We lack a shared and detailed understanding in gamification of what game elements are. To address this, we provide a scoping review of the last five years of gamification research, focusing primarily on how game elements have been applied and characterized. We retrieved the definitions of game elements from 280 research papers, conducted a content analysis, and identified their features. On the basis of this information, we provide responses regarding the frequently cited game elements, whether they are consistently characterized in the literature, and the frequently stated features of these elements. Our research has identified 15 game elements in the literature, with points, badges, and leaderboards being the most prevalent. As a first step toward clear definitions, we suggest a set of properties to characterize these game elements. The results of our review contribute to the formation of a consensus among gamification scholars about the application and definition of game elements.

Gamification has been widely used to increase learners’ motivation and engagement in digital learning environments. Various studies have highlighted the need to tailor gamification according to users’ characteristics. However, little is known about how tailoring gamification affects learners’ engagement when interacting with the environment. In this paper, we analyse learners’ behaviours in a large-scale field study in real-world classroom conditions over a six-week period. We identify three behavioural patterns and show at a global level that two of these patterns are influenced by adaptation. When we look at how learners’ engagement evolves over time, we see more differences in the adapted condition, specifically in the final lessons of the experiment. Globally learners’ engaged behaviours gradually decreased over time but tailoring the game elements to learners seemed to reduce this decrease or make it more stable, depending on the behavioural patterns.

Visual indicators provide important in-game information, but displaying them on screen consumes space and increases clutter. In addition, the option to increase indicator brightness above levels possible in standard monitors can substantially improve accessibility. To address both aspects, we developed an ambient lighting system for video game indicators using an LED strip attached around the back border of a monitor. A controlled study compares the speed, error rate, and perceived workload of this approach with an on-screen baseline method. Results show that ambient lights can capture attention 17.5% faster compared to on-screen indicators, and ambient lights performed at least as well as on-screen across all other metrics. Our work provides empirical evidence that ambient lights can be an adequate replacement for on-screen methods when displaying indicators in games, allowing people to reclaim screen real estate and adjust brightness for accessibility, without sacrificing performance.