Gamification
The motivation for people engaging in gaming activities can be harnessed to increase their effective participation in learning (Kiryakova et al., 2014; Massart, 2021). One can tap into that kind of engagement through gamification, i.e., applying game elements to non-game environments to encourage higher participation and motivation (Kaufmann, 2018). Gamification consists of various elements such as rewards, challenges, badges, experience points, and play activities that are integrated into the course. According to Kapp (2014), gamification is “using game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning, and solve problems” (p. 23). It should not be confused with “game-based learning,” which focuses on presenting learning through play and games (Kapp, 2014). Games have some distinctive features that play a key role in gamification. For instance, the students become the game participants; outcomes are the key achievement reached by the participants; experience is measurable through a points system; an achievement level is reached as a reward through increased experience; visible rewards like badges are crucial for motivation; and ranking of users according to their achievements encourages increased effort (Kiryakova et al., 2014). Notwithstanding, these informal benefits that gamification might hold and the theoretical basis for its application in mainstream education must be supported by formal teaching practice. These are discussed in the next section.