Between Level Up and Game Over: A Systematic Literature Review of Gamification in Education

Abstract

Educational gamification consists of the use of game elements and game design techniques in the educational context. The objective of this study is to examine the existing evidence on the impact of educational gamification on student motivation and academic performance in the last five years in order to analyze its distribution over time, educational level, variables, and most used game elements, and know the advantages of its implementation in the classroom. For this, a systematic review is proposed through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology in three multidisciplinary databases, through an exhaustive search with inclusion and exclusion criteria on quantitative experimental studies that explore gamification in educational centers, which provide information about the most current lines of research. Fourteen studies were included in this review. These used experimental or quasi-experimental designs. Most of them report gamification as a valid learning strategy. The results support the conclusion that educational gamification has a potential impact on the academic performance, commitment, and motivation of students. Therefore, this study implies the need to expand research on the needs and challenges of students when learning with gamified techniques.

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sustainability
Article
Between Level Up and Game Over: A Systematic Literature
Review of Gamification in Education
Ana Manzano-León1, Pablo Camacho-Lazarraga 2, Miguel A. Guerrero 3, Laura Guerrero-Puerta 4,
JoséM. Aguilar-Parra 1,* , Rubén Trigueros 1, * and Antonio Alias 5


Citation: Manzano-León, A.;
Camacho-Lazarraga, P.; Guerrero,
M.A.; Guerrero-Puerta, L.;
Aguilar-Parra, J.M.; Trigueros, R.;
Alias, A. Between Level Up and
Game Over: A Systematic Literature
Review of Gamification in Education.
Sustainability 2021,13, 2247. https://
doi.org/10.3390/su13042247
Academic Editor: Ahmed Tlili
Received: 11 December 2020
Accepted: 12 February 2021
Published: 19 February 2021
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
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iations.
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
1Hum-878 Research Team, Department of Psychology, Health Research Centre, University of Almería,
04120 Almería, Spain; aml570@ual.es
2Department of Education, Centro Universitario San Isidoro, 41092 Seville, Spain;
pcamacho@centrosanisidoro.es
3Department of Education, University of Seville, 41004 Seville, Spain; migupu97@gmail.com
4Department of Education and Social Psychology, Pablo Olavide University, 41013 Seville, Spain;
laura.guerrero.puerta@gmail.com
5Department of Education, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain; aag344@ual.es
*Correspondence: jmaguilar@ual.es (J.M.A.-P.); rtr088@ual.es (R.T.)
Abstract:
Educational gamification consists of the use of game elements and game design techniques
in the educational context. The objective of this study is to examine the existing evidence on the
impact of educational gamification on student motivation and academic performance in the last five
years in order to analyze its distribution over time, educational level, variables, and most used game
elements, and know the advantages of its implementation in the classroom. For this, a systematic
review is proposed through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA) methodology in three multidisciplinary databases, through an exhaustive search with
inclusion and exclusion criteria on quantitative experimental studies that explore gamification in
educational centers, which provide information about the most current lines of research. Fourteen
studies were included in this review. These used experimental or quasi-experimental designs. Most
of them report gamification as a valid learning strategy. The results support the conclusion that
educational gamification has a potential impact on the academic performance, commitment, and
motivation of students. Therefore, this study implies the need to expand research on the needs and
challenges of students when learning with gamified techniques.
Keywords:
gamification; systematic literature review; motivation; engagement; academic achievement
1. Introduction
In recent years, gamification has received increased attention and interest in research
and education [
1
]. It is currently present in our daily lives, although sometimes we do not
even recognize it [
2
]. The scientific literature shows different definitions of the concept; the
most used is the use of game design elements in nongame contexts [
3
]. During the last
years, gamification has been installed in different disciplinary areas such as commerce [
4
],
employment [
5
], health [
6
], environment [
7
], and, among others, our object of study, the
educational area [8].
In education, gamification is a technique that proposes dynamics associated with game
design in the educational environment, in order to stimulate and have direct interaction
with students, allowing them to significantly develop their curricular, cognitive, and social
competences. It is the use of techniques to engage people, motivate their action, and
promote learning and problem solving [
9
]. This generates in the students a feeling of
empowerment in their way of working to achieve tasks, making them more attractive and
promoting cooperative work, effort, and other positive values typical of games [10].
