See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/279059823

A literature review of gamification design

frameworks
CONFERENCE PAPER SEPTEMBER 2015

DOWNLOADS

VIEWS

29

67

4 AUTHORS:
Alberto Mora Carreo

Daniel Riera

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

9 PUBLICATIONS 0 CITATIONS

38 PUBLICATIONS 278 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

SEE PROFILE

Carina Soledad Gonzalez

Joan Arnedo-Moreno

Universidad de La Laguna

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

205 PUBLICATIONS 229 CITATIONS

38 PUBLICATIONS 114 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

SEE PROFILE

Available from: Joan Arnedo-Moreno

Retrieved on: 16 August 2015

A literature review of gamification design

frameworks
Alberto Mora , Daniel Riera , Carina Gonzalez , Joan Arnedo-Moreno
Estudis

dInform`atica, Multimedia i Telecomunicacio

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Barcelona, Spain
{amoraca,drierat,jarnedo}@uoc.edu
Ing. de Sist. y Aut. y Arq. y Tec. de Computadores
Universidad de La Laguna. La Laguna, Spain
{cjgonza}@ull.edu.es

AbstractThis paper presents a review of the literature on

gamification design frameworks. Gamification, understood as the
use of game design elements in other contexts for the purpose
of engagement, has become a hot topic in the recent years.
However, theres also a cautionary tale to be extracted from
Gartners reports on the topic: many gamification-based solutions
fail because, mostly, they have been created on a whim, or mixing
bits and pieces from game components, without a clear and formal
design process. The application of a definite design framework
aims to be a path to success. Therefore, before starting the
gamification of a process, it is very important to know which
frameworks or methods exist and their main characteristics.
The present review synthesizes the process of gamification design
for a successful engagement experience. This review categorizes
existing approaches and provides an assessment of their main
features, which may prove invaluable to developers of gamified
solutions at different levels and scopes.
KeywordsGamification, frameworks, game design elements,
game design methods, game, review.

I.

I NTRODUCTION

Games have been present in all human civilizations. Human

beings have even been defined as homo ludens, a concept
proposed by Huizinga in 1955 [1]. Based on this idea, he
infers the concept of game as a free activity standing quite
consciously outside of ordinary life, as being not serious,
but at the same time intensely absorbing to the player. The
evolution of digital technologies, especially in its path from
traditional games to video-games, has been essential in the
growth of user enjoyment and engagement, as prove Brumels
et al. (2008) [2]. In fact, with the widespread adoption of social
media and mobile technology, the presence of games in our
daily lives is more than an obvious fact in the 21st century
society. Jesse Schell (2010) [3], a prestigious game designer,
presents a hypothetical future where video games are part of
our lives. It is a process with a point of no return.
Based on these precedents and considering the omnipresence of games, and therefore, the interiorization of game
mechanics by society, gamification arises almost organically as
a way to extract characteristics from games in order to incorporate them into other environments. A first approach comes
from Nick Pelling in 2002 [4] defined as the application of
game-like accelerated user interface design to make electronic
transactions both enjoyable and fast. However, the term has
much evolved since then, encompassing different aspects of

Fig. 1: Results of academical searches about gamification

game experience and design. Probably, the most widespread

definition in the literature comes from Deterding et al. in
2011 [5], as the use of game design elements in non-game
contexts.
Beyond the definitions and experiences, the application of
gamification techniques in different contexts has increased in
the last years, becoming a promising trend in many areas. Just
a look at the emerging technologies hype cycle published by
Gartner in 2013 [6] can help us to realize that the term had
just reached the top of the wave. So much that M2 research
2011 predictions indicated that the gamification market would
reach 2.8 billion dollars by 2016 [7]. However, Gartner also
predicted that, by 2014, 80 percent of the gamified applications
would fail to meet their business objectives, primarily due to
poor design [8]. In Gartners 2014 report [9], gamification
was consequently moved towards the so called Through of
Disillusionment, indicating that it will take from 5 to 10 years
to stabilize and reach what the Plateau of Productivity, when
the approach is finally considered mature.
The moral of the story from Gartners point of view is
obvious: a clear design strategy is the key to success in
gamification. On that regard, as shown by the Google Scholar
aggregate results per year and keywords in Figure 1, the
communitys interest in gamification design and frameworks
is evident. This popularity encompasses all kinds of contexts:
education and training, human resources, marketing, sales,
health, etc.
The main goals of this paper are threefold: first, completing
a state of the art on the gamification design process. Second,
analysing the relationship between the gamification and game

design processes. And third, identifying the existing gamification design frameworks and classifying them by their main
features. Our contribution to this analysis is in the assessment
of the shortcomings and the principles that are not being
applied and may lead to failure.

