examination. Furthermore, it seems that with the right use of game mechanics and elements, well-designed applications of STEM gain students’ interest to learn through gameplay and motivate them to cultivate computational thinking and problem-solving skills

Digital Gamification Tools to Enhance Vaccine Uptake: Scoping Review.

Gamification has been used successfully to promote various desired health behaviors. Previous studies have used gamification to achieve desired health behaviors or facilitate their learning about health. In this scoping review, we aimed to describe digital gamified tools that have been implemented or evaluated across various populations to encourage vaccination, as well as any reported effects of identified tools. We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, the Web of Science Core Collection, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Academic Search Premier, PsycInfo, Global Health, and ERIC for peer-reviewed papers describing digital gamified tools with or without evaluations. We also conducted web searches with Google to identify digital gamified tools lacking associated publications. We consulted 12 experts in the field of gamification and health behavior to identify any papers or tools we might have missed. We extracted data about the target population of the tools, the interventions themselves (eg, type of digital gamified tool platform, type of disease/vaccine, type and design of study), and any effects of evaluated tools, and we synthesized data narratively. Of 1402 records, we included 28 (2%) peer-reviewed papers and 10 digital gamified tools lacking associated publications. The experts added 1 digital gamified tool that met the inclusion criteria. Our final data set therefore included 28 peer-reviewed papers and 11 digital gamified tools. Of the 28 peer-reviewed papers, 7 (25%) explained the development of the tool, 16 (57%) described evaluation, and 2 (7%) reported both development and evaluation of the tool. The 28 peer-reviewed papers reported on 25 different tools. Of these 25 digital gamified tools, 11 (44%) were web-based tools, 8 (32%) mobile (native mobile or mobile-enabled web) apps, and 6 (24%) virtual reality tools. Overall, tools that were evaluated showed increases in knowledge and intentions to receive vaccines, mixed effects on attitudes, and positive effects on beliefs. We did not observe discernible advantages of one type of digital gamified tool (web based, mobile, virtual reality) over the others. However, a few studies were randomized controlled trials, and publication bias may have led to such positive effects having a higher likelihood of appearing in the peer-reviewed literature. Digital gamified tools appear to have potential for improving vaccine uptake by fostering positive beliefs and increasing vaccine-related knowledge and intentions. Encouraging comparative studies of different features or different types of digital gamified tools could advance the field by identifying features or types of tools that yield more positive effects across populations and contexts. Further work in this area should seek to inform the implementation of gamification for vaccine acceptance and promote effective health communication, thus yielding meaningful health and social impacts.

Russian journal for personalized medicine the role and field of gamification in teaching radiology to generation Z physicians

This article provides an overview of the use of gamification in teaching radiology to the generation Z medical students. It highlights the need to adapt medical education to the digital preferences of the new generation. The article emphasizes the importance of gamification in enhancing student motivation and improving the quality of education, and discusses the use of various gaming techniques, such us serious games and virtual reality-based games, as well as student radiology competitions. Current challengesof integrating gamification in the curriculum of medical universities are also discussed.

ГЕЙМИФИКАЦИЯ В УПРАВЛЕНИИ: ПРИМЕНЕНИЕ ИГРОВЫХ ЭЛЕМЕНТОВ ДЛЯ ПОВЫШЕНИЯ МОТИВАЦИИ И ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ КОМАНДЫ

The article examines the effectiveness and applicability of gamification in the context of team management. The research is also aimed at developing recommendations for the practical application of gamification in management activities. A critical understanding of research in the field of gamification will allow for a better understanding of the principles, theories and practical tools of this approach, as well as identify the potential advantages and limitations of its application in a managerial context.

Gamification - Expected and Unexpected Effects

A significant trend in the digitalization age is the mixture of casual activities in professional context. Both practical and scientific research has been conducted in the field of gamification. This methodology describes the ways of applying game design principles in non-gaming environments to motivate, guide, tutor and award participants. The focus of this study is the expected and unexpected effects of implementing gamification for the developers and the users of IT systems. A meta-analysis on the state of gamification research is presented and a survey among university students is discussed. As a result, parallels are drawn between user behaviors and traditional technical risks of using gamification in software applications.