Sustainability 2021,13, 2247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042247 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 2 of 14
1.1. Gamification Elements
Gamification is a process whose objective is to increase extrinsic and intrinsic motiva-
tion and get people involved in the task through ludic activities [
11
]. Intrinsic motivation
is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfactions rather than for some
separable consequence, while extrinsic motivation is incentivized with the acquisition of
reinforcers [
12
]. When designing gamification strategies, it is important to find intrinsic
motivations that keep users engaged. This concept is related to the Self-Determination
Theory (SDT) [
13
], where there are three psychological needs: autonomy (the extent to
which an action carried out by an individual comes from their own interests), competence
(the feeling of ability and of executing a task to a certain level), and relatedness with others
(the feeling of ability and of executing a task to a certain level) [14].
To elaborate a motivating gamification using SDT, it is required that players feel
autonomy, in control of their own actions, and believe that they can achieve the tasks of the
game [
15
]. In turn, to achieve this goal, gamifications should consider the types of players.
Marczewski [
16
] formulated the RAMP model, an acronym for the four basic inducers of
intrinsic motivation: relatedness, autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Finally, gamifications that go beyond PBL (points, badges, leaderboards) follow sys-
tems of game design. The most studied is the MDE system (mechanics, dynamics, aes-
thetics) proposed by Hunicke, LeBlanc, and Zubek [
17
]. The MDE model is a methodol-
ogy used in the video game design process, which establishes the relationship between
rules–mechanics, game–dynamics system, and fun–aesthetics. Divide the gamification
elements into:
•
Mechanics: actions and control mechanisms offered to players within the context of a
game. For example, draw cards, gamble, trade, attack, compete, cooperate.
•
Dynamics: behaviors to be performed while the mechanics are being executed. For
example, socializing, bluffing, reflection, status, attention.
•
Aesthetics: desirable emotional responses evoked in players when interacting with the
game system. It is divided into sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, companionship,
discovery, expression, and entertainment.
1.2. Why Use Gamification to Improve School Motivation and Academic Performance?
Applying educational gamification promotes student participation in the classroom,
especially if the game elements used in gamification have established objectives and
rewards. For example, in the case of physical education, the study by Beemer, Ajibewa, and
DellaVecchia [
18
] shows that 55% of the students who received gamification performed
a minimum of 20 minutes of daily exercise to improve their health and only 15% did not
participate regularly, with statistically significant differences compared to the traditional
teaching group. This study also highlights that in low-income educational centers, it
would be necessary to employ additional strategies and maximize the time of participation
in breaks between activities to obtain better results. In students with lower motivation,
gamification with immediate rewards (points and badges) with a narrative base can be
very effective [
19
]. In university education, it is observed that when the subject is gamified,
the participation and involvement of the students increase exponentially, and consequently
their academic performance improves [20].
Therefore, when the school is gamified with the objectives of improving healthy habits,
the physical environment improves as a playful school context is designed where students
can be more active while having fun.
In scientific subjects, gamification has also been shown to have favorable results,
relating its use to greater student engagement and learning [
21
,
22
]. This study argues that
the reason for the results may be that students feel that they are an active protagonist in their
learning progress and that the progression and practice of the game mechanics of the levels
allow them to carry out a continuous practice of the academic curriculum; in addition, the
dynamic of continuous feedback allows them to obtain clues and opportunities for reflection
when it comes to problems. In the e-learning university context, after the application of

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 3 of 14
a gamified system with peer relations, blog, challenges, and medals, commitment and
participation are provided [
23
]. The authors justify it due to a level of challenge that can
be overcome by the students; this balance between the difficulty and their abilities allows
motivation to be generated and the students to progressively advance during the course.
However, when gamification systems use PBL (points, badges, leaderboards) or other
gamification elements that only reinforce behaviors with prizes, appealing to extrinsic
motivation, students may see their commitment to the course and learning reduced, and
after a while of implementation, may be more demotivated with the gamified system [
24
].