Reeves and Red (2013) [14], that introduce ten ingredients

to make a successful game design: self-representations, threedimensional environments, narrative, feedback, reputations
ranks and levels, marketplaces and economies, competition
under rules, teams, communication and finally time pressure.

This paper is structured as follows. Some background on

the principles of game design and how they apply to most
gamification approaches is presented in Section II. In Section
III, a thorough review including a classification of gamification
frameworks is developed. Finally, Section IV is devoted to sum
up the conclusion of this work and the research questions and
answers.

Once the game elements are already condensed into game

design fundamentals, a standardized concept, practices and
criteria are necessary for assembling them rationality under
a frameworks definition. Typically, a framework is a real or
conceptual structure intended to serve as a support or guide
for the building of something that expands the structure into
something useful (taken from glossary). Nevertheless, it must
be noted that some authors, such as Crawford (1984) [15],
have concluded that game design is an activity too complex
to be reducible to a formal procedure. In this regard, Julius
and Salo (2013) [16] assert that it should be treated as an
agile process that does not always follow a specific design
framework (although they propose one of them).

II.

G AME D ESIGN T HEORETICAL BACKGROUND

The purpose of gamification design elements is quite

different from game design, the former being used to enhance
the engagement in different contexts, whereas the latter is
directed towards pure entertainment. Marczewski (2014) [10]
makes an explicit distinction between game and gamification
design and its features. First, the most common start for a
game design is the basic idea of enjoyment, while gamification
points towards a business objective. Secondly, the definition of
metrics or game lines must happen in different stages of the
design process.
Creating a gamified system will always be different to
creating a game as a general process, although there is a
thin connection (not well defined yet) between game and
gamification design. Nevertheless, the basics of gamification
heavily rely on the principles of game design theory. In this
section, it has been provide a brief theoretical background
on this topic, necessary to understand some of the common
properties that can be found in most gamification design
frameworks.
In the game context, what is known as game design could
be proposed in a simple manner as the action of making sense
of things related to a game. This definition is not so far from
Schells description (2008) [11]: the act of deciding what a
game should be. In this regard, Salen and Zimmerman (2004)
defined a set of game design fundamentals principles, which
should be run using an iterative process [12]:

Understanding design, systems, and interactivity, as

well as player choice, action, and outcome.

Including a study of rule-making and rule-breaking,

complexity and emergence, game experience, game
representation, and social game interaction.

Adding the powerful connection between the rules

of a game and the play that the rules engender, the
pleasures games invoke, the meanings they construct,
the ideologies they embody, and the stories they tell.

By improving upon these principles, Brathwaite and

Schreiber (2009) [13] assert that, once the different elements
of games have been identified, it is necessary to reflect about
how to incorporate them. Since a chemical perspective, they
define game atoms as the smallest parts of a game that can be
isolated and studied individually. Therefore, from an atomic
point of view, the process of designing games as using a
collection of atoms becomes clearer. This idea is used by

The need for a formal and recognized proposal in game

design contexts led to the development of the MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics) framework, by Hunicke et
al. in 2004 [17]: a formal approach to understanding games,
which attempts to bridge the gap between game design and
development, game criticism, and technical game research.
According to this framework, games can be broken down
into three elements: rules, system and fun. These elements
are directly translated into the following design components,
which must be defined when designing a game using this same
order:

Mechanics, describing the particular components of

the game, at the level of data representation and
algorithms.

Dynamics, describing the run-time behaviour of the

mechanics acting on player inputs and each others
outputs over time.

Aesthetics, describing the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player when interacting with
the game system.

Thus, from a perspective of game experience, a model

is only a fraction of the whole as proposed Cavillo-Gamez
(2010) [18] in his Core Elements of the Gaming Experience
(CEGE). He recites a set of necessary but not sufficient
conditions to provide a positive experience while playing
which must be considered in the design process: interface
design pattern, design patter and dynamics, design principles
and heuristics, models (i.e MDA and design methods). Thus,
Zichermann and Cunningham (2011) [19] argue that game
and user experience designers have been implementing these
techniques for decades to create addictive games and engaging
player experiences. Globally, Deterding et al. [20] describe
the necessary game design actions for gamefulness in a set of
levels: game interface design patterns, game design patterns
and mechanics, game design principles and heuristics, game
models and game design methods.
In summary, it has been showed the relevant game design
features from an atomized breakdown like lens or ingredients
until formal descriptions and models like MDA, usually proposed in the gamification design process.

