Immersion Into The World Of Gaming - An Approach Of Introducing Gamification In An Educational Context

The use of game elements in the real world is part of a trending topic in science, called ``gamification''. Game developers and companies are using gamification tools and the knowledge about player types and their characteristics, to successfully affect the behaviour of their players or customers. The success of apps like ``Adidas Running'' and ``Pokemon Go'' (Niantic) and their millions of constant players tell us, that gamification can work. But the potential of gamification goes beyond selling healthy lifestyles or marketing strategies, it also finds its way into the educational system. The paper takes a closer look at definitions of gamification and different player types. Furthermore, it investigates the topic in an educational context where the authors concentrate on motivational aspects of learning environments as well as downsides and risks of gamification. In a pilot study in two classes at a secondary school, the authors investigated different gamification tools to motivate students to increase the participation in class, do more off-school assignments and finally improve their grades.