Sav Siegfried

Gamification 101

This interactive course offers an introduction to gamification and its benefits for e-
learning.

Course Overview

WHAT IS GAMIFIC ATION?

What is Gamification, anyway?

What Gamification is, and what it looks like

HIS TOR Y OF GAMIFIC ATION

History of Gamification

Historical Overview

Serious Games and Coining the Term

 Boom, Bust, and Equalization

R EAL-WOR LD EXAMPLES

Real Life Examples

Duolingo

Classcraft

WHY GAMIFIC ATION

Why Gamification?

Interest and Engagement

Learner Motivation

Increased Interactivity

Instant Feedback

Course Complete

Gamification Quiz
Lesson 1 of 17

Course Overview
Sav Siegfried

This course is intended to provide a basic introduction to the concept of gamification.

Topics include:

1 The definition of gamification

2 History of gamification

3 Real-World examples of how popular e-learning softwares use gamification

4 Reasons why gamification is used to help people learn

There will be interactive elements like sorting activities, clickable graphics and questions to
answer as you progress.

Once all interactive elements and questions on a page have been completed, click the 'continue'
button to move on to the next section!
At the end there will be a short multiple-choice quiz on information learned in this course :)

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 2 of 17

What is Gamification, anyway?

Sav Siegfried

You may have heard of gamification before, or this may be your first time ever hearing it. Giving
background never hurts, so this section will give you:

1 The dictionary definition of gamification

2 Examples of common elements

3 The difference between gamification and educational games

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 3 of 17

What Gamification is, and what it looks like

Sav Siegfried

Gamification: gam·i·fi·ca·tion
Noun

The application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point

scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas
of activity, typically to encourage engagement with a product,
service, or learning material.

"Gamification is exciting because it promises to make the hard

stuff in life fun"

https://learntech.in/what-is-gamification-gamification-in-training-gamification-definition/

Gamification uses elements commonly found in games to boost learner engagement, motivation.

A few common elements you may see are:

1. Point Systems to reward learners

2. Achievements represented by icons or badges

3. Obstacles to challenge learners

4. Competition between learners, like leaderboards

5. Milestones, Storyline and Quests to add context to learning, and indicate

learners progress

6. Avatars to digitally represent learners

Gamification elements include: (select all that apply)

Leaderboards and Levels

Joycons and HDMI Cables

Points and Achievements

Storylines and Avatars

SUBMIT
Gamification vs Educational Games

Games made for the sole purpose of educating are not gamification.

These are educational games.

Games found on popular sites like ABC Mouse or Funbrain are not technically gamified- they

are games with content in them.

https://smarterlearningguide.com/abcmouse-review/
Gamification is a lesson first, with gaming added
Educational games are games first, with learning added

Drag and drop to connect the term to the correct example:

Anonymous leaderboards
that foster healthy
Gamification
competition between
learners.

BrainAge, a game that train

Educational Game
memory and thinking skills.

SUBMIT

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 4 of 17

History of Gamification
Sav Siegfried

In this section you will get a brief overview of the history of gamification, and how we got
here. It won't be comprehensive, just some of the major highlights - it goes back much farther
than you think!

We will discuss:

1 A few of the earliest instances of gamification, over 100 years ago

2 Why 2002 was such a big year for gamification

3 How gamification boomed and died (allegedly)

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 5 of 17

Historical Overview
Sav Siegfried

Some of the earliest instances of ‘Gamification’ were based on collecting physical items, like
badges or stamps. People could earn these items based on brand loyalty or achievements within
their organizations.

1896: S&H Green Stamps

In 1896 Sperry and Hutchinson created an early retail loyalty program called S&H green
stamps. These stamps could be collected in collector's books and corresponded to point
values: 1 point, 10 points, or 50 points.

Fully-filled single pages (equalling 50 points), or full booklets (up to 1,200 points) could be

redeemed for physical items from the Ideabook catalog, or at a store.

Click the arrows below to see images of these stamps, and the items they could be traded in
for.
The small green stamps were worth 1 point each.
People collected their stamps in Quicksaver books like these.
People would save stamp books to buy toys for their children, house appliances and
cookware, and even furniture.
This ad from the Ideabook shows users some of the items they could save for.
 Some of the items were big ticket items, which came with a big price! #22 on this page, a
17" color television, went for 150 books.
At 1,200 stamps a book, that is 180,000 1 point stamps!