III.

L ITERATURE R EVIEW

Gamification as a concept brings together many disciplines

and professionals including game designers, UX/UI designers,
psychologists, sociologists, computer engineers and others.
Our interest is focused on the gamification design process from
a formal perspective and keeping what role each professional
plays in mind. Based on the background described in Section
II and taking into account that the gamification design process
naturally assumes many game designing principles, we ask
ourselves the following questions:
Q1: Which gamification design frameworks are available
now in the literature and which are their main features?
Q2: Do the gamification frameworks inherit game design
principles for their development?

Fig. 2: Gamification frameworks categorization

Q3: What design considerations are not being applied, or

only to a lesser extent, by the gamification designers?
A. Methodology
A literature review of works mainly indexed in Google
Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge, was conducted.
The keywords were gamification, game, design, framework,
models, methods and engagement. The search of the literature
on gamification design and frameworks was not established
within a period of time although most of them date from
the last four years. Case reports, review articles and studies
found by keywords and the references taken from bibliography
were short-listed, as well as frameworks definitions. A total
of twenty-two candidate frameworks were initially reviewed,
however, only eighteen of them met the study requirements.
These requirements refer to a definition of a formal structure
for a skeletal support used as the basis for something which is
being constructed (partial or complete gamification design process for engagement purpose in generic or business contexts).
Notice that in some cases for a single framework, multiple
sources have been checked and even we have contacted their
authors to clarify some aspects.
After studying the frameworks, they have been categorized
according to a three-dimensional perspective as shown in
Figure 2.

Background: academic and non-academic.

Scope: complete gamification processes and focused

only on a specific part or step.

Approach: applicable to a wide spectrum of environments (generic) or designed for an specific business
context.

B. Results
This subsection summarizes the main properties of current
gamification frameworks according to our literature review.
As follows, the frameworks have been split between two
categories, being sorted by time, background and scope.
Generic frameworks
Di Tomasso (2011) defines a framework for Success [21]
based on the Self-Determination Theory by Ryan and Deci
(2000), known as SDT [22]. From a knowledge of individual

player differences and social influences, he proposes the following steps: discover the reason to gamify (stakeholders and
business objectives), identify players profiles and motivational
drivers, set up goals and objectives, describe skills, track and
measure, define lenses of interest, desired outcomes (thanks
to feedback and establishing the epic win state) and play-test,
and polish.
However, the best-known design framework is presented in
Six Steps to Gamification [23] by Werbach and Hunter (2012)
and commonly known as 6D. This framework starts from a
definition of business objectives and then proceeds to target the
expected behaviours, describes the players, devises the activity
loops without forgetting the fun, and finally, deploys the
gamification system with the appropriate tools. Although not in
a explicit way, takes a slight influence of Hunicke et. als MDA
game design framework. This can be seen in the Pyramid of
Gamification Elements, which proposes the following relevant
elements: mechanics, dynamics and components. It is the basis
for several other gamification design frameworks.
Meanwhile, a simpler framework, called GAME [24], is
proposed by Marczewski in 2012. It is based on two phases.
Firstly, planning and designing, which includes the gathering,
by means of a survey, of key information such as the users
types in the gamification context (Hedax user type, based on
Bartles (2005) [25]). Afterwards, the best solution for goals
and engagement is designed, measuring user activities and
outcomes. He applies an own motivation framework called
RAMP (Relatedness, Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose). The design must be enriched over the time. Updates of this framework
were published in different media afterwards and have been
incorporated to this review after contacting the author.
Moreover, Marache-Francisco and Brangier (2013) define
a Gamification design process [26] based on Human-Computer
Interaction (HCI) principles. They identify several dimensions
outside the gamification components and practices which can
be used to define a clear framework. Three dimensions are
described: sensory-motor dimension, motivation emotion and
commitment, and cognitive dimension of interaction. Based on
these, the design process consists on two major iterative steps:
the context analysis (User-Centered Design) and the iterative
conception of the gamification experience. Moreover, a toolbox
for gamification (named Core Principles) to help designers

through the process is referenced.

