Does Gamification Work

NB. I have updated and rewritten this article so that there is more focus on motivation and learning. The new article can be found here . You can also read further and then read the new article afterwards.

You probably know it from yourself. It's about learning something almost in spite of the circumstances and the material. The time you learned to play the guitar, even though your fingers hurt like crazy with every note you played. Or the time you learned the names of ALL the nerves in your body – in Latin – by strumming – because you just WANTED to pass an anatomy exam. Or the time you kept practicing a certain dribble until you knew it – just to feel the rush of being able to do it. (And if you can't nod in recognition of these examples, I'm sure you have others.)

What these descriptions have in common is that they show that nothing is as effective as MOTIVATION if you want to learn something.

(And) conversely, it is definitely uphill to learn anything without motivation. You may remember your German teacher's persistent attempts over many years to teach you German grammar, where despite the teacher's many efforts you still had difficulty figuring out the pre-present dative unter-twischen.... Or something along those lines :-)

Dr. BJ Fogg (The Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University) has created a graph/model that very nicely illustrates the obvious truth that if you are sufficiently motivated you can perform even very demanding actions, and correspondingly, the less motivated you are, the easier the task must be before you can get yourself to lift a finger. BJ Fogg requires that you ask permission if you want to show the graph (rather than just showing it with a source reference). So you must bother to click on the link here .

It all seems pretty straightforward and obvious, but nevertheless very important. But here at the store we like to KNOW rather than believe and think, and therefore turn to science for answers. That is why in this and the following articles I will highlight various scientific theories about motivation.

Self-determination theory

Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, professors at the University of Rochester in New York State, have over the past 30 years developed a theory that provides a good understanding of what motivates people. The theory is called Self-determination theory.

Intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation

It was, among other things, studies on intrinsic motivation that led to the formation of the Self-Determination Theory. Intrinsic motivation refers to performing an activity because it is interesting and satisfying in itself. In contrast, performing an action to achieve an external goal is called extrinsic motivation. I think we will go into more detail about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation at a later date, but for now it will suffice to state that intrinsic motivation is far, far stronger than extrinsic motivation. You are of course more motivated to do things that you yourself want to do (watch a movie, play football, play music, be with your friends), than to do things that you have to do because of external factors (for example, study something that does not interest you much in order to pass an exam).

Self-determination theory says that there are 3 parameters that matter for how we humans behave:

Autonomy

The ability to decide over oneself and one's actions. Autonomy does not mean independence from others, and that an individual must necessarily decide to do something DIFFERENT from everyone else to fulfill the need for autonomy. It simply means that one must feel that what is happening is in accordance with what one WANT.

Competence

Becoming good at something is motivating in itself. That's why some people practice playing the guitar or dribbling a ball for hours just because it's "fun." However, it's also clear that mastering the same things doesn't motivate everyone.

"Relatedness" (Purpose/Meaning)

The universal need to interact with, be connected to, and experience care from and for others. Some also call this parameter Purpose, so a Danish translation could be Meaningfulness.

It is clear that there are different aspects of the above that affect our motivation – and that they play together. For example, one could imagine that one experiences a higher social status if one becomes good at something, for example playing the guitar or football, and that one is therefore motivated to master these skills even better. (Our surroundings also have a huge impact on our motivation and especially on whether it manifests itself in action or not. But we will have to deal with that topic another time.)

What about money? Surely it must also have an impact on motivation?

Money matters, of course, but there are some slightly strange connections:

Experiments show that as long as it involves simple mechanical actions, money works well as a motivator. But if even a minimum of cognitive skills are required, then the promise of a high reward actually leads to poorer performance than with lower rewards.

And NO. I am NOT advocating lowering people's salaries to increase their motivation, of course it doesn't work that way. I am simply saying that money in itself is not motivating once we get past a level where money is no longer a problem (in relation to ensuring basic human needs). Therefore, of course, you must ensure that people are both reasonably paid – AND that they are motivated through a mix of the 3 parameters.

In this video, author Daniel Pink elaborates on the 3 Parameters and how money affects motivation in an entertaining and thought-provoking way (10:47)

NB. I have updated, and rewritten, this article so there is more focus on motivation and learning. You will find the new article here .

Do you want to? learn more?

We are holding workshops on developing good digital learning where we take the self-determination theory as our starting point - but we will touch on a number of other theories, for example Predictive Coding .

If you are interested in reading more about the brain and learning, these articles might interest you.

• Coercive design – how not to design e-learning .
• Flick 2 learn. Why Interactive e-learning is NOT always exciting e-learning

If you want to know more about digital learning and e-learning, you can start with our E-learning FAQs .

Are you looking for help developing e-learning , or would you like a course on e-learning where you learn how to create e-learning yourself - we can also help you.