Cited by 990Educational Games and GamificationDigital Games and MediaMotivation and Self-Concept in Sports

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Towards understanding the effects of individual gamification elements on intrinsic motivation and performance

Mekler, Elisa D., Brühlmann, Florian, Tuch, Alexandre N., Opwis, Klaus·2017·Computers in Human Behavior

DOI 10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048

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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions
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From game design elements to gamefulness: defining "gamification"
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011) · Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments · doi:10.1145/2181037.2181040 · Cited by 8,402
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“Note that extrinsic incentives need not invariably be perceived as controlling and subsequently undermine intrinsic motivation (Cerasoli et al., 2014; Deci et al., 1999).”
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Does Gamification Work? -- A Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Gamification
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Seaborn, K., & Fels, D. I. (2015) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2014.09.006 · Cited by 2,515 · cited 14×
“But most empirical gamification studies investigate the impact of multiple game elements, making it difficult to pinpoint how and to what extent these game elements contribute to user motivation and behavior (Hamari et al., 2014; Seaborn & Fels, 2015).”
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Gamification. using game-design elements in non-gaming contexts
Deterding, S., Sicart, M., Nacke, L., O'Hara, K., & Dixon, D. (2011) · CHI '11 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/1979742.1979575 · Cited by 2,413
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“Note that extrinsic incentives need not invariably be perceived as controlling and subsequently undermine intrinsic motivation (Cerasoli et al., 2014; Deci et al., 1999).”
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Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation, social comparison, satisfaction, effort, and academic performance
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A Motivational Model of Video Game Engagement
Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0019440 · Cited by 1,422 · cited 7×
“The intrinsically motivating nature of digital games has been attributed to their potential to satisfy the psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness (Przybylski et al., 2010).”
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“Consequently, it is important to use a wide range of methods that can create a balance between the different extrinsic and intrinsic motivating factors (Hamari et al., 2016; Mekler et al., 2017; Thirakulwanich et al., 2020).”
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“Extrinsic motivation is deﬁned as doing something due to a separable outcome, such as pressure or “extrinsic rewards” in the form of money or verbal feedback (e.g., praise) (Mekler et al., 2017, p. 2).”
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“The motivation [7], [9], [10], player profile [11], [12] and personality [13], [15] are the characteristics and preferences that have been most investigated.”
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“Additionally, as observed in findings from previous research [46, 66], students in School A might have felt more attracted to the gamified interfaces due to the novelty effect, thus scoring the usability of the gamified software higher.”
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“At the activity level, SDT is also one of the most established theoretical frameworks adopted by game motivation and gami ﬁ cation research to explain what makes games and game-like environments so engaging (Deterding, 2015; Mekler et al., 2017).”
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“While it has been demonstrated that gami ﬁ ed quizzes could positively affect motivation in learning contexts (Sailer and Sailer, 2021), other studies have found no effect (Mekler et al., 2017; Mitchell et al., 2020).”
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“Consistent with the results of Dissanayake et al. (2019) and Feng et al. (2018), we also confirm that gamification enhances intrinsic motivation among crowd workers, which in turn translates into higher participation (Mekler et al., 2017; Mekler et al., 2013).”
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“[14] posed the question whether specific game-design elements like leader boards harm intrinsic motivation since users might perceive points, levels and leader boards as controlling and pressuring.”
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“Furthermore, these badges were studied in isolation from other gamification elements and, as noted above, gamification is usually studied in terms of bundles of game elements (Mekler et al. 2017; Nacke and Deterding 2017; Sailer et al. 2017).”
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“1) (Hong und Masood 2014; Mekler et al. 2017; Sailer et al. 2017; Zainuddin et al. 2020).”
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“For example, the leaderboard and points element always contained the same leaderboard for every user, similar to [17].”
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“First, as approaches often lead to designs featuring multiple game elements, it is unclear which game element is actually causing the outcomes (positive or negative), and to what extent each one is contributing [Mekler et al. 2017].”
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“note that user engagement can be effectively enhanced by means of points, levels, and leaderboards [66].”