Related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) skills, educa-
tional gamification can be a valuable strategy for young students to learn to take care of
the environment. One of the definitions of gamification mentions that its objectives are
to encourage the development of specific behaviors [
25
], which is why gamification can
motivate students to carry out sustainable practices and work on their civic competence
in a playful way with the aim of acquiring more ecologically responsible behaviors [
26
].
These results may be due to the fact that the game elements have a positive influence on
the motivation and participation of the students, improving their civic attitude and respect
for the environment [
27
]. In relation to these results, gamification can also promote en-
gagement and meaningful learning in social and civil key competences in higher education
since it manages to favor a more interactive environment and the students become more
involved when information and communication technology (ICT) is used in a playful way
to learn [
28
]. Another example of the use of gamification for sustainable learning and
self-determination in university education reports that the group that learned through
online gamification had better results in the knowledge of sustainability, pro-environmental
behavior, and performance than the control group. Qualitatively, they studied why this
phenomenon could have occurred, and the students declared that their motivation for the
program was the recognition, the competence, and the sense of belonging to a group [29].
1.3. Research Questions and Objective
The context of our study is the wide range of scientific results on educational gamifica-
tion, often contradictory or using the term to refer to other types of recreational resources
such as educational video games or game-based learning. Despite being a research topic
that has gained strength in recent years, the results of educational gamification are still
widely dispersed, creating the need for research to describe and synthesize the available
information, reducing the time required to understand this educational strategy. Previ-
ous research shows us the interest in gamification as a learning tool. Huang et al. [
30
]
carried out a meta-analysis study where they integrated 30 independent studies in formal
educational settings, and it was observed that the effect size on learning outcomes was
greater in the gamified groups than in the control groups. De Sousa, Durelli, Reis, and
Isotani [
31
] explored other benefits of gamification in their systematic review where they
analyzed 26 papers and observed that gamification could be implemented with the aim of
motivating students, improving their skills, and maximizing learning. Their results show
that gamification research has focused more on higher education to foster the engagement
of students through learning activities that build on gamification concepts.
The objective of this research is to carry out a systematic review of studies that have
developed a gamification methodology in the educational context in the last five years,
based on established criteria. We propose the following research questions.
RQ1: What is the distribution over time of the studies that examine educational gamification?
RQ2: What is the educational level where gamification is most studied?
RQ3: What have been the variables most analyzed in the selected studies?
RQ4: What are the advantages of gamification in educational settings?
RQ5:
Which gamification elements are most used for educational purposes within the selected studies?
The selection of these research questions has been made to gain a deeper understand-
ing of the research and use of gamification in education in the last five years, as well as to
identify which educational gamification programs have been most successful and how to

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 4 of 14
replicate them in future research. Following the study proposed by Dicheva, Dichev, Agre,
and Angelova [
32
], RQ2 and RQ5 are carried out with the aim of checking and discussing
whether the gamification elements proposed in scientific research have been maintained or
changed in the following five years.
2. Methodology
A systematic review was carried out, following the recommendations of the pre-
established reporting elements for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) [
33
].
We conducted a systematic literature review during April and June 2020 to ensure that we
had compiled a list of relevant papers that was as complete as possible [
34
]. The systematic
review seeks to gather all the available evidence according to previously specified eligibility
criteria to answer the research questions; for this purpose, a systematic method was used
that provides more reliable results to establish conclusions and, consequently, decision
making [35].
To compile the studies analyzed in the systematic review, a search protocol was carried
out [
36
]. The databases used to carry out the intended bibliographic review were Web of
Science, Scopus, and Dialnet. The analyzed period corresponded to the last five years (2016–
2020) and the search string used was: (School OR “High School” OR “University”) AND
Gamif * AND (Program OR Intervention), in both English and Spanish. The search was
run by title, abstract, and keywords. The chosen descriptors were selected to characterize
the general lines of research in the field of educational gamification.
For the selection of the documents for the systematic review, inclusion criteria were
determined:
•
Regarding the language, only studies that were in English or Spanish were accepted.
