“What Do You Mean, Gamification Doesn’t Work?”
03.10.2025 | Written by Jessi Watson
Over the past decade, gamification has become a buzzword in education. Professors and instructional designers alike have embraced game-inspired elements to boost engagement, creativity, and motivation in the classroom. But does gamification actually work? Some critics would have you believe that it is a senseless fad.
The truth is, just like with most things in life and science, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no —it depends on how you use it!
Gamification has the potential to transform learning experiences, making them more engaging and effective. However, poorly executed gamification can be ineffective, and even cause stress and disrupt learning. It doesn’t matter that it is gamified if it doesn’t work!
If gamification is not working for you or your students, you might be doing it wrong. While the science is still somewhat limited, there are a few common threads that are supported by existing literature:
Perform an EEG
As I consider incorporating elements into my lessons and designs, I always “Perform an EEG.” This means asking myself: Is it engaging? Is it effective? Is it grounded in something relatable and meaningful to the learner? This is a good starting point when considering adding gamified elements to your course or lessons and is informed by both neuroscience and design research.
Not All Content Is Best Served Gamified
If the game is a peach then the learning objectives should be the pit, not the fuzz. Is gamification really the best way to reinforce the content that you are trying to reinforce? Am I able to meet a course outcome or satisfy a learning objective based on what the learners are doing in the game? If the game is not going to be effective, consider a different format or type of activity for your content.
Consider the Best Tool for the Job
I use GimKit “live play” in the classroom with my students, but not for complex concepts or ideas. GimKit is a great tool for memorization due to the fast-paced repetition and options for question formatting, but not particularly effective in reinforcing college- or career-level critical thinking skills.
If I want to gamify case study-type questions or reinforce situational problem-solving skills, I might use an escape room format where learners work together to meet a goal and “escape” the room using applied knowledge and critical thinking.
When deciding which platform to use, consider prioritizing flexibility - it should be easy to edit and use. If gamified elements aren’t flexible, instructors may struggle to adjust content mid-course in response to learner needs. Don’t let your gamification project lose steam because of frustrating background tasks! Do some research and spend some time trying things. Consider having a gamification “show and tell” where colleagues share and try different gamification strategies!
Collaboration is important, but competition is touchy.
Whether it is GimKit or an escape room, it is always more impactful to have a collaborative element. GimKit has team-building games where learners can work together to prevent the floor being overtaken with lava.
Not all learners are motivated by competition. For some, leaderboards and public rankings can create anxiety rather than motivation (Smiderle, et al., 2020). Instead of ranking learners on leaderboards, consider using collaborative challenges or personal progress tracking. Remember to foster a growth mindset. When learners believe their abilities can improve, they engage more deeply. This means promoting self-reflection and goal-setting, not “being #1.”
Keep it Simple
It doesn’t have to be a new app. Gamification can be something as simple as offering learners a choice. For example, adding the option to choose a project topic or format, or giving learners the choice of which weekly discussion to respond to.
In the Surgical Technology program we do a “manikin naming activity” at the start of each new cohort, and then throughout the semester the students perform simulated operations on the manikins that they have all named. This creative, playful activity begins the process of fostering a connection between the surgical technologist and patient and has real-world implications for my students in a clinical setting. It’s not Quizlet, but it’s fun and it works toward our learning outcomes!
Allowing students to choose their assignments or the order in which they complete tasks can also foster a sense of autonomy and reinforce a growth mindset. Even progress bars or reports can be a way of gamifying courses and increasing engagement (Hung, 2017).
Gamification should enhance learning, not distract from it. Game design should consider cognitive load and avoid offering too many choices or tasks with unclear expectations. The learning should be the focus, rather than points or rankings. Game mechanics like experience points or branching storylines should reinforce key concepts rather than just serve as a novelty (Hung, 2017). Game mechanics should be used to reinforce skills and encourage learners to retry challenges until they succeed.
Provide Clear Instructions and Meaningful Feedback
A gamified course should be intuitive. Learners need to understand how the system works, what’s expected of them, and how their efforts contribute to their learning. Reward-based gamification like badges and points have only limited, short-term effects (Nicholson, 2015). Giving meaningful feedback is an effective way of grounding the learner in the game’s ultimate purpose (EEG).