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“This scale has been widely adopted for deepening well-being motivations (Williams et al., 1996), work predispositions (Baard et al., 2004), and gamiﬁcation drivers (Mekler et al., 2017), and it can be aligned with the focus of the present article.”
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Modelling gamification, virtual-try-on technology, e-logistics service quality as predictors of online shopping: an empirical investigation
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“and gamification has been found to be an effective way to increase motivation (Kuutti, 2013; Mekler et al., 2017).”
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“To ensure comparability, the general task and platform were similar to those used by Mekler et al. [49–51].”
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A self-regulatory adapting mechanism to changing work setting: Roles of playful work design and ambidexterity
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Petrusly, P., Kollo, F. L., Bani, M. D. S., Mahfud, T., & Zulkarnain, Z. (2024) · doi:10.53555/kuey.v30i5.1524 · Cited by 12
How does Juicy Game Feedback Motivate? Testing Curiosity, Competence, and Effectance
Kao, D., Ballou, N., Gerling, K., Breitsohl, H., & Deterding, S. (2024) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642656 · Cited by 16
A vignette study among order pickers about the acceptance of gamification.
Putz, L.-M., Hofbauer, F., & Mates, M. (2019) · Cited by 13
Conquering the Iron Throne: Using Classcraft to Foster Students' Motivation in the EFL Classroom.
Rivera-Trigueros, I., & Pérez, M. D. M. S. (2020) · Institutional Repository of the University of Granada (University of Granada) · Cited by 13
Understanding the effectiveness of gamification in an industrial work process: an experimental approach
Jacob, A., Faatz, A., Knüppe, L., & Teuteberg, F. (2022) · Business Process Management Journal · doi:10.1108/bpmj-08-2021-0564 · Cited by 23
Here Comes No Boom! The Lack of Sound Feedback Effects on Performance and User Experience in a Gamified Image Classification Task
Altmeyer, M., Hnatovskiy, V., Rogers, K., Lessel, P., & Nacke, L. E. (2022) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3491102.3517581 · Cited by 18
Gamification in Education
Zainuddin, Z., Chu, S. K. W., & Perera, C. J. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-2219-8_3 · Cited by 20
User-based Evaluation of Gamification Elements in an Educational Application
Andrade, P., & Law, E. L. (2018) · Electronic workshops in computing · doi:10.14236/ewic/hci2018.27 · Cited by 14
“Moreover, as most empirical studies have analysed gamification as a group of elements, no concrete conclusions have been presented so far regarding the contribution of individual gamification elements from students‟ and teachers‟ perspectives (Mekler et al., 2017).”
Background
A Gamified Approach to Achieve Excellence in Programming
Kumar, B., & Sharma, K. (2018) · International Conference on Computing Sciences (ICCS) · doi:10.1109/iccs.2018.00026 · Cited by 14
“Structural gamification is the process of making use of game elements such as points, badges and leaderboard; which are an integral part of learning process [19].”
Background
The Impact of Gamification on Macro- and Micro-level Social structures—The Case of an Industrial Organization
Jacob, A., Faatz, A., Knüppe, L., & Teuteberg, F. (2021) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2021.1952804 · Cited by 14
“During the experiment, they began to perceive the feedback as “informational” (Mekler et al., 2017) and appreciated the clearly defined goals together with the inherent expectations and the possibility to develop selfefficacy and satisfaction because of the completion of the goals (Bandura, 1993;…”
BackgroundInfluential
Does Gamification in Education Work?: Experimental Evidence from Chile
Araya, R., Ortiz, E. A., Bottan, N. L., & Cristia, J. (2019) · doi:10.18235/0001721 · Cited by 13
The power of play: gamification in virtual workplace training
Eger, V. M., Georganta, E., Zuercher, P.-D., Mueller, F., Bohné, T., & Diefenbach, S. (2024) · European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1080/1359432x.2024.2412360 · Cited by 16
“Similarly, Mekler et al. (2017) showed that game elements did not support autonomy in training when perceived as exter-nal incentives (for an overview, see Deci et al., 1999).”
