The Gamification Institute

The Gamification Institute advances the development of evidence-based strategies and techniques for bringing the joyfulness, meaningfulness, and sense of belonging that we find in games into every corner of human life. The Institute focuses especially on applying insights from game design to brighten, enliven, and enrich the workplaces within which human beings spend so much of our lives. The Institute seeks to merge theory and practice by:

  • Recognizing and promoting groundbreaking theoretical and empirical gamification research that’s being carried out at universities, think-tanks, consulting firms, design studios, game companies, and other organizations around the world;
  • Maintaining a database to document the diverse gamification design frameworks developed by scholars and practitioners, which draw on many different aspects of human motivation;
  • Highlighting case studies that present examples of gamification that has or (just as importantly) has not worked within particular real-world organizational contexts; and
  • Facilitating the formulation of ethical principles and industry standards to guide the integration of gamified elements into organizational life.

Toward Well-Architected Gamification

Good gamification design involves an artistry and creativity that can’t be generated through purely mechanical principles and algorithms: in order to develop truly meaningful, enjoyable,...
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Database of Gamification Frameworks

The Institute maintains a database to document the diverse conceptual frameworks that have been developed by scholars and practitioners for use in designing and analyzing gamified systems.
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Guide to Gamification-Related Research

The Institute maintains an online guide to gamification-related research, with a focus on review articles and meta-analyses that distill insights from many other publications.
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Gamification-Related Journals

Stay up to date on the latest theory and practice and share your insights with others. Several peer-reviewed academic journals regularly publish groundbreaking research on (or related to) gamification.
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Gamification-Related Courses & Certifications

Become an expert gamifier! A range of universities, research organizations, and individual scholars and practitioners offer courses in gamification that can help develop your knowledge and skills.
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Gamification-Related Organizations

There are many opportunities to engage with others who are active in the field: numerous organizations around the world deal with gamification or gamification-related topics (e.g., serious games) as part of their mission.
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