Gamification has been the buzz word of elearning for the past few years, but during many conversations with elearning professionals I have found that not everyone is convinced about its impact.

The question lingers: is gamification still just hype?

Since 2012 there has been a steady rise in its use. Back in 2012 the gamification niche of elearning was at $242 million. Today it is projected to be $1.7 billion. By 2018 it is projected that this number will reach close to $5.5 billion.

Based on the numbers gamification doesn’t seem to be slowing down, and this is with good reason.

The market growth continues because effective use of gamification has shown it to be rather effective. Specifically, one study found that when it was used to train adult learners, they scored:

• 14% higher in skill-based assessments
• 11% higher in terms of factual knowledge
• 9% increase in retention rates

Evidence points to the positive impact of gamification, but do people actually want it in their courses? The argument is that it can make the learning a little “cheesy” and is too distracting.

Apparently this isn’t a widely shared sentiment. One study found that 79% of employees and university students indicated that gamification elements in their elearning would make them more productive.

This number could rise as we see more Millennials enter the workforce.

Millennials have a greater tendency towards gamification elements as they have had longer exposure to these elements through their educational experience.

So does gamification live up to the hype? At this point, many studies are indicating that it indeed is worth the investment.

For more information, please visit the sources of this article:

• Origin Learning
• ELearning Guild
• Gartner