The notion of gamification is distinct from the notion
of educational video games. An educational game is primarily a game but has the secondary effect of teaching the user something. For example, Oregon Trail is an adventure game which also teaches students about life on the OregonTrail. However, in gamification the video game elements play a secondary role.

Gamification is the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems and increase users' self contributions.

Gamification has been studied and applied in several domains, with some of the main purposes being to engage (improve user engagement, physical exercise return on investment, flow, data quality, timeliness), teach (in classrooms, the public or at work), entertain (enjoyment,fan loyalty), measure (for recruiting and employee evaluation), and to improve the perceived ease of use of information systems.

A review of research on gamification shows that a majority of studies on gamification find positive effects from gamification. However, individual and contextual differences exist.

Gamification in education certainly isn’t a new concept. Take a look at Khan Academy, which is essentially an educational YouTube. On Khan Academy, you’ll find over 6,000 micro-lectures covering subjects like Calculus, Biology, American History, and even Test Prep.

However, it isn’t the videos themselves that incorporate gaming mechanics. Khan Academy incorporates gamification with their unique badge system. As students watch videos, complete courses, and attempt quizzes, there are different badges and points that the student can get.

Integrating gaming into an educational setting isn't as easy as just adding some cool graphics or developing iconic characters. Making a great game also involves incorporating interesting gaming elements, which in turn is what is also going to be compelling for students, whose curriculum may be gamified.

level mechanics are a natural fit for education because students already earn points for completing assignments. Integrating levels and XP into this paradigm is relatively straightforward.

Achievements are optional objectives or goals which are defined outside of the usual parameters of the game.

With regards to education, achievement objectives can be
anything from having students earn a certain score on an exam to completing an extra credit assignment.

A role-playing game (RPG and sometimes roleplaying game) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting.

Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development.

Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.

Classcraft is a free online, educational role-playing game that teachers and students play together in the classroom.

By using many of the conventions traditionally found in games today, students can level up, work in teams, and earn powers that have real-world consequences.

Acting as a gamification layer around any existing curriculum, the game transforms the way a class is experienced throughout the school year.

Second Life is an online virtual world, developed by San Francisco-based Linden Lab and launched on June 23, 2003; and which in 2014 had about 1 million regular users, according to Linden Lab, who owns Second Life.

In many ways, Second Life is similar to MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games); however, Linden Lab is emphatic that their creation is not a game: "There is no manufactured conflict, no set objective".

Explore the campus of Western Michigan University and learn about how to be a successful student by playing the Broncoland Tour and the Broncoland Game.

Minecraft is a sandbox independent video game originally created by Swedish programmer Markus "Notch" Persson and later developed and published by the Swedish company Mojang.

The creative and building aspects of Minecraft allow players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D procedurally generated world. Other activities in the game include exploration, gathering resources, crafting, and combat.

Multiple gameplay modes are available, including survival modes where the player must acquire resources to build the world and maintain health, a creative mode where players have unlimited resources to build with and the ability to fly, and an adventure mode where players play custom maps created by other players.

Build Original Constructions!

Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome.

The series was based on a concept created by Edward Packard and originally published by Constance Cappel's and R. A. Montgomery's Vermont Crossroads Press as the "Adventures of You" series, starting with Packard's Sugarcane Island in 1976.

5.5 Billion in gamification Market by 2018, not 2108.

350 companies have launched gamification projects since 2010.