1908: Boyscout Achievement Badges

One of the most famous instances of early gamification comes from the Boy Scouts!
 In 1908 the Boy Scouts was formed. Scouts were given physical badges representing
achievement of a task, overcoming an obstacle, or general Involvement and commitment.

https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/content/scout_uniform-657.asp#google_vignette

These badges were displayed on sashes worn by the scouts and were major sources of

pride and motivation.

These merit sashes are one of the most well known symbols of the Boy Scouts, and are still

used today

1971: Arcade Games

As video games became popular, they brought ideas and concepts that laid the groundwork
for modern Gamification elements
 In the early 1970’s video games began gaining popularity, and soon the social aspect and

competitive nature of these games became apparent through arcade games, where players

would compete for the high score on the machines leaderboard.

It did not take long for researchers to begin studying how

games could be used to increase productivity, motivation and
engagement in the workplace and in education.

By 1980 the first academic papers and commercial books on

these concepts were being published - though the actual term
'Gamification' didn't come until much later...
CO N T IN U E
Lesson 6 of 17

Serious Games and Coining the Term

Sav Siegfried

2002: Serious Games

2002 was a big year for gamification!

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars began a ‘Serious Games Initiative’
which wanted to create educational games to teach people about ‘serious topics’ like politics,
health, and the environment. The website is still up and consistently updates, and has lots of
interesting 'Serious Games' to teach about many topics.

In 'The Fiscal Ship' you captain a ship that is sailing rough seas. You make fiscal choices
for Americas budget based on different topics, and try to reduce the debt. It allows you to
examine the issues, and read arguments for and against these policies before choosing. As
the debt decreases, the seas get less rough, but you really have to examine your priorities
to get there. You also have 3 goals off to the side, and making choices that align with these
goals gets you stars.

'Plastic Pipeline' is a game where you explore the life of plastic from the factory to the
landfil/recycling plant, set up like a physical line on a map, and you have to implement
different policies for plasti-city to help get their single-use plastic problem under control.
Talking to various characters about their ideas gains you 'policy points' which you have to
save/use wisely to put a sound plan in place.
 In 'Breaking Harmony Square' you play as an anonymous internet troll trying to sow
misinformation and dissent in a peaceful town. You learn about popular tactics used, like
bot accounts, emotional manipulation, and purposefully misleading headlines to gain
followers and tear a digital town apart. It also lets you practice with real headlines, letting
you test your misinformation identification skills.

Users would start in basic training, and could choose a path to follow, being deployed and
even ranking all the way up to Special Forces.

That same year, The United States Army developed a game called America's Army, which

aimed to educate and gain the interest of prospective soldiers (this was before the Call of

Duty games).

The game provides training in combat, firearms, driving military vehicles, parachuting, special

forces and even combat medicine based on real training in the U.S Army.

The game had multiple iterations over the years, and finally shut down in May of 2022.
 Both of these examples are not technically Gamification,
because they are video games made specifically for teaching
content.

They did, however, help lay the foundation for game-like

elements being valid and effective for use in education, so
they are included here!

Both of these examples are ______________ not technically gamification.

Type your answer here

SUBMIT

Also 2002: Naming Gamification

 Nick Pelling giving a presentation on Gamification at the Gamification World Congress in
2014

The biggest thing that happened for gamified learning in 2002 was the name!

Nick Pelling, a british computer programmer, coined the term ‘gamification’ whilst working on
softwares to give ATM and vending machines a game-like interface.

He calls the term 'deliberately ugly', but it stuck!

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 7 of 17

Boom, Bust, and Equalization

Sav Siegfried

2005: Bunchball, The Leader in Gamification

 https://www.biworldwide.com/about-us/about-bunchball/

In 2005 a platform called BunchBall, which still operates today, was born. Their goal is to

increase engagement on websites by adding gamified elements to them. The founder of

BunchBall, Rajat Paharia, is often called the 'father of gamification'

2010-2013: Gamification Boom

In the early 2010’s gamification was gaining major traction.

The first Gamification Summit was held in 2011, and over the next few years gamification

became a practically inescapable buzzword in corporate and educational settings.

 https://www.gamification.co/2011/01/24/the-first-gamification-summit-rocked/

2014: Death of Gamification?

 https://www.gamified.uk/2019/02/22/is-gamification-dead/

By 2014 there were countless articles talking about the ‘ Death of Gamification’. These

articles attributed this death to things like 'gamification fatigue', and called it a failure for not

being the magic fix-all people hoped.

Many of the big companies and projects in gamification failed to take root and fizzled out over

the next several years.

Even now, there are recent articles claiming that gamification has truly, finally, actually

died-

for real this time.

Present: Dead? Alive? Simply Vibing?