Studies that were in other languages were excluded, even if the abstract was in English
or Spanish.
•
Regarding the format, only articles that came from specialized scientific journals were
accepted. Articles published on nonspecialized web pages, blogs, or digital newspa-
pers, as well as books, book chapters, or doctoral theses, among others, were excluded.
•
Regarding the group of recipients of the intervention, only studies that focused primarily
on students and/or teachers from formal education contexts were accepted. Studies
focused on socio-educational programs in nonformal contexts, such as socio-community
intervention, educational programs for public health, and so forth, were excluded.
•
Regarding the type of research, only quasi-experimental or experimental studies were
accepted. Theoretical and reflective articles were excluded.
•
Regarding the study topic, only those studies that specifically used educational gami-
fication were accepted. Studies related to other recreational strategies, such as serious
games, game-based learning, educational video games, or educational escape rooms,
among others, were excluded.
•
To adequately address the research questions asked, experimental studies that did not
specify their sample, resources, and/or gamification elements used were also excluded.
Based on the previously defined parameters, various documents were selected and
exported to a specific folder in the Endnote software, which allowed duplicate documents
to be identified based on the digital object identifier (DOI) and the bibliographic reference
of the source. Subsequently, the articles whose title, keywords, abstract, and content were
not directly related to the research questions or did not meet all the inclusion criteria
previously described were refined. Figure 1shows the results obtained.

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Figure 1. Diagram of search and selection of analyzed sources.
3. Results
In response to the first and second research questions: What is the distribution over
time of the studies that examine educational gamification? What is the educational level
where gamification is most studied?
A total of 750 articles were initially found as a result of the database research. After
duplicate and language exclusion criteria application, 198 articles were selected and read.
After applying the rest of the exclusion criteria, 14 full-text articles were analyzed in detail,
meeting the eligibility criteria (see Table 1).
The research methodology imposed a year restriction, requesting only publication
since 2016, with the aim of knowing the most current research on educational gamification
programs. Figure 2shows the evolution of the number of published articles selected
with respect to the years and educational level. In 2019, the experimental articles on
educational gamification had tripled, which shows the interest in this methodology to
promote student motivation and their acquisition of academic knowledge. In addition, this
finding suggests that the impact of gamification in education constitutes a growing research
area. Regarding publications according to educational level, a homogeneous distribution
is observed distributed among the different levels, with a considerable rise in university
education.

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 6 of 14
Table 1. General distribution of the analyzed studies.
Author-ship Journal
Position (H
Index), Cites
NEducation
Level Subject Research
Design Duration Gamification
Elements Variables Results Outcomes
+ = -
[18] Q2 (92), 4 292 School and
high school
Physical
education
Quasi-
experimental
with
control group
20-week
classroom-based PA
intervention
Challenge,
rewards, prize
Engagement
Participation X
Gamification can be a key strategy to
encourage the participation of all
students in physical activities.
[20] E (NA), 1 64 University
Foundations of
the curriculum
and physi-
cal education
Quasi-
experimental
without
control group
1 semester
Narrative,
challenges,
achievements,
playful activities,
action
rewards, points
Academic
achievement
Intrinsic
motivation
Extrinsic
motivation
X
The dynamics of gamification and
continuous evaluation through the ICTs
carried out have achieved high levels of
participation and student participation,
as well as high levels of motivation, both
intrinsic and extrinsic.
[21] Q1 (86), 2 69 School Sciences
Quasi-
experimental
with
control group
6 weeks Points, rewards,
levels, and badges
Scientific
competencies X
Students who used the GAME model
had better learning outcome of scientific
competencies than those who learned
via traditional teaching way. The GAME
model can promote students’ learning
engagement. Learning becomes
learner-centered, which drives students
to actively learn and control their own
learning progress.
[22] E (1), 29 10 High school Industrial
technology
Qualitative
research with
ad hoc
questionnaire
3 weeks
Ranking, prizes,
points,
levels, badges
Fun
learning X
Gamification is a way to promote work
in the classroom, connecting with the
interests of students and reinforcing the
quality of learning through
social interaction.