On the other hand, De Paz (2013) proposes a set of steps or
general guidelines to gamification [27] which can be applied to
any type of project. The values of this framework seem highly
influenced by Werbach and Hunters Six Steps to Gamification.
The proposals guidelines are divided into three phases: the
setting up of the business goals (preparation), the determination
of the basic designing and the use of game elements. Implementation and maintenance consists on building the system
and run it. This approach also recommends the use of metrics.
Another proposal comes from Robinson and Bellottis
taxonomy (2013) [28], who claim that different frameworks
in the literature can be helpful for a gamification design, but
they do not exactly meet their requirements. As the authors
say: do not provide a concise, time-saving but reasonably
comprehensive presentation of common gamification elements
in terms of the various aspects of the user experience that they
support. They stablish six categories of gamification elements
inspired from several valid sources on the literature. These
categories are general frames, general rules and performance
frames, social features, incentives, resources and constraints,
and finally feedback and status information.
At this point, the approach in Francisco-Aparicio et al.s
framework (2013) [29] allows, on the one hand, to determine
the type of game mechanics activities should incorporate to
meet the psychological and social needs of human motivation
(SDT). On the other hand, it aims to assess the effectiveness
of the gamification process, based on the fun criteria: the
properties characterising the playability and the degree of
improvement in obtaining satisfactory results using a quality
service mode. In this framework, games are divided into
three parts (from their functional perception): game core,
engine and interface. The essential activities proposed are: enduser analysis, main objectives and cross-cutting identification,
implementation and analysis of the effectiveness.
Focused only on the ethical perspective, Versteeg (2013)
defines a simplified framework for moral persuasive gamification design [30]. This combines a normative ethical framework
(moral design) with the most relevant issues of the following
methodologies. It is based on the moral design framework
by Berdichevsky and Erik Neuenschwander (1999) [31] and
its ethical golden rules that a designer should never exceed.
Moreover, it incorporates a methodology for analysing the
ethics of persuasive technologies like that proposed by Fogg
(2002) [32]. The steps are: definition of moral principles and
values, conceptual investigation, involvement the stakeholders,
and evaluation and iteration.
Additionally, a Complete Gamification Framework called
Octalysis (2013) [33] is proposed for Yu-kai Chou. For his
point of view, the gamification is design that places the most
emphasis on human motivation in the process. In essence, it
puts on a Human-Focused Design (as opposed to functionfocused design to get the job done quickly). The approach is
based on an octagon shape with eight core drives represented
by each side: epic meaning and calling, development and accomplishment, creativity and feedback, ownership and possession, social influence and relatedness, scarcity and impatience,
unpredictability and curiosity and loss and avoidance.
To end this section about generic frameworks, we find

Al Marshedi et al.s propose (2015), A Framework for Sustainable Gamification Impact [34]. This approach aims to
increase the sustainability of the desired impact of gamified
applications. It is mainly based on three backgrounds: Csikszentmihalyis Flow Dimension Theory (1990) [35], Pinks
drive motivation elements (2011) [36] and SDT. Furthermore,
it is focused on User-Centred Design (UCD). As the authors
claim, it is a way to integrate purpose, mastery, relatedness
and flow to competence and time; being as a guideline for
designers that want to create relevant experiences that people
will be engaged to in the long-term.
Business-specific frameworks
Purely for a business purpose, J. Kumar (2013) describes
the Player Centered Design Methodology [37] as a practical
guide for user experience designers, product managers and
developers to incorporate the principles of gamification into
their software. This approach is useful for the enterprise context and for specific applicability. The methodology is based
on a Player-Centered Design (2004) [38], a related common
point of view in other frameworks. The process focuses on
good understanding of both the player and the mission. The
following eight steps are described: understanding the player,
understanding the mission, understanding human motivation,
applying game mechanics, setting the game rules, defining
engagement loops, managing-monitoring-measuring and considering legal and ethical issues.
Thus, the Role-Motivation-Interaction Framework of
Gears (2013) [39] is a proposal based on the Constantine and
Lockwood (1999) model and method of usage (software for
use) [40] from UCD. Basic desires described by Reiss (2002)
[41] are applied to the gamified system development process.
This framework is based on a predefined architecture in order
to make the process easier and provide a set of rules that cannot
be broken. The recommended aspects to be considered for the
design process are the description of the goals, objectives,
business rules, behavioural norms, preconditions, actors and
the course of these actions (gameful interactions).
In this regard, a Gamification Framework is proposed
by Jacobs (2013) [42] for implementing enterprise level gamification within an organization. A good knowledge of the
requirements determines the success of the gamification model,
considering gamification as a fluid subject, constantly changing
and evolving. This framework is based on a Goal-Model
Design, distinguishing between short and long term goals.
Several considerations are taken into account: understanding
the goals and impact, defining the goals, considering user
and social media, feed-backing and compilation of data for
analysis, and finally, running the loop engagement.
Additionally, Julius and Salo (2013) propose a concrete
framework for gamification [16] in the business context, focusing exclusively on a marketing environment. The authors
consider an agile design process (which not always must use a
design framework) created from a literature review and tested
with an empirical study. Concretely, it was designed from the
whole of Werbachs proposal, taking into account some of the
special features in the marketing sector. This proposal inserts
an additional third stage, called market research.
On the other hand, Li (2014) proposes the Theoretical
Model for Gamification in Workplace IS context [43]. From