These days Gamification has mostly stabilized - not dead by any means; but certainly not

the magical answer to every learning problem.

 Gamification elements are still widely used today, and is generally thriving in many sectors

of education, both in-person and especially in

e-learning!

https://www.talentlms.com/blog/talentlms-gamification-use-cases/

CO N T IN U E

More In-depth History?

Want to learn more about the history of Gamification? Click the button to read an article by
Growth Engineering for more information :)
ARTICLE LINK
Lesson 8 of 17

Real Life Examples

Sav Siegfried

This next section will show you real-life examples of how

Gamification is used in two different softwares used for E-
Learning. These softwares have many elements of gamification,
but we will just discuss a couple from each.

These programs are:

1 Duolingo: An online software for language learning

2 Classcraft: An educational tool set up like a fantasy game

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 9 of 17

Duolingo
Sav Siegfried

Duolingo is a popular language learning software that helps users learn over 40+ languages. It
also utilizes so many common elements of gamification to motivate learners and keep them
engaged with their learning materials.

In this section we will be discussing 3 Gamification examples Duolingo uses:

1 Badges- to reward users for their achievements

2 Leaderboards- to encourage playful competition

3 Daily Tasks- to motivate learners to play for rewards

Badges:

Duolingo users can complete tasks and quests to earn unique badges that are visible on their

public profile. These act as achievements, similar to scouts badges, and give learners a goal to
collect each month's unique badge.
Each month a new challenge is revealed and users must complete a certain number of
lessons, tasks, or quests to get that month's badge. Collected badges are displayed on the
users profile for their friends and followers to see.
Each badge is related to a story involving characters from the app. These characters are
used in the lessons to give learners someone to listen and give a face/meaning to the
conversations or stories in the lessons.
Users also get achievement badges based on different criteria.
Learners can send virtual confetti or a highfives to congratulate their friends on
achievements.

2
Leagues and Leaderboards
Duolingo also offers leagues and leaderboards based on points earned from doing lessons,
called experience points or XP. Many video games use similar systems for their leaderboards.

Leagues are defined as groups of 10-25 users, where users compete for top spots within
their league- bronze, silver, diamond, etc. The top users with the most points each week will be
promoted to the next league. If their rank is not high enough for promotion, they stay in their

league another week. Users below a certain line on the leaderboard face demotion to their
previous league (Sundays at 9pm ET are a bloodbath on Duolingo).

Click the numbered icons below to explore the Duolingo Leaderboard!

 
 

League Icons

Here is where learners current league icon is displayed. Learners start at the bronze league, working all
the way through silver, gold, ruby, emerald, etc. to obsidian and then diamond qualifiers, semifinals, and
finals.
 

Medals

The top three learners in each league by the time it resets on Sunday get a medal. These medals are
displayed on a users public profile
 

XP

XP is earned by doing lessons, or completing achievements and daily tasks. These add to the learners
standing on the leaderboard. Rewards for doing well in lessons usually include XP boosts, which gives
learners double XP for 15 minutes. There are also 'Happy Hours' where any lessons done during a certain
time of day gain users double or triple the normal amount of points.
 

Streaks

Streaks are also a fantastic motivator. By logging in every day, users start earning a streak, which is
displayed on their public profile. There are milestones learners can reach, like 14, 30, 50, and 100 day
streaks that earn achievements and rewards.
 

Status

Status's are also very common in video games. These status bubbles are set by learners, which include
little cartoon icons. There are also little green dots that appear on learners avatar to let others know they
are online. If the person below you on the leaderboard is online, they are probably trying to take your
spot!
 

XP Boosting Games

Towards the end of the week, special activities open up to allow learners to gain lots of XP quickly. This
one, called Ramp Up, is where learners answer rapid fire questions under a time limit. There are 9 levels,
and each level the questions are more difficult, and time decreases, but the XP reward increases.
However, If you do not answer all the questions in time, you go back to level 1!

Daily Tasks
Each user is given 3 daily tasks for their chosen language(s). These tasks correspond with
doing a certain number of lessons, getting a certain score or number correct, or completing
some other milestone on their path.
Each task has a progress
bar, and completing them
earns a chest. Chests
contain rewards like small
amounts of gems. Users
that complete all 3 of their
daily tasks receive a larger
reward, like 30 gems, or XP
boosts for a limited time.
These circles, called
stones, are a winding path
that learners progress
though. The path is broken
into colored sections based
on a specific topic or focus.
Some parts of the path are
chests with rewards, stories
to practice listening skills,
or characters with special
activities to earn XP and
stars.