Trends and Applications of Gamification in E-Commerce: A Systematic Literature Review

Background: Gamification is a trend that has emerged with the growth of e-commerce. Given the wide range of human characteristics, determining which gamification elements perform well and what impact those gamification elements have can be challenging. Objective: This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review to broadly review the impact that can be caused by the application of gamification elements in e-commerce. This study also attempts to identify the current trends in using gamification elements. Methods: This study was carried out based on the Kitchenham approach and analyzes 25 research papers extracted from a total of 550 papers. The articles were gathered from ACM, Emerald, ScienceDirect, and Scopus and were published between 2016 and 2021. Results: This study found that the trend of research in the field of gamification in e-commerce continues to grow every year. Also, this study found that the most frequently used gamification elements are achievement-oriented (such as rewards, points, badges, and leaderboards). Meanwhile, immersion-related gamification elements (such as avatars, fantasy, etc.) are emerging as a new trend for new gamification elements to be incorporated in e-commerce. This study also found three major themes, namely consumer loyalty, consumer engagement, and user behavior, as a result of the application of gamification in e-commerce. Conclusion: This study helps to improve knowledge of various gamification elements, trends, and impacts on e-commerce. Future studies need to examine the challenges that may arise in the application of gamification elements to the three major themes found in this study and find potential solutions to overcome them. Keywords: E-Commerce, Gamification, Gamification trends and applications, Kitchenham, Systematic literature review.

Die Einführung von Gamification im DaF Unterricht an der Obafemi Awolowo Universität, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Most Nigerian students of German are between 16 and 30 years old. This age group tends to be more interested in playing computer and video games than doing their home- and class work with traditional materials such as textbooks and workbooks. Younger students need interesting activities that are fun for them and motivate them to learn and, as a result, make progress and achieve rapid success in their learning. It is therefore surprising that gamification has not yet been introduced into the curricula of Nigerian higher institutions. As a result, there is hardly any research in the field of gamification in foreign language learning in general or its use in the teaching of German in particular. This lacuna in research on gamification in German studies in Nigeria led to the present study, which examines the introduction of gamification into German lessons at Obafemi Awolowo University. The study aims at initiating a targeted discussion on gamification in German studies and stimulating further scholarly conversations on the topic. Through this, the possibility of creating a didactic design for the use of gamification in German studies in Nigeria can be achieved. This study uses secondary data sources including articles, books and reviews about gamification in education or classrooms. Other sources include websites and blog posts. These sources provide useful insights from various studies on gamification and its use in education, especially in foreign language teaching, which help in drawing up suggestions for a successful introduction of gamification into the curriculum of Nigerian universities especially that of German at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. The analysis of the data is based on a descriptive and content analysis. 

Serious Games as a Method for Enhancing Learning Engagement: Student Perception on Online Higher Education During COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has enforced social isolation in many countries worldwide, which forced teachers at all levels of education, including the university context, to adapt new teaching strategies. This study presents a method developed in this regard, that is, serious games were used as a complement to synchronous online classes to ensure the continuity of pedagogical activities in a physiology course at Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile. Using serious games is a strategy in the field of gamification, which is a commonly used learning strategy for online teaching as necessitated by COVID-19. This study is quantitative in nature and conducted a questionnaire survey on 108 second-year undergraduate nursing students to determine their perception about this innovation. The results demonstrate that the students well valued the proposed pedagogical innovative model in terms of motivation and engagement. Moreover, they reported that the model can serve as a meaningful learning experience. These perceptions suggest that the model is an efficient strategy for implementing the physiology curricula in the context of online teaching. Moreover, the results imply that the model should be applied to other courses and disciplines in the undergraduate program and provide support that it is a valid strategy for face-to-face teaching. Lastly, the finding points to the potential of the model to be explored as a learning strategy in the age of education post-COVID-19.

Gamification in education: A scientometric, content and co-occurrence analysis of systematic review and meta-analysis articles.