an IT perspective, it is a theoretical framework for the process

of gamification design and implementation in a workplace
within an Information System (IS) environment. The model
is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (1989), known
as TAM [44], which deals how users come to accept and use
the technology. According to Delone and McLeans Success
model [45] takes an IS success measurement synthesis in order
to provide a guidance to the future.
Moreover, A Framework for Designing Gamification in
the Enterprise [46] is defined by N. Kumar (2013) as a
prescriptive method for designing a gamification environment for the enterprise. As the author says, the process of
gamification is very complex and involves multiples stages.
Therefore, a framework is proposed to guide designers from
concept to implementation and improvement. This approach
is divided into three phases. The first phase includes the objectives definition, challenges and motivations understanding,
and challenges management. The second phase, game design,
includes the creation of the narrative, game mechanics, and the
interface. The process concludes with the implementation of
the gamification environment and its assessment in the third
phase.
A business centred approach in our literature review can be
found in the Gamification Model Canvas [47], a framework
proposed by Sergio Jimenez (2013). It is an agile, flexible,
and systematic tool to find and evaluate play based solutions in
order to develop certain behaviours in non-game environments.
It is based on the Business Model Canvas [48] design and the
MDA game design framework. The result of this marriage is
a new framework where a set of elements must be considered
for the gamified design process: revenues, players, behaviours,
aesthetics, dynamics, components, mechanics, platforms and
costs.
Finally, related with Lis perspective, Herzig (2014) describes gamification development [49] as a TechnologyCentred Design process. His approach is based on RUP (Rational Unified Process), an iterative software development process
framework, adapted to the gamification domain. His proposal
aims to visualize how gamification is introduced stepwise into
arbitrary information systems, starting at the business modelling phase, and ending at the monitoring and improvement
phases. This approach also considers roles definition (end-user,
gamification, domain, business and, IT experts) as necessary.
Herzig describes the following phases to be considered: business modelling, requirements, iterative design, provisioning,
implementation, testing, deployment and, monitoring.
C. Assessment and discussion
Once the results of our literature review have been enumerated and described with a brief overview of each of the existing
proposals (more detailed in Appendix A), it is possible to face
our research questions.
Given the previous literature review, at this moment, we are
able to answer the first question (Q1) proposed at the beginning
of this review. Nowadays, there are a lot of original or basedon frameworks that try to formalise the design process from
several point of view. We must also note that the publish dates
of the literature on gamification frameworks are very recent,

Fig. 3: Gamification design framework publish date

matching with the highest point of Gartners Hype Cycle in

2013, as shown in Figure 3.
It is worth noting that most of the frameworks are based
on a Human-Focused Design principles, taking into account
the person as a main goal of the design. Psychological related
aspects are very common items of great importance in most
the frameworks proposed. Thus, SDT is a predominant approach for intrinsic motivation needs. This side is aligned with
Zichermanns (2011) [19] theory who says that gamification
is 75 percent of psychology and 25 percent of technology. In
addition, some of the frameworks are based on each other, as
explicitly stated in their own definition or easily identifiable
from careful reading. Werbach and Hunters definition is the
most referenced by other authors. At the same time, different
approximations about game design principles are kept in
mind for them, primarily the MDA game design framework
described in Section II.
Thus, in order to provide a summary of the important
properties in each proposal and better assess research questions
Q2 and Q3, it has been proposed a preliminary list of nineteen
game design items taken from the literature, clustered and then
organized into five categories:
1) Economic:

Objectives: are the specific performance goals.

