Over the years, many scholars and practitioners have developed conceptual frameworks connected with gamification. There are various ways of classifying such frameworks. For example:

• With regard to their intended purpose, some frameworks were devised primarily to aid with the analysis of existing gamified systems; others were created primarily to inform and guide the design of new gamified systems; and yet others serve both functions.
• With regard to the arrangement of their constituent elements, some frameworks present a sequential step-by-step process to be followed, while others present a nontemporal overview of factors contributing to a gamified experience.
• With regard to their subject matter, some frameworks attempt to conceptually organize or prioritize different gamified elements (like quests, points, and avatars), while others focus on distinguishing different types of players or elucidating the nature of fun.

The Database of Gamification Frameworks is the Gamification Institute’s attempt to maintain a scholarly reference guide to the diverse array of published gamification frameworks, in order to support researchers and practitioners who wish to compare and contrast such frameworks and learn more about the ways in which they’ve been empirically tested or applied in real-world contexts.

Frameworks