This study seeks scientometric, content and co-occurrence analysis of systematic review and Meta-analysis articles in the field of gamification in education. In terms of purpose, this is an applied study and regarding type, it is a scientometric and co-occurrence analysis. The researchers conducted a search in WoS, Scopus and PubMed databases. The abstract and full text of 25 out of 71 articles were selected to be included in the study. Then, the citation and altmetrics indicators were investigated. In addition, VOSviewer software was utilized to analyze and visualize keywords and map of articles. Finally, the full texts of all articles were analyzed to be provided more information about the types of analyses in these articles. The findings showed that 25 articles were published between 2016 and 2021. Co-occurrence map of articles showed that the three variables of motivation, learning, and engagement have been considered in gamified education studies and most studies have examined gamification in the e-learning environment. Finally, the content analysis of the articles showed that 344 articles were included and analyzed in these 25 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The types of analyzes performed on these 344 articles categorized them in 7 categories including Country/Territory, Duration of intervention, Lessons/content and the level of gamified educational course, the number of learners, platforms, the game elements and the theories. The results of the study illustrate that different dimensions of the gamification in articles in the field of Education have been considered by the researchers.

Models of Instructional Design in Gamification: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Gamification allows for the implementation of experiences that simulate the design of (video) games, giving individuals the opportunity to be the protagonists in them. Its inclusion in the educational environment responds to the need to adapt teaching–learning processes to the characteristics of homo videoludens, placing value once again on the role of playful action in the personal development of individuals. The interest that has arisen in studying the implications of gamification processes in the different educational stages, in order to determine their impact and suitability, has led to an increase in scientific publications. With the intention of studying the presence and implications of gamification in teacher training as a methodological principle implemented in the teaching–learning process, both in its initial and permanent stages, this systematic review of the literature identifies those instructional design models applied in the field of gamification, as well as its educational significance. Thus, the need to introduce gamified practices in the field of teacher training is observed, providing an experiential learning that allows teachers to apply this methodology in a relevant way in their professional development, based on their own experience.

The Current State of the Gamification in E-Learning

The aim of this article is to present a systematic literature review of literature reviews (a meta-study) of gamification topics in e-learning with a purpose to present a high-level overview of the state of the development of the selected field.
 The systematic literature review of literature reviews (2010 - 2019) was performed. The academic papers (literature reviews) from several academic databases such as DOAJ, ScienceDirect, Google Sholar and WOS were examined and filtered for further study. The selected articles were analysed for sub-topics (e.g. the efficiency of gamification mechanisms) and summarized.
 In last 5 years, the research of gamification in various fields (mobile apps, e-health, human resource management, business development, e-learning) is getting traction and the number of research articles and systematic reviews of research articles is increasing. After filtering literature review articles, we have found out that only a handful of them – 19, which summarizes 2631 studies, are directly related to gamification in e-learning.
 This study shows that the following gamification mechanisms in e-learning proved themselves efficient in almost all underlying studies, but there is no broad consensus on terminology and how to group of different gamification related concepts.
 The research is limited to the following scholarly databases: DOAJ, Elsevier, Google Scholar, and WOS. We are aware that there is a possibility we missed some systematic literature reviews on this topic, which was indexed in other well-known databases or published using different terminology in the title or abstract.
 The article can serve as a starting point for the research for the scholars and especially post-graduate students who are getting familiar with the e-learning, gamification and performing systematic literature reviews. Also, developers of e-learning systems and course designers could benefit from this article by finding out which gamification mechanisms are most researched, most efficient and worth implementing.
 To our knowledge, this kind of meta-analysis of the literature reviews hasn’t been done in the field of gamification in e-learning for the year 2019.

Gamification – the key to in-depth exploration of consumer behavior in market research

Theoretical background : Games are used in various fields beyond pure entertainment: education, health services or human resources. They are also considered one of the most rapidly growing trends in marketing. Using gamifiation to engage the consumer and increase his loyalty is commonly used in nearly all product categories. Playing games is fun and companies use it to attract and involve the consumers in their brands’ activities. In addition, the role of gamification in market research is increasing. It helps to understand consumer behaviour by inducing a more natural mood in the survey process, and increasing engagement and the cognitive accessibility of often hidden information. The effectiveness of gamification requires systematic verifiation in the experimental research. Researchers indicate the positive effect of gamified research on respondents’ engagement and efficiency. Purpose of the article : This article presents the current state of knowledge in the field of gamification in market research. Its main purpose is to share the author’s own research results which are the replication of former results showing the positive effects of gamified tasks used in surveys. Research methods : An experiment was conducted to verify the hypotheses regarding the increased effectiveness of gamified tasks compared to the regular approach as well as to the well-known projective techniques. A total of 132 participants were split into three groups: control, experimental 1 (projective techniques or simple gamification – addition of extra rules to regular questions) and experimental 2 (more complex, narrative and contextual tasks based on gamification). Main findings : The hypothesis was confirmed and the former effects were replicated – gamified tasks increase the respondents’ effectiveness compared to the standard tasks and also compared to the use of the well-known projective techniques.