Read the room, Adapt, and Improve
Gamification isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Instructors should continuously evaluate their approach, gathering student feedback and making adjustments as needed. Remember: Every Brain Learns Differently. No two learners process information the same way. Genetics, experiences, and environment shape learning on an individual level. A 2020 study showed that the effect of gamification may differ depending on users’ personality traits (Smiderle, et al.). You are not going to reach every student with one activity every time, but a varied approach will reach every student when it counts. Prioritize an adaptive teaching strategy to meet the needs of your diverse learners.
So?
Based on the available research, gamification is not inherently good or bad—it’s a tool. When designed by thoughtful practitioners, and measured for efficacy and learner experience, gamified elements can create dynamic, engaging learning environments. When applied carelessly, these same elements can lead to confusion, frustration, and even decreased motivation. Rather than discarding gamification due to the potential pitfalls, we should focus on designing gamified elements with intention and ensuring that the experience is measurably valuable the learner.
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A Critique and Defense of Gamification https://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/15.1.4.pdf
Gamification was not the problem: A case study exploring factors affect teachers approvement of gamification https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3464327.3464347
Jang, J., Park, J.J.Y., Yi, M.Y. (2015). Gamification of online learning. In: Conati, C., Heffernan, N., Mitrovic, A., Verdejo, M.F. (Eds.) In Artificial Intelligence in Education. Springer, Cham, (pp. 646–649).
Jia, Y., Xu, B., Karanam, Y., Voida, S. (2016). Personality-targeted gamification: a survey study on personality traits and motivational affordances. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI ’16. https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858515. ACM.Knutas, A., Ikonen, J., Nikula, U., Porras, J. (2014). Increasing collaborative communications in a programming course with gamification: a case study. In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies. https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2659620. ACM, (pp. 370–377).
Krause, M., Mogalle, M., Pohl, H., Williams, J.J. (2015). A playful game changer: Fostering student retention in online education with social gamification. In ACM Conf. on Learning@ Scale. https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2724665. ACM, (pp. 95–102).
Mekler, E.D., Brühlmann, F., Tuch, A.N., Opwis, K. (2017). Towards understanding the effects of individual gamific. elements on intrinsic motivation and performance. Comput. in Human Behav., 71, 525–534.The Rush to “Gamify” Academics is a Bad Idea
https://medium.com/@aubreyl_45667/the-rush-to-gamify-academics-is-a-bad-idea-4db97e509f33
Smiderle, R., Rigo, S.J., Marques, L.B. et al. The impact of gamification on students’ learning, engagement and behavior based on their personality traits. Smart Learn. Environ. 7, 3 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-019-0098-x
https://slejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40561-019-0098-x
Why Gamification Fails in Education and How to Make It Successful: Introducing Nine Gamification Heuristics Based on Self-Determination Theory
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-51645-5_22#Sec16
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Gamifying Blue Collar Work | Sean Dessureault, PhD | TEDxTucson
In blue collar work, productivity and safety are the rule of thumb for businesses. However, tedious and boring tasks can seriously compromise an employee’s engagement and attention. How can we reverse this situation and bring joy, effectiveness and safer conditions to these workers?
Thinking of a solution, Sean Dessureault developed an engagement strategy using Gamification as the key solution.
Sean is a PhD, an automation researcher, and a mining engineer, who has also worked as professor of Mining and Geological Engineering.
In his Ted talk, Sean talks about his Gamification idea used and game elements such as achievements, scoreboards, feedback, teamwork and competition, mixed with the mining operation’s most important KPIs.
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TEDx2010 | Gaming can make a better world | Jane McGonigal
Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.
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TEDxCUHK | Gamification in Higher Education | Christopher See
Christopher is sharing his idea behind one of his innovative education project: Escape Room feat. Medical Examination! What were the myths people usually confuse with playing games in learning? Chris is going to tell us the answer Dr. Christopher See took his medical degree at Trinity College, Cambridge University, and worked as a junior doctor in several UK hospitals. He completed a PGCE in clinical education with the University of Edinburgh and went on to take a teaching post at Manchester University Medical School, where he received the Excellent Teacher Award for the Faculty in 2012. He is currently completing his PhD research in the application of e-learning and game-based learning in medical training at the University of Hong Kong. He has published in peer-reviewed publications include the journal Rheumatology and the Imperial College Press, as well as 7 book titles with publisher Kogan Page. He is a keen science communicator, winning the science presenting competition Famelab in 2013 and hosting public lectures at the HK Science Museum and Café Scientifique. Oh, and he really loves games. You’ll see.