Duolingo uses elements of Gamification because...

(choose the most correct answer)

It's hip with the kids

It boosts learners motivation and engagement with the

content

it lets them give the owl cute cartoon friends

it keeps learners on the app longer = $$$$

SUBMIT

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 10 of 17

Classcraft
Sav Siegfried

Classcraft is an online software used for assessment, data-keeping, and behavior

management. It can be used in a traditional classroom, but it is commonly used in E-Learning
environments because of how well it integrates with various Learning Management systems.

This gamified platform, like Duolingo, uses many elements of gamification; but the 3 we will
be discussing in this section are:

1 Point systems- Awarding points for desired behaviors

2 Teams and Kudos- Social aspects to connect learners

3 Avatars- Learner's personalized characters

Points
Classcraft allows teachers to give points to students based on chosen behaviors.
 https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/classcraft

Teachers are able to personalize these behaviors based on their

students' goals and classroom dynamics, and assign specific point values to
them. Points can even be added by parents for determined behaviors out
of class!

Teachers can award either Experience Points (XP), Gold Pieces (GP) or

Health points (HP) depending on the behavior, or the teachers

settings/preferences.

- XP levels up the learners character and abilities

- HP are 'lives' for quests and battles (assessments)

- GP can be used to customize avatars and pets

 https://www.classcraft.com/blog/the-new-classcraft-experience/

Teams and Kudos

Classcraft allows teachers to put their learners into teams, where they can compete together
against rival teams, complete lessons and tasks, and use their different characters roles and
powers to help each other succeed in boss battles (assessments).

https://www.getapp.za.com/software/122443/classcraft

Teams add a social component to learning , and is particularly good for creating a bonds

between students in an online classroom. These teams create a sense of community and

teamwork, and let learners hold their peers accountable.

 Classcraft also offers a ‘Kudos’ system where students can give each other compliments

or encouragement.

Teachers also have the ability to give complimented users points for a job well done!

https://help.classcraft.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042724254-Kudos

Personalized Avatars
Classcraft gives students a sense of ownership and motivation by allowing them to create a
custom avatar. These customizable characters are especially good for online classes, as they
give students away to showcase their personality and style through their avatar.
 https://www.classcraft.com/teachers/

These characters are fully customizable, allowing students to create a character they feel

represents them and that they “vibe with” (actual quote from website).

Learners are able to unlock gear, outfits and pets for their character as they rank up in

the game.

Students can also choose a class for their character- like Dungeons and Dragons, or other

roleplaying games- which gives them certain powers and abilities.

These powers and abilities can be used to assist their team and classroom on different tasks

and challenges.
 https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/classcraft/659169714589?hl=vi

Click and drag the white cards to the correct software, or 'Both' if it applies to Duolingo and
Classcraft

Duolingo

Leagues and Leaderboards to Learning Paths to show

encourage competition progress
 Streaks for completing
lessons every day

Classcraft

Avatars that can be Teams to encourage

customized with gear competition and teamwork

Assessments set up like Boss

Battles

Both
Uses gamified elements to Gives users points and
motivate learners achievements

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 11 of 17

Why Gamification?
Sav Siegfried

In this section you will learn a few of the reasons why Gamification is used in E-Learning.

Gamification is used because it:

1 Boosts learner interest and engagement

2 Increases learner motivation

3 Increases content interactivity

4 Provides instant feedback to learners

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 12 of 17

Interest and Engagement

Sav Siegfried
 One reason gamification is used is to keep learners engaged
with their learning, and interested in the content being
presented to them.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gamification-isnt-dead-its-just-very-misunderstood-lee-

naik

Environment is a major factor in retaining learner interest and engagement. In an E-Learning

environment, learners are often alone with thier computer. Learners may struggle with staying

engaged and interested with the content.

 Utilizing elements of gamification can help instructors make the learning environment more

fun, engaging, and enjoyable for the learners

Having storyline or narrative elements provides additional context and meaning to the

act of learning, and keeps users engaged.

A math assignment may not keep students engaged, but weaving a story where they are

secret agents trying to crack a code gives them a playful way to engage, and provides context.

It also aids in memory retention by giving the brain extra connections for information recall.

https://playxlpro.com/5-key-techniques-used-in-gamification/

Whether it's competing to oust their peers from the top

leaderboard spot, or trying to save the world via biology
lesson, gamification helps students connect to their learning

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 13 of 17

Learner Motivation
Sav Siegfried

Alright, so you have them interested and engaged, but how

do you keep them there? You have to keep them motivated

https://agentestudio.com/blog/gamification-changing-elearning
 The science of motivation is very complicated, and there are some people who specialize

in studying what drives humans to do what they do.