[19] Q1 (31), 4 290 School and
high school
Physical
education
Quasi-
experimental
without
control group
15 weeks (2
sessions per
week/50 min each)
Narrative,
challenges goals,
mastery, leader-
board, badges
Intrinsic
motivation X
Gamification, implemented on a
long-term basis, has been found an
instructional framework capable of
increasing students’ motivation towards
physical education.
[23] Q2 (26), 2 27 University
Master of
Science (MSc)
in Software
Engineering
for the Web
Quasi-
experimental
with control
group
Two 5-hour
lectures, delivered
in two
different weeks
Events, points,
tasks,
achievements,
leaderboards, store
inside the subject
Academic
achievement X
For MSc students, gamification is good
to introduce basic topics. The social
components of the gamified platform
made it possible for students to improve
inter-relationships and their overall
grades earned, and to consider the
learning process as more involving,
interesting, and attractive.
[37] Q1 (17), 5 47 University
Advanced
quantum me-
chanics course
Quasi-
experimental
with
control group
7 weeks (multiple
voluntary lessons
of 10–20 minutes
per week)
Points, badges, and
leaderboard
framework
Academic
achievement X
There is a notable correlation between
gamified activity and the exam score.
This demonstrates the value of
gamification as a complement to
traditional teaching.

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Table 1. Cont.
Author-ship Journal
Position (H
Index), Cites
NEducation
Level Subject Research
Design Duration Gamification
Elements Variables Results Outcomes
+ = -
[24] Q1 (164), 46 49 University Online seminar
of psychology
Experimental
with
control group
1 semester Badges Intrinsic
motivation X
Badges did not seem to be influential
regarding students’ motivation, activity,
and performance. Badges neither
increased nor decreased students’
motivation and activity during the
course. Badges did not influence grades
or quiz results. Instead, they found a
general trend that students became less
intrinsically motivated over time.
[38] Q3 (13), 2 36 High school
Second
language
(English)
Quasi-
experimental
with
control group
10 sessions
Narrative about
famous TV
games, points
Academic
achievement XEnglish vocabulary learning process has
improved significantly.
[39] Q1 (12), 1 31 High school Ethical
education
Quasi-
experimental
with control
group
1 session, 50
minutes
Narrative, game
design, roles, points Engagement X
Gamification could be an effective way
to create the concept of professional
commitment in adolescents.
[40]66/226 –
Dialnet (NA), 1 48 School Physical
education
Qualitative
research with
control group
14 sessions, 50
minutes
Narrative, ranking,
badges, rewards
Academic
achievement X
Gamification promotes academic
performance to learn healthy
lifestyle habits.
[41] Q1 (36), 35 36 University
Matter and
Energy subject
in Primary
Education
Degree
Quasi-
experimental
without
control group
1 semester
Star Wars aesthetic,
challenge, rewards,
collaborative
tasks, points
Academic
achievement-
Participation
X
A correlation between the participation
level in the game and the academic
marks that the students obtain is evident,
and those who get involved in the game
usually achieved better
academic performance.
[42] Q2 (43), 13 93 University Psychology
courses
Quasi-
experimental
with
control group
1 academic year, 3
times a week for 50
minutes
Play, narrative,
feedback, choice,
points, levels, prize
Motivation X X
Implementation of some meaningful
gamification elements, students report
higher enjoyment, engagement, and
motivation in learning compared to
traditional courses.
[43] Q3 (19), 30 94 School Maths
Quasi-
experimental
with
control group
6 weeks (120
minutes per week)
Competition,
rewards, collecting
points, rewards,
badges, and
leaderboard
Academic
achievement
Cognitive load
X
Gamification can increase both cognitive
load and achievement levels, and
students generally have positive
thoughts regarding
gamification strategies.
Note: NA: Not Available; E: Emerging.

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Figure 2. Number of selected published articles per year/education level.
Answering the third and fourth research question: What have been the variables
most analyzed in the selected studies? What are the advantages of gamification in educa-
tional settings?
Regarding the analyzed variables, these are shown in Table 2below:
Table 2. Distribution of studies by analyzed constructs.