Viability: a previous study, evaluation and analysis of

the potential of applying gamification or refuse it.

Risk: a probability or threat of damage, injury, liability, loss, or any other negative occurrence.

ROI (Return On Investment): the benefit to the investor

resulting from running a gamified experience.

Stakeholders: a technique used to identify and keep in

mind the people who have to interact with the design
process.

2) Logic:

Loop: the game mechanics combined with reinforcement and feedback in order to engage the player in
the key system actions.

End game / Epic win: a pre-established end of game

or glorious victory in the system, usually stretching
players to the limits of their abilities.

On-boarding: the way of starting the new participants.

Rules: the body of regulations prescribed by the

designer.

3) Measurement:

Metrics: the standards of measurement by which efficiency, performance, progress, process or quality.

Analytic: the algorithms and data used to measure key

performance indicators.

4) Psychology:

Fun: the enjoyment or playfulness.

Motivation: the behaviour which causes a person to

want to repeat an action and vice-versa.

Social: the interaction between players.

Desired behaviours: the expected response of the

players after the interaction.

Ethics: a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of
right and wrong conducts.

5) Interaction:

Narrative: the story and context created by designers.

UI/UX: refers to everything designed into the gamified

system which a player being may interact and the
players behaviours, attitudes, and emotions.

Technology: the use or need of a software component

for development.

All the items have been analysed and the ten most meaningful of them (in terms of results and heterogeneity) can be
found in Appendix A. From this results, questions Q2 and Q3
can be answered. On the one hand, as previously seen, most
of game design principles and components are being inherited
for the gamification frameworks description. Most of these
items are present in lens of game design proposed by Schell
(2008) [11], which is a world reference about game design
and its components. So, mainly game design items are being
used in the gamification process too. In the other hand, the
way they are being applied is not the same as the game design
environment. A set of new new steps or sequence is needed as
Marczewski previously asserted.
By querying the table, Q3 answer can be inferred for
the reader. Indeed, several aspects or factors are not being
considered or extended by the authors.
IV.

C ONCLUSION

In this work, we have carried out a review of the literature

on gamification design and developed frameworks. It has been
analysed a set of eighteen gamified design frameworks according to a nineteen related items. Although some of these items
are not very common in gaming context, we have considered

as special interest for the gamification design process. Thus,

we present the conclusions grouped as follows:
Economic issues are important for a few authors. Usually,
terms as risk, viability or ROI are low referred. For more than a
half, the participation of the stakeholders in the design process
is necessary, in contrast to the other half which do not consider
it. However, the definition of business objectives is widespread.
From a logical view, while the importance of loop item is
extended in more than a half frameworks, on the other hand,
less than a half of them consider the on-boarding and endgame
actions (entry and exit way) as relevant in their approaches.
Additionally, measuring is a relevant issue for gamification,
from a static or dynamic re-designing of the gamified experience by changing the status and the necessary immediate
feedback. Most of frameworks refer explicitly the user data
and the importance of collecting these data. But the use of
metrics is not widespread in all over the approaches as a tool
for quantify data.
Moreover, from a psychological perspective, we have perceived a high significance of this topic in almost all of the
frameworks. They agree this approach as an essential key that
must be present in the design process. It is an evidence topic
in the literature. Most of them are Human-Based, taking the
person as the centre of their design.
Thus interaction fundamentals are referred for more than a
half of frameworks analysed, emphasizing the importance of
the user interface, user experience, and the need or recommendation of taking a software for its development. A couple of
them are focused on a Technological-Based Design or GoalBased in contrast to the main Human-Based design.
To conclude, we consider, for a further work, a development of a complete and generic framework from a new
perspective (not currently found in the literature) and its
application to different environments. Educational and training,
business (commercial, marketing, human resources), govern,
health, and life-day are the most common scenes. We assume
that current approaches are on the right way, but do not take
into account some necessary keys to get a more effective
gamified process for success.
A PPENDIX A
F RAMEWORK S FEATURE SUMMARY TABLE
In this appendix, a table with the whole list of frameworks
proposed in this study (rows) compared with the top ten most
suitable items of interest for the review (columns) is published.
It includes, the categories: economic (viability/risk/ROI, and
stakeholders), logic (loop, endgame/epicwin, onboarding, and
rules), analytic (metrics), psychology (ethics), and interaction
(UI/UX and technology). The possible values of each tables
cell are:

E: explicit, the item has appeared in the frameworks

definition.

