Bottom-Up Verification of Gamification Elements
Iida Larsson Sarja
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The concept of gamification has gained popularity due to its potential to increase engagement, motivation, and learning. Despite potential benefits we need to delve deeper into how to effectively implement game design principles within educational settings.
This study examines the utilization of gamification, which integrates game mechanics and principles into non-game environments across various fields including healthcare, education, training, and addressing social issues, in its current state. The rising popularity of gamification stems from its capacity to enhance engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. Particularly, amidst the heightened focus on remote engagement during the pandemic of 2020, the relevance and effectiveness of gamification strategies garnered increased attention.
By looking at elements of gamification individually and pitting them against each other we can find which of these can gain the most engagement. Focus groups and surveys conducted on the matter showed a pattern in what elements and design choices were preferred.
The findings point towards rewards and progress indicators being valuable elements to add, while the topic of competition is unclear whether it should be seen as a positive or negative as there are contradictions both in this study as well as compared to other research done on the topic. Future research can build upon this study by broadening the scope, to help create a framework for how to incorporate and utilize gamification in education going forward.