MDA Construct Analyzed Frequency % Relative % Total
School
Academic achievement 2 28.6 8.7
Cognitive load 1 14.3 4.3
Intrinsic motivation 1 14.3 4.3
Scientific competencies 1 14.3 4.3
Engagement 1 14.3 4.3
Participation 1 14.3 4.3
High School
Engagement 2 22.2 8.7
Academic achievement 1 14.3 4.3
Intrinsic motivation 1 14.3 4.3
Fun 1 14.3 4.3
Learning 1 14.3 4.3
Participation 1 14.3 4.3
University
Motivation 1 11.1 4.3
Academic achievement 4 44.4 17.4
Participation 1 11.1 4.3
Intrinsic motivation 2 22.2 8.7
Extrinsic motivation 1 11.1 4.3
TOTAL 23 - 100
Improved student academic achievement, engagement, and motivation were observed
as the most significant benefits of gamification in all the educational levels. The analysis
shows that 92.86% of the studies report positive results in the variables studied, except
for the research carried out by Kyewski and Krämer [
24
], who stated that badges did not

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 9 of 14
positively influence student motivation if they were not intrinsically less motivated as
the semester.
Finally, in response to the fifth research question: Which gamification elements are
most used for educational purposes within the selected studies?
Table 3shows how the most used gamification elements within the educational
gamification are points, medals, and rankings, coinciding with one of the most used
methods in game design, known as the PBL triad [
44
]. The use of the narrative as an
element of immersion and engagement is also highlighted. Regarding the research by
Dicheva, Dichev, Agre, and Angelova [
32
], it can be observed that points, badges, rankings,
and rewards continue to lead educational gamification programs. However, it is very
important to note that narrative and challenges are gaining importance when designing
educational gamifications.
Table 3. Gamification elements applied in studies.
Gamified
Elements
Element
Analyzed Frequency % Relative % Total
Mechanics
Rewards 6 16.7 10.5
Prize 3 8.3 5.3
Achievements 1 2.7 1.7
Points 10 27.8 17.5
Levels 3 8.3 5.3
Badges 7 19.4 12.3
Ranking 6 16.7 10.5
Dynamics
Challenge 4 30.8 7.0
Playful activities 2 15.4 4.3
Events 1 7.8 1.7
Tasks 2 15.4 4.3
Roles 1 7.8 1.7
Feedback 1 7.8 1.7
Choices 1 7.8 1.7
Competition 1 7.8 1.7
Aesthetics Narrative 8 100 14.0
TOTAL 57 - 100
4. Discussion
This study has provided a systematic analysis of gamification systems at different
educational levels of formal education. Understanding in depth how educational gamifica-
tion programs are designed and executed is essential for their success in academic training
and student motivation, and we emphasize that a comprehensive analysis can benefit both
professional teachers who implement these educational gamification strategies and the
scientific community that proposes its studies. Overall, the results suggest that gamification
can have positive effects on student motivation, engagement, and academic performance at
different educational levels. These findings provide evidence that educational gamification
could be an effective educational strategy.
Educational gamification arouses great interest in the education sector, and it is a
growing trend [
43
]. Regarding educational level, it carries out more gamification programs.
Educational gamification takes place within a multitude of contexts of use. The analysis
carried out shows that there is a greater interest in the field of university education, fo-
cusing more commonly on increasing school achievement. However, other new lines of
interest in research on educational gamification could be the combination with teaching
methodologies such as project-based learning [
44
] or gamification in online learning en-
vironments [
45
] as well as in different subjects. For example, Santos-Villalba et al. [
46
]
demonstrate the positive relationship between the use of educational gamification and the
attitude towards sustainability, both in the students and in the teachers themselves. The

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 10 of 14
authors mention that teachers must be trained on the methodology and its application to
the classroom context, as well as plan and select the appropriate games or game elements
for their didactic purpose to promote their motivation and adapt to the students’ learning
pace. On the other hand, Ouariachi, Li and Elving [
47
] investigated that the challenges
proposed in playful strategies can be directly connected with the emotional dimension,
increase public social awareness along with emotional connections, pointing to a change
in pro-environmental behavior. They also point out that greater participation is achieved
through active actions than in environmental knowledge transfer activities, and this makes
gamification a potential learning strategy for the sustainability of learning. These results
also coincide with one of the articles analyzed in our research [
39
], which reports positive
results in ethics education through the application of educational gamification.