I: implicit, the item has not appeared explicitly in

the framework definition. Inferred by the authors or
referred inside an academic work of the author.

U: unavailable, the item has not appeared anyway.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was partly funded by Ag`encia de Gestio dAjuts
Universitaris i de Recerca (Generalitat de Catalunya) through
the Industrial Doctorate programme 2014-DI-006 and the
Spanish Government through the project TIN2013-45303-P
ICT-FLAG (Enhancing ICT education through Formative
assessment, Learning Analytics and Gamification).

[22]

[23]
[24]
[25]
[26]

Moreover, we also would like to thank all authors referenced who helped us responding our questions during the
literature review.

[27]
[28]

R EFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]

[15]
[16]
[17]

[18]
[19]

[20]
[21]

J. Huizinga, Homo ludens: A study ofthe play element in culture,

Trans. RFC Hull.] Boston: Beacon, 1955.
K. Brumels and T. Blasius, Comparison of efficacy between traditional
and video game based balance programs, Clinical , 2008.
J. Schell, Dice 2010: design outside the box presentation videos g4tv.com, 2010.
N. Pelling, the (short) prehistory of gamification, Funding Startups
(& other impossibilities). Haettu, 2011.
S. Deterding, R. Khaled, L. Nacke, and D. Dixon, Gamification: toward
a definition, in Chi 2011, 2011, pp. 1215.
Gartner, Gartners 2013 hype cycle for emerging technologies maps out evolving relationship between humans and machines http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2575515 (accessed january
2015), 2013.
M2, Gamification market to reach $2.8 billion in 2016
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-05-21-gamification-marketto-reach-usd2-8-billion-in-2016 (accessed march 2015), 2012.
Gartner, Gartner says by 2014, 80 percent of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives primarily due to poor
design http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2251015 (accessed january
2015), 2014.
,
Gartners
2014
hype
cycle
for
emerging
technologies
maps
the
journey
to
digital
business
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2819918
(accessed
january
2015), 2014.
A. Marczewsky, Gamification design vs game design
http://www.gamified.uk/2014/03/25/gamification-design-vs-gamedesign/ (accesed february 2015), 2014.
J. Schell, The art of game design: A book of lenses, 2008.
K. Salen and E. Zimmerman, Rules of play: Game design fundamentals, 2004.
B. Brathwaite and I. Schreiber, Challenges for game designers, 2009.
B. Reeves and J. Read, Total engagement: How games and virtual
worlds are changing the way people work and businesses compete,
2013.
C. Crawford, The art of computer game design, 1984.
K. Julius and J. Salo, Designing gamification, Marketing, 2013.
R. Hunicke, M. LeBlanc, and R. Zubek, Mda: A formal approach to
game design and game research, AAAI Workshop on Challenges in
Game , 2004.
E. Calvillo-Gamez, P. Cairns, and A. Cox, Assessing the core elements
of the gaming experience, Evaluating user experience in , 2010.
G. Zichermann and C. Cunningham, Gamification by Design: Implementing Game Mechanics in Web and Mobile Apps. OReilly Media,
Inc., 2011.
S. Deterding, D. Dixon, R. Khaled, and L. Nacke, From game design
elements to gamefulness: Defining gamification\, pp. 9\15\.
D.
DiTommaso,
Beyond
gamification:
Architecting
engagement
through
game
design
thinking
http://www.slideshare.net/ditommaso/beyond-gamification-architectingengagement-through-game-design-thinking (accessed january 2015),
2011.