Addressing Waste Separation With a Persuasive Augmented Reality App
Schäper, P., Riedmann, A., Oberdörfer, S., Krähe, M., & Lugrin, B. (2022) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3546740 · Cited by 16
“Choice of task order [6] Contextual embedding [46] Competence Visual tracking of progress [6, 17, 45, 46] Visually appealing game elements [32] Positive feedback [6, 17, 45, 46] Relatedness Interaction with virtual characters [43] Narrative with a relevant role for the user [43, 46] 3 CONTRIBUTION…”
Background
Would gamification affect high and low achievers differently? A study on the moderating effects of academic achievement level
Kam, A. H. T., & Umar, I. N. (2022) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-022-11519-1 · Cited by 12
“More recent studies using the IMI in gamification research also reported good reliability and factor loading for the subscales (e.g. Mekler et al., 2017).”
Method
Gamifying Public Engagement on Sustainability Issues: From Motivational Affordances to the Effectiveness of Symmetrical Public Relations
Lan, X., Song, B., & Kiousis, S. K. (2023) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2023.2291612 · Cited by 15
“…motivation has long been regarded as a central advantage of gamification, and the mechanics used in gami-fied systems are often referred to as “motivational affordances” (Alsawaier, 2018; Deterding, 2011; Hamari et al., 2014; Huotari & Hamari, 2017; Mekler et al., 2017; Weiser et al., 2015).”
Revitalising learning in three university contexts: Unleashing the power of the Quizizz app to increase self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, satisfaction and performance
Hernanz, V., Cosculluela, C. L., Suárez, C., & Lanchares, E. (2024) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-024-12779-9 · Cited by 32
“In fact, driven by interest and personal satisfaction in learning, intrinsic motivation positively correlates with the learning performance of Higher Education students (Mekler et al., 2017).”
Inclusion of Gamification Elements in the Context of Virtual Lab Environments to Increase Educational Value
Shadbad, F. N., Bahr, G., Luse, A., & Hammer, B. I. (2023) · AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.17705/1thci.00189 · Cited by 15
Effect of integrating gamified teaching activities on learning emotions of design students with different learning styles
Huang, Y.-T., & Wang, T.-H. (2025) · Interactive Learning Environments · doi:10.1080/10494820.2024.2446538 · Cited by 22
“Although gamified learning appears successful, many researchers have noted that the sustainable impact of gamified teaching or platforms could be limited to the short term only (Li & Chu, 2021; Li, Yang, et al., 2024; Mekler et al., 2017).”
Gamification for air quality education: A systematic literature review
Daemei, A. B., Lovreglio, R., Feng, Z., Paes, D., & Miller, C. (2025) · Building and Environment · doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112526 · Cited by 21
Conceptual Modeling in Human Resource Management: A Design Research Approach
Saarlandes, U. D., Strohmeier, S., & Röhrs, F. (2017) · AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.17705/1thci.00088 · Cited by 14
Gamification and Its Application in the Social Environment
Cordero-Brito, S., & Mena, J. (2020) · Journal of Information Technology Research · doi:10.4018/jitr.2020070104 · Cited by 12
A Blended Learning with Gamification Approach for Teaching Programming Courses in Higher Education
Đambić, G., Kesscec, T., & Kučak, D. (2021) · doi:10.23919/mipro52101.2021.9597167 · Cited by 12
“As suggested in [17] and [18], when gamification consumers perceive gamification elements as informational, it may give them feelings of competence and achievement and hence it might enhance intrinsic motivation and promote performance gains.”
Background
Percepciones de los estudiantes de posgrado ante la gamificación del aula con Quizizz
Díaz, M. M., & García, J. I. R. (2022) · Texto Livre Linguagem e Tecnologia · doi:10.35699/1983-3652.2022.36941 · Cited by 15
From libertarian paternalism to liberalism: behavioural science and policy in an age of new technology
Krpan, D., & Urbaník, M. (2021) · Behavioural Public Policy · doi:10.1017/bpp.2021.40 · Cited by 16
The Evolution of Enterprise Gamification in the Digital Era and the Role of Value-Based Models
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Personalized Motivation-supportive Messages for Increasing Participation in Crowd-civic Systems
Grau, P., Naderi, B., & Kim, J. (2018) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3274329 · Cited by 12
“Motivation orientation has been used as a measure in other studies regarding voluntary participation, for example in online communities [4] and also in regards to gamification [24].”
