| Gamification, the use of video game elements in non-game environments, is a very popular way to enhance existing systems. Traditional gamification focuses on the addition of points, leaderboards, and achievements in order to create gamified systems. This approach results in purely game-based systems and does not take advantage of play-based elements. Through a series of five studies we have incrementally gamified the educational tool Virtual Bead Loom using a variety of game elements to guide user behavior, resulting in a gamified system combining both game-based and play based elements with higher student learning and engagement compared to the traditional gamification approach of simply adding points and leaderboards. These studies have resulted in a new approach to gamification, Deep Gamification, which blends game-based and play-based elements to improve learning gains and system preference in a wider range of users compared to the traditional gamification approach. |