[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
[33]

[34]

[35]
[36]
[37]
[38]

[39]

[40]
[41]
[42]
[43]
[44]

[45]

[46]
[47]
[48]
[49]

R. Ryan and E. Deci, Self-determination theory and the facilitation

of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American
psychologist, 2000.
K. Werbach and D. Hunter, For the win: How game thinking can
revolutionize your business, 2012.
A. Marczewski, Gamification: a simple introduction, 2012.
R. Bartle, Virtual worlds: Why people play, Massively multiplayer
game development, 2005.
C. Marache-Francisco and E. Brangier, Process of gamification. from
the consideration of gamification to its practical implementation,
CENTRIC 2013, The Sixth , 2013.
B. Merino de Paz, Gamification: A tool to improve sustainability
efforts, Ph.D. dissertation, 2013.
D. Robinson and V. Bellotti, A preliminary taxonomy of gamification
elements for varying anticipated commitment, Proceedings of the CHI,
2013.
A. Francisco-Aparicio, Gamification: Analysis and application, New
Trends in , 2013.
M. Versteeg, Ethics & gamification design: a moral framework for
taking responsibility, 2013.
D. Berdichevsky and E. Neuenschwander, Toward an ethics of persuasive technology, Communications of the ACM, 1999.
B. Fogg, Persuasive technology: using computers to change what we
think and do, Ubiquity, 2002.
Y.-k. Chou, Octalysis: Complete gamification framework
http://www.yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/octalysis-completegamification-framework/ (accessed january 2015), 2013.
A. AlMarshedi, G. Wills, V. Wanick, and A. Ranchhod, Sgi: A
framework for increasing the sustainability of gamification impact,
2015.
M. Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,
1990.
D. Pink, Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us, 2011.
J. Kumar, Gamification at work: designing engaging business software, 2013.
D. Charles and M. Black, Dynamic player modeling: A framework for
player-centered digital games, Proc. of the International Conference on
, 2004.
D. Gears and K. Braun, Gamification in business: Designing motivating solutions to problem situations, CHI13 Workshop Designing ,
2013.
L. Constantine and L. Lockwood, Software for use: a practical guide
to the models and methods of usage-centered design, 1999.
S. Reiss, Who Am I?: 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions Define
Our Persona, 2002.
H. Jacobs, Gamification: A framework for the workplace, Ph.D.
dissertation, 2013.
C. Li, Evaluation of a theoretical model for gamification in workplace
is context, 2014.
F. Davis, R. Bagozzi, and P. Warshaw, User acceptance of computer
technology: a comparison of two theoretical models, Management
science, 1989.
W. Delone and E. McLean, The delone and mclean model of information systems success: a ten-year update, Journal of management
information , 2003.
N. Kumar, A framework for designing gamification in the enterprise,
Infosys Labs Briefings, 2013.
S.
Jimenez,
Gamification
model
canvas
http://www.gameonlab.es/canvas/ (accessed january 2015), 2013.
A. Osterwalder and Y. Pigneur, Business model canvas, Self published.
Last retrieval , 2010.
P. Herzig, Gamification as a service, Ph.D. dissertation, 2014.

I
E
U
I
U
U
I
U
U
U
E
I
I
U
U
E
I

Six steps to Gamification. Werbach and Hunter (2012) [23]

Gamification Framework. Marczewsky (2012) [24]

Gamification Design Process. Marache-Francisco and Brangie (2013) [26]

Steps to Gamification. De Paz (2013) [27]

Robinson and Bellotti taxonomy (2013) [28]

Francisco-Aparicio et al. framework (2013) [29]

A moral framework for taking responsibility. Versteeg (2013) [30]

Octalysis: Complete Gamification Framework. Chou (2013) [33]

A Framework for Sustainable Gamification Impact. AlMarshedi (2015) [34]

Player Centered Design Methodology. J. Kumar (2013) [37]

Role-Motivation-Interaction Framework. Gears (2013) [39]

Gamification Framework model. Jacobs (2013) [42]

A framework for gamification suited for marketing. Julius and Salo (2013) [16]

Theoretical Model for Gamification in Workplace IS context. Li (2014) [43]

A Framework for Designing Gamification in the Enterprise. N. Kumar (2013) [46]

Gamification Model Canvas. Jimenez (2013) [47]

Gamification development process. Herzig (2014) [49]

Stakeholders

Economic

Loop

Endgame

On-boarding

Logic

Rules

Metrics

Measurement

Ethics

Psychology

UI/UX

Note:
E - Explicit: the item has appeared in the frameworks definition.
I - Implicit: the item has not appeared explicitly in the framework definition. Inferred by the authors or referred inside an academic work of the author.
U - Unavailable: the item has not appeared anyway.

Viability

A Framework for Success. Di Tommasso (2011) [21]

FEATURES

CATEGORIES

TABLE I: Frameworks feature summary

Technology

Interaction