Although the use of gamification strategies is likely to increase in these contexts, it
should be considered that when these strategies are adopted in the educational context,
there should be the possibility of choosing not to participate so that the process is voluntary
and based on intrinsic motivation of the students. Researchers should also look for more
possible areas of application of gamification in the field of education.
This study concludes that the most analyzed variables are motivation, academic
achievement, and engagement, followed by participation, fun, and other cognitive vari-
ables. The most studied variable is educational motivation, and the studies analyzed, apart
from [
24
], conclude that gamified strategies promote student motivation. It is interesting to
note that these studies used only badges, which was why extrinsic motivation was encour-
aged, performing tasks to get the medal. When only rewarded with medals, the students
at the end worked only for that reason and intrinsic motivation was extinguished [
48
].
However, generally, gamification as a learning tool in education can provide an attractive
and motivating approach given its ability to teach and reinforce curricular content and
competencies [
49
]. The other variable frequently analyzed in studies on educational gami-
fication is academic achievement. The studies analyzed show quite encouraging results
on the improvement of academic performance through educational gamification. This
phenomenon can be explained by a greater motivation towards the subject [
50
], by an in-
crease in classroom flow [
51
], or by a change in teaching methodologies, leaving behind the
more traditional one-way transmissive teacher–student teaching for a more active teaching,
where students learn through challenges and significant tasks [
52
]. It is assumable that
when students, regardless of educational level, have tasks that they consider significant
wrapped in a pleasant narrative for them, they can have greater motivation towards the task
and reinforce desirable study habits. It would also be worth inspecting how educational
gamification can affect altering negative student behaviors such as disruptive behaviors in
the classroom or truancy.
The balanced design of the different elements (mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics) of
gamification is considered to be what allows an increase of the engagement and motivation
of the students. Most of the studies analyzed, as well as other studies of a qualitative
nature [
53
], used different mechanics and dynamics, highlighting the points–badges–
leaderboards (PBL) triad [
54
], even though other studies [
55
] varied their indiscriminate
use, which may favor only working from extrinsic motivation, which ultimately has a
negative impact on the intrinsic motivation of students. This fact must be analyzed and
considered when designing playful learning strategies, since although the design of PBL
may be simpler, and it is understandable that it will be used in the first gamification designs,
it is important to advance to other systems of deeper gamification integrating different
dynamics, mechanics, and aesthetics that can act as reinforcers of intrinsic motivation
of the students. The importance of observing the environment and care in design is
highlighted to generate a greater impact on motivation, considering the “environment with
clear objectives, challenging tasks and authentic stories in which team spirit is reinforced
through games, discussions and mechanics debates” [8:18]. Our study has revealed that
when a gamified environment with different mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics is created,
the students obtain better results. This may be related to the theory of player types [
16
].

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 11 of 14
When creating an educational gamification program, it is important to know the students
and probe what types of games they play and how they interact with each other in order to
personalize the program and be able to offer a motivating MDA.
After conducting this research, the main repercussions of gamification in the educa-
tional field are discussed. In the first place, gamification stands out as a motivating learning
strategy for students. Gamification can provide fun solutions to a big problem in the
educational community, demotivation and school failure. Gamification can be motivating
for students because it presents different elements of games that are challenging and fun
for them. Second, the results of this research also highlight that academic performance
achieves good scores when educational gamification is applied, since students are more
engaged and participatory than in traditional classes.