In order to do something, there has to be a reason. People don't do something unless there

is some perceived value in it.

Gamification motivates learners by making them feel:

1 Connected with their peers

(competition, leaderboards, teams)

2 Good at what they are doing

(achievements, badges, levels)

3 Excited to continue
(motivated by goals, storyline, and progress)

Learners can also be motivated by competition, wanting to move up a leaderboard, complete a

section, or earn a badge. These are powerful psychological motivators.

It's sometimes hard for learners to see the benefits of learning, or feel like they are making

progress, which harms their motivation.

The tasks and challenges give learners a clear goal, and and chunks the information into

smaller, tangible milestones that allow learners to feel accomplished more often.
 https://xperiencify.com/gamification-software/

Which of these can help motivate learners (select all that apply)

Earning Points

Fear of losing progress

Reaching a goal
Keeping a learning streak alive

Progressing a story

SUBMIT

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 14 of 17

Increased Interactivity
Sav Siegfried

Gamification innately increases interactivity, making the content something that must be
engaged with instead of just consumed.

Learners could simply go through a powerpoint or view a recorded lecture, but adding
elements of games allows users to interact with the content in a meaningful way.

This is especially helpful in online learning environments, where interactivity is different than

in a traditional classroom.

https://www.tynker.com/blog/tynker-makes-coding-easy/
 Many aspects of gamification tie into experiential learning , or helping learners ‘learn by

doing’.

Coding sites like Tynker could function by just teaching coding principles- but learning to

code a simple command by actually making a character walk on screen to progress the

story adds meaning and relevance to the task.

Gamification allows users to __________with the educational content and

with their peers, keeping them interested, engaged, and motivated!

Type your answer here

SUBMIT

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 15 of 17

Instant Feedback
Sav Siegfried

"Learners need endless feedback more than they

need endless teaching."
- Grant Wiggins

Importance of Feedback
Feedback is supremely important to learners to make apparent what they know and what they
still need to know. Gamified elements help make this obvious and instantaneous.
 https://geekmyclass.tumblr.com/post/133393021328/classcraft-boss-battles-are-fun-

ways-to-challenge

Take Classcraft for example - if learners are rewarded, or if the monster takes damage, they

get feedback instantly. They are able to see the value of their achievement by receiving
points, kudos, etc.

Instructors are able to remove points as well, which would provide a negative

consequence.

The Classcraft website suggests not taking points away, because you can not take away

learning, however losing points, or simply not receiving them may motivate a learner to make

adjustments in real time.

Gamified elements are particularly good for assessments. Getting feedback on their answers

right away allows learners to check their understanding without waiting.

Softwares like Classcraft and Kahoot have areas for instructors to see learner data as well,

which allows them to see areas the learners are struggling at a glance.
 https://support.kahoot.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035547493-How-to-download-and-

use-spreadsheet-reports

Even within this learning environment, there have been

interactive elements that provided you with instant feedback,
like the matching game under the real-world example section.

You did not have to wait on me to get back to you - you were
able to gauge your understanding of the content, and what
you still needed to learn on your own!
CO N T IN U E
Lesson 16 of 17

Course Complete
Sav Siegfried

Congratulations!
You completed the Gamification 101 course :)

Click the continue button below to move on to the final quiz.

When you have finished the quiz, you may close this tab to exit the course.

CO N T IN U E
Lesson 17 of 17

Gamification Quiz

Congratulations, you're almost done!

Answer these few short questions, and you will be on your way!
Question

01/05

What is Gamification?

Playing video games on vacation

adding game-like elements to non-game settings

developing a video game

a wizard's spell that turns you into a nintendo character

Question

02/05

True or False:
Some of the earliest forms of gamification involved collecting tangible items

True

False
Question

03/05

Match the examples to the correct term

Video games made for the sole

purpose of education- like Gamification
Hooked on Phonics games

When an instructor adds a

backstory- like escaping a Serious Games
dragon- to a quiz to make it fun
Question

04/05

________________ is a gamified software that allows learners to practice a langue on a

personalized learning path, climb the leaderboard, and earn badges to display on
their public profile

Type your answer here

Question

05/05

What are some ways that Gamification is beneficial to an E-Learning environment

(select all that apply)

Gives learners instant feedback

Motivates Learners with challenges, quests, and achievements

Replaces the teacher

Gives learners context for learning

Makes learning fun and engaging

It's easier to cheat at a game