Main gamification concepts: A systematic mapping study

Gamification involves incorporating elements of online games, such as points, leaderboards, and badges into non-game contexts, in order to improve engagement with both employees and consumers. The main point of this paper is, to sum up, what previous authors investigated in the field of Gamification. An analysis of the literature covering 50 papers from 2011 to 2016 was conducted, using Leximancer software, to determine and shape the main themes and concepts proposed in gamification papers. Answering our research question, “What guidelines may provide to future research, the key themes and concepts found in published scientific papers on gamification?”, we conclude that the researchers identified eight themes (gamification; game; use; users; business; points; engagement; learning) and twenty-eight related concepts. The present systematic review contributes to establishing possible guidelines for prospective studies, based on the analyzed papers, considering particularly their 'Conclusions' and on the 'Future research' sections, integrating game design contents in business, learning and education. Further, highlights the usefulness of Leximancer for qualitative content analysis, in this field of research.

Evaluation of Gender Differences Based on Knowledge Adaptation in the Field of Gamification and Computer Science

The authors' research activities connected information and communication technologies affecting teaching methods in higher education. A total of 201 respondents studying Programming 2 participated in this research. Two hypotheses were created, as well as a pre-test (ensuring that the initial condition of equality among the group members was met) and a post-test (measuring the shift of knowledge among the respondents of the same group). An analysis based on the t-test showed the presence of a statistically significant difference among the male respondents with regard to the test results. H1 hypothesis was accepted. No statistically significant difference was detected among the female respondents, so the H2 hypothesis was rejected. Our results showed that major difference have been found only in male population, which is interesting since female respondents tend to use LMS systems more often and since male respondents are more frequently in computer games activities.

A systematic mapping study of gamification models oriented to motivational characteristics

ABSTRACTContext: Gamification focuses on the improvement of users' engagement when performing tasks by making use of game mechanics and elements in order to increase their motivations. Many researches have developed gamification models supporting a variety of motivational characteristics to provide engagement solutions for different areas. Objective: This paper carries out a systematic mapping in the field of gamification, looking for models with motivational characteristics in an attempt to characterise the state of the art of this field, identifying gaps and tendencies for further research. Method: We carried out a systematic mapping aiming at finding the primary studies in the existing literature, which were later classified and analysed according to twelve criteria. Results: We analysed 70 papers that resulted in 17 primary studies, published until September 2016. Most of them focus on Education, making use of Gamification to increase the motivation of a learning process. The gamification mechanics and elements most used were Badges/Achievements and Points/ExperiencePoints(XP), and most of the studies were not validated, thus not providing empirical evidence of the impact of gamification. Conclusions: Existing research in the field is somehow preliminary, and more research effort to analyse the applicability of the models and their respective evaluations would be needed.

Strengthening gamification studies: Current trends and future opportunities of gamification research

Abstract Gamification is now a well-established technique in Human-Computer Interaction. However, research on gamification still faces a variety of empirical and theoretical challenges. Firstly, studies of gamified systems typically focus narrowly on understanding individuals. short-term interactions with the system, ignoring more difficult to measure outcomes. Secondly, academic research on gamification has been slow to improve the techniques through which gamified applications are designed. Third, current gamification research lacks a critical lens capable of exploring unintended consequences of designs. The 14 articles published in this special issue face these challenges with great methodological rigor. We summarize them by identifying three main themes: the determination to improve the quality and usefulness of theory in the field of gamification, the improvements in design practice, and the adoption of a critical gaze to uncover side-effects of gamification designs. We conclude by providing an overview of the questions that we feel must be addressed by future work in gamification. Gamification studies would benefit from a wider use of theories to account for the complexity of human behavior, a more thorough exploration of the many opportunities coming from the world of games, and an ethical reflection on the use of game design elements in serious domains.

