Gamification i utbildning : Hur görs det på bästa sätt?

Sammanfattning: Gamification is the use of elements and mechanics from the video-game industry in contexts which are not game-related. Gamification has, in the last decade, become a popular way to enhance a lot of contexts, such as medicine, business and education, by creating intrinsic motivation and engagement as well as changing behavior in the userbase. While a big part of the published science related to gamification is concerned with the question of “does gamification work?”, the question of what makes it work and why it works have gotten less attention. This study researches how to design a gamification experience in the context of education in the best possible way, including what the most common pitfalls are and how to avoid them, by studying the published literature on gamification in the context of education. The results of the study suggest that adhering to the self-determination theory (SDT) from the field of psychology is important in creating intrinsic motivation, and that a key part of gamification design may lie in choosing game elements which fulfil the three basic needs proposed by SDT: relatedness, competence and autonomy. A common pitfall in the design of gamification seems to be failure to fulfill these three needs. The study also shows that while gamification yields positive results for many people, a small but significant portion of the population does not gain any benefit from many gamification experiences. This suggests that an analysis of the future users of the gamification experience should be done prior to designing the gamification experience. Lastly, useful design principles are also found and discussed.