Pixel International Conferences

Gamification has been promoted as a major aim in the context of learning and education. According to MarketsAndMarkets Research, the game-based learning market size is expected to grow from USD 11.0 billion in 2020 to USD 29.7 billion by 2026. This increase is attributed to the following reasons: lockdowns caused by COVID-19 pandemic, new product launches with the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence, and the continuously rising mobile internet user penetration [1]. Therefore, the potency of gamification in the current learning process is of high interest. This article systematically synthesises and brings into focus the state of research on gamification that affects behavioural learning outcomes in the higher education setting compared with conventional instructional methods. The primary research questions are: whether the learning needs to be gamified?; and, what factors contribute to successful gamification? This literature review covered peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2017 and 2022. Publications were required to include one crucial condition in which gamification is defined as the use of game elements in non-game contexts [2]. The results revealed a positive impact of gamification on learning and the lack of a unified theoretical framework of effective gamification with clearly defined components that can be empirically tested and measured.

Keywords: gamification, game-based learning, gamified learning

References

[1] Game-based learning market. Global forecast to 2026, https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/game-based-learning-market-146337112.html?utm_source=globenewswire&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=paidpr (2022), last accessed 2022/11/09.

[2] Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”. In A. Lugmayr (Ed.), Proceedings of the 15th International Academic Mindtrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments (pp. 9–15). New York: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040