Exploring Design Guidelines of Using User-Centered Design in Gamification Development: A Delphi Study

ABSTRACTGamification has become an increasingly important trend in the field of human–computer interaction (HCI) design. Applying the idea of user-centered design (UCD) in gamification is drawing more and more attention as the gamification design theoretical frameworks referencing UCD have been proposed. However, questions like “How should a gamification project be developed with specific UCD methods?” and “What design guidelines could be applied in the practice of using UCD in gamification project?” remain unanswered. We hereby conducted a Delphi study to explore design guidelines for using UCD in gamification development with knowledge from practice. The Delphi panel recruited for this study included 20 experienced gamification designers, who produced 28 initial guideline items in the pre-Delphi round. After three rounds of addition, modification, and deletion, 35 design guidelines were ultimately identified. Among these, 31 were found process-oriented and in line with the classic UCD processes and the rest four were about collecting feedback from the design user participants. The author discovered that some of the design guidelines showed consistency with existing theoretical frameworks or design principles about gamification and UCD, and meanwhile, some appeared to be different from the known gamification design knowledge. The research results extended and complemented current gamification design field by providing maneuverable guides and a better overall understanding of how to conduct a gamification project with UCD for gamification researchers and practitioners. In addition, by using the Delphi method in the field of gamification, this study provided a reference to future research in HCI design which needed to draw lessons from practical knowledge.

Gamification in foreign language teaching at higher schools

The article discusses the principal ways of introducing gamification into the foreign language teaching and learning process at higher schools. The analysis of gamification is done from the point of view of its use in foreign language courses. Different learning activities that can be considered as forms of gamification are analyzed, and fields of its application in both linguistic and non-linguistic higher schools are discussed. The forms of gamification that can be used in foreign language teaching include language games, dramatizations, social contacts, role plays, simulations, brainstorming, case-studies, discussions and presentations, projects, and continuous simulations. Those forms of gamification are divided into those that can be regularly used in the teaching and learning process, but do not embrace it in its entirety (language games, dramatizations, social contacts, role plays, simulations, brain-storming, case-studies, discussions, presentations) and those that transform the entire or the substantial part of the teaching and learning process into continuous gaming activities (projects and continuous simulations). The distinction is made between the forms of gamification that can be used both at linguistic at non-linguistic higher schools and those that are applicable for teaching either at linguistic or at non-linguistic higher schools only. The article demonstrates that gamification used in foreign language teaching fully meets all requirements to gamification when teaching other subjects at higher educational institutions. It is also fully adaptable to computerization and introduction of information technologies into the gamified foreign language teaching and learning process. Finally, the relationship between gamification and experiential learning in foreign language teaching is analyzed, and it is shown that gamification and experiential learning are synonymous notions that can be used interchangeably. The results of the study prove that in the field of gamification, foreign language teaching is totally in line with the most recent advances of general pedagogy.

Flow and Grit by Design: Exploring Gamification in Facilitating Adherence to Swallowing Therapy

Delivery of swallowing therapy is faced with challenges regarding access to in-clinic services and adherence to prescribed home programs. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are being developed at a rapid pace to address these difficulties. Whereas some benefits to using these modern tools for therapy are obvious (e.g., electronic reminders), other advantages are not as well understood. One example is the potential for mHealth devices and apps to enhance adherence to treatment regimens. This article introduces a number of psychological concepts that relate to adherence and that can be leveraged by mHealth. Elements that contribute to flow (optimal experience) during an activity and those that reinforce grit (perseverance to achieve a long-term goal) can be used to engage patients in their own rehabilitation. The experience of flow can be targeted by presenting the rehabilitation exercise as an optimally challenging game, one that offers a match between challenge and ability. Grit can be supported by reinforcing routine and by varying the therapy experience using different games. A combination of hardware and software design approaches have the potential to transform uninteresting and repetitive activities, such as those that make up swallowing therapy regimens, into engaging ones. The field of gamification, however, is still developing, and gamified mHealth apps will need to withstand scientific testing of their claims and demonstrate effectiveness in all phases of outcome research.