5. Limitations of the Present Study and Suggestions for Future Research
In general, systematic literature reviews are proven methods in social science re-
search [
56
]. As strengths of the systematic review with the PRISMA methodology, its
transparency and openness to criticism stand out. However, like any research method,
there are limitations both in terms of the methodology itself and the application in particu-
lar [
57
]. Some limitations apply to this review. This study focused only on experimental
academic research published in academic journals, without considering other research con-
sidered grey literature and book chapters. We consider this acceptable due to the number
of articles reviewed (198 articles reviewed in full text). The language limitation is added;
the articles reviewed have been in English and Spanish, having to discard other articles
that could have been included in the analysis. Consequently, there was a risk of publication
bias for the validity of the systematic review. The issues limit the generalizability of the
review results. However, the strength of this review is that it brings together a collection of
studies that show the effectiveness of educational gamification in the formal educational
context, studying the specific elements of gamification used.
After conducting this systematic review, a growing interest in research in the use of
educational gamification strategies was observed. More than half of the selected articles
were in high-impact scientific journals. These articles coincided with research that used a
more standardized, quasi-experimental or experimental scientific method with a control
group. Furthermore, a limitation of the articles in lower quartiles has been the lack of
information, for example, the lack of the number of participants differentiated into the
control group and the experimental group or a less exhaustive wording of the gamification
used. It is noteworthy that most research on educational gamification report positive
results [
58
]. However, the gamification approach may not be suitable for all students, as it
depends on the gamification elements used and on the individual characteristics of each
student such as their type of player, educational needs, and personal interests. Most studies
did not specify why they used a specific aesthetic, and it is a very important element of
gamification as an element of initial engagement [
59
] since if the narrative and aesthetics
are known and/or shocking for students, the commitment to gamification will be greater.
It is also important to know the student’s player profile when selecting mechanics and
dynamics, since, for example, the players who are socializing more will be more interested
in collaborative dynamics than in competition [
60
]. In future research, attention should
be paid to the demographics of the participants: age, gender, experiences with the game,
types of players, and previous experience with the game and video game, as they may
have a potential impact on the results obtained. Furthermore, in the 14 papers reviewed,
the designs, methods, and variables studied vary considerably. Participant recruitment
was predominantly by convenience and in most it was not specified that the gamification
program was voluntary. The timing of the evaluation is also not identified in most cases;
it is assumed that it was immediately after applying the program. For future work, the
potential of gamification and retention of long-term positive results could be studied.

Sustainability 2021,13, 2247 12 of 14
6. Conclusions
The main objective of this research was to gain a better understanding of the phe-
nomenon of educational gamification. After the systematic literature review, it has been
established that the use of gamification can be beneficial at different educational levels,
from school to university. The systematic review identified several benefits of the use of
gamified learning in students such as an improvement in their motivation, engagement,
and academic achievement. This review also identified the main gamification elements
used in education, being points, medals, rankings, and narrative. However, it is valued
that when only one or two gamified elements are used, such as points or badges, the effects
on student motivation are less or may even be negative. This research reinforces the idea
that a varied gamified environment is more motivating and can meet their needs according
to their player profiles, coinciding with other research by Kocadere and Çaglar [
61
]. This
study tries to advance the development of theoretical and experimental efforts to analyze
and develop playful learning strategies that improve the quality of teaching. Our next
steps to advance these notions, in terms of experimental research, will be to study how
to use educational gamification more efficiently at different levels of formal education,
exploring different mechanics and dynamics depending on the type of students and their
training needs.
Author Contributions:
Conceptualization, A.M.-L. and J.M.A.-P.; methodology, A.M.-L. and R.T.;
software, R.T.; validation, A.M.-L., M.A.G. and A.A.; formal analysis, A.M.-L.; investigation, J.M.A.-P.;
resources, L.G.-P. and P.C.-L.; writing—original draft preparation, A.M.-L.; writing—review and
editing, A.M.-L. and R.T.; visualization, A.M.-L.; supervision, J.M.A.-P.; project administration,
J.M.A.-P.; funding acquisition, L.G.-P., P.C.-L. and M.A.G. All authors have read and agreed to the
published version of the manuscript.
Funding:
This research has been funded, in part, by the Ministry of Universities through the
University Teacher Training Program (FPU2019). The support of the Ministry does not imply
acceptance of its contents, which is the sole responsibility of the authors.
Institutional Review Board Statement:
The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the
Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Bioethics Committee of
University of Almeria (Ref. 126/2020).
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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