Gamification in Business: A Review of the Studies
Kalafatoğlu, Y. (2020) · Eurasian studies in business and economics · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-52294-0_4 · Cited by 12
Motivation and motivational factors of primary school teachers from the Self-Determination Theory perspective
YILDIZ, V. A., & KILIÇ, D. (2021) · Turkish Journal of Education · doi:10.19128/turje.832203 · Cited by 23
“Intrinsic motivation thus refers to the pursuit of an activity because it is interesting or enjoyable (Mekler et al., 2017).”
Background
Students’ Evidential Increase in Learning Using Gamified Learning Environment
Vanduhe, V. Z., Hassan, H. F., Oluwajana, D. I., Nat, M. C., Idowu, A., Agbo, J. J., & Okunlola, L. (2018) · Advances in intelligent systems and computing · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-02686-8_82 · Cited by 12
Key in socially driven game dynamics, open the doors of agility - an empirical study on gamification and employee agility
Nivedhitha, K. S. (2022) · Behaviour and Information Technology · doi:10.1080/0144929x.2022.2093792 · Cited by 14
“Gami ﬁ cation creates a hedonic environment that induces individuals to seek challenges and achieve competence (Mekler et al. 2017; Xi and Hamari 2019).”
Background
Exploring Intrinsic Motivating Factors in Gamified Context: A Mixed-Method Study
A, E. J. M., & Joy, M. M. (2022) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2022.2104018 · Cited by 11
“Instead of these economic benefits, gamification applies an enjoyment or recognition mechanism to evoke the intrinsic motivation of users (Mekler et al., 2017).”
BackgroundInfluential
The “STAR WARS: The First Jedi” Program—Effects of Gamification on Psychological Well-Being of College Students
Navarro-Mateos, C., Mora-González, J., & López, I. J. P. (2023) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2023.0059 · Cited by 22
What drives decision makers to follow or ignore forecasting tools - A game based analysis
Lackes, R., Siepermann, M., & Vetter, G. (2019) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.02.036 · Cited by 11
Towards the Sustainable Development of Digital Educational Games for Primary School Students in China
Chen, J., Yang, S., & Mei, B. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13147919 · Cited by 15
Considerations on the Curation of Educational Apps for Digital Play and Learning
Lim, F. V., & Toh, W. (2022) · Contemporary Educational Technology · doi:10.30935/cedtech/11809 · Cited by 11
“The extrinsic motivation can develop into intrinsic motivation (Malone & Lepper, 1987) when the child experiences both feelings of competence and autonomy (Mekler et al., 2017) as well as develops interest in specific areas.”
Background
The super engagers of freemium gamified services: using multimethod approach to examine why highly interactive consumers become paying consumers
Gupta, K., Su, Y., Kunkel, T., & Funk, D. C. (2022) · Internet Research · doi:10.1108/intr-07-2021-0434 · Cited by 14

Authors: Mekler, E. D., Brühlmann, F., Tuch, A. N., & Opwis, K.
Affiliations: University of Basel (CH)
Corresponding author: Mekler, Elisa D.
ORCID: Mekler, Elisa D.
Brühlmann, Florian
Opwis, Klaus
Venue: Computers in Human Behavior
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2017-06
Volume: 71
Pages: 525-534
ISSN: 0747-5632 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.08.048
OpenAlex: W1410719325
Semantic Scholar: 70a4d654151234924c0a7ce7822f12108bf3db49
Cited by: 990
References: 61
Citations by year: 2026: 115 · 2025: 102 · 2024: 115 · 2023: 110 · 2022: 137 · 2021: 109 · 2020: 103 · 2019: 87 · 2018: 66 · 2017: 29
FWCI: 90.66
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Computers in Human Behavior (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
Keywords: gamification, intrinsic motivation, points, levels, leaderboards, competence, performance, image annotation, extrinsic rewards

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