What is this thing called gamification?

Gamification is a process that has been the subject of debate in the 21st century. A particularly delicate topic is the erroneous concepts related to ludic, games, and gamification. Despite having a single “gen”, it is possible to separate them, mainly thinking about the objectives and their application in education, for example. Considering that, this essay seeks to clarify the conceptual limits of gamification and its relation with the ludic and the game, exploring concepts and approaches. In this way, we expect to contribute to combating the dubious vision of gamification. Thus, without relegating other investigations, we assure that the objective of the ludic is to entertain (play), the game is to compete and the gamification is to involve through a process that uses game elements other than in games.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Educación
Published
2025-03-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.18800/educacion.202501.e002
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Educational Games and Gamification
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.44

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

What is this thing called gamification?

Bruno Silva Leite, Jocimário Alves Pereira
1 citations
Educación
Educational Games and Gamification
3.44
article

What is this thing called gamification?

Bruno Silva Leite, Jocimário Alves Pereira
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Gamification is a process that has been the subject of debate in the 21st century. A particularly delicate topic is the erroneous concepts related to ludic, games, and gamification. Despite having a single “gen”, it is possible to separate them, mainly thinking about the objectives and their application in education, for example. Considering that, this essay seeks to clarify the conceptual limits of gamification and its relation with the ludic and the game, exploring concepts and approaches. In this way, we expect to contribute to combating the dubious vision of gamification. Thus, without relegating other investigations, we assure that the objective of the ludic is to entertain (play), the game is to compete and the gamification is to involve through a process that uses game elements other than in games.

EducaciónVol. 34(66)
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (BR)
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Educational Games and Gamification
3.44
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

What is this thing called gamification? — Bruno Silva Leite, Jocimário Alves Pereira · Educación (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS