Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

The Origins And Future Of Gamification, Gerald Christians

Senior Theses

This thesis paper will explore the concept of “gamification,” or the process of adding layers of game elements to an unrelated subject or task. The idea behind gamification is to take what makes games fun for the players and apply that to other areas as means of motivating people. Some of the most known gamified applications are Waze and Nike+ Run Club, to name a few.

The paper will start with a definition of gamification and its differentiation from a game. There will then be a brief discussion on why understanding gamification is important. From there, the history of …