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The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education
Praise for The Gamification of Learning and Instruction
"Kapp argues convincingly that gamification is not just about adding points, levels and badges to an eLearning program, but about fundamentally rethinking learning design. He has put together a brilliant primer for learning professionals on how to gamify learning, packed with useful advice and examples." --Anders Gronstedt, president, Gronstedt Group
"After reading this book, you'll never be able to design boring learning again." --Connie Malamed, author, Visual Language For Designers; author/creator of The eLearning Coach Blog
"Engaging, informative and complete; if you need to understand anything about instructional game design, this is the book you need. It provides the right amount of academic evidence, practical advice and insightful design tips to have you creating impactful learning in no time." --Sherry Engel, associate director learning technology, Penn Medicine Center for Innovation and Learning
"What Karl Kapp has done with this book is looked at games and learning from every possible angle....he provocatively asks questions that the learning community needs to answer, like 'Do our design processes still work?' and 'Are we really meeting the needs of today's learners?' This book may make you anxious, make you laugh, or make you angry. But one thing it will definitely do is make you think." --Rich Mesch, experiential learning guru, Performance Development Group
"Kapp argues convincingly that gamification is not just about adding points, levels and badges to an eLearning program, but about fundamentally rethinking learning design. He has put together a brilliant primer for learning professionals on how to gamify learning, packed with useful advice and examples." --Anders Gronstedt, president, Gronstedt Group
"After reading this book, you'll never be able to design boring learning again." --Connie Malamed, author, Visual Language For Designers; author/creator of The eLearning Coach Blog
"Engaging, informative and complete; if you need to understand anything about instructional game design, this is the book you need. It provides the right amount of academic evidence, practical advice and insightful design tips to have you creating impactful learning in no time." --Sherry Engel, associate director learning technology, Penn Medicine Center for Innovation and Learning
"What Karl Kapp has done with this book is looked at games and learning from every possible angle....he provocatively asks questions that the learning community needs to answer, like 'Do our design processes still work?' and 'Are we really meeting the needs of today's learners?' This book may make you anxious, make you laugh, or make you angry. But one thing it will definitely do is make you think." --Rich Mesch, experiential learning guru, Performance Development Group
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 13, 2012
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1,059 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 26, 2018
Excelente livro para quem pretende saber mais sobre gamifica??o.
February 26, 2014
Although reasonably well researched, this book is not carefully written.
Kapp outlines many academic models that show how games can impact motivation and learning. He cites many papers and even analyzes a collection of meta-analyses to demonstrate a basis in research for the information he presents, implying gradations between when various principles do and do not apply.
Ordinarily, after reading such a book, I would send the author a note to thank him for an informative read and to let him know of any typos I found so that he could correct them in any future editions or current e-books. However, this book was so carelessly edited that by page 7, I had already found 6 typos, at which point I stopped writing them down. (They continue at a similar density throughout the rest of the book.) The sloppy editing stretches beyond typos; sometimes Kapp will repeat the exact same idea two sentences in a row, as though he was trying to decide the best way to phrase it but forgot to remove one version. The final section of one chapter appears initially to have been an essay of its own that was shoved into the chapter without bothering to change the introduction; the first several sentences of the section repeat information written at the beginning of the chapter as though introducing it for the first time.
Despite its abysmally careless writing style, this book does contain the following information:
Kapp outlines many academic models that show how games can impact motivation and learning. He cites many papers and even analyzes a collection of meta-analyses to demonstrate a basis in research for the information he presents, implying gradations between when various principles do and do not apply.
Ordinarily, after reading such a book, I would send the author a note to thank him for an informative read and to let him know of any typos I found so that he could correct them in any future editions or current e-books. However, this book was so carelessly edited that by page 7, I had already found 6 typos, at which point I stopped writing them down. (They continue at a similar density throughout the rest of the book.) The sloppy editing stretches beyond typos; sometimes Kapp will repeat the exact same idea two sentences in a row, as though he was trying to decide the best way to phrase it but forgot to remove one version. The final section of one chapter appears initially to have been an essay of its own that was shoved into the chapter without bothering to change the introduction; the first several sentences of the section repeat information written at the beginning of the chapter as though introducing it for the first time.
Despite its abysmally careless writing style, this book does contain the following information:
October 15, 2019
Given the title, I expected much more of the book to be dedicated to methods and strategies and less so dedicated to the justification for gamification. Otherwise, the book provides a solid overview of game-based learning and its component parts. More examples and application, though, would provide a marked improvement.
February 15, 2020
If the best parts of this book were edited and condensed into something about 1/4 of the length, I might give it 5 stars. In particular, the 3rd chapter (on theories of learning and gamification) and 4th chapter (a synopsis of meta-analyses of the impact of gamification on learning), are informative and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, many of the remaining chapters are light on solid information and critical thought. One chapter is even by the author's son, apparently about why video games are more fun and motivating than school (I couldn't bring myself to read it). Although a lot of research is discussed, many of the citations point to news articles about unpublished, in-progress studies. Also, the entire book is very poorly edited. There are some good ideas scattered around, but I'm not sure I can recommend wading through everything else to get to them.
December 15, 2017
Well this was very interesting and instructing. I started reading it just because it had some elements of storytelling that sounded interesting, and to just get to know a little about the subject, but now that I'm done with the book, I would love to dwell a little further into it. It sounds like something very exciting, and definitely part of the future of corporate learning, so this is a subject worth exploring more.
April 29, 2014
A very flimsy book based on an equally flimsy premise: "gamification". No doubt, a word invented by a marketing firm. All the examples in this book illustrating the use of game structures in educational contexts are limited to those mediated by technology (board games don't count; leadership training games don't count; fantasy/role play games don't count (as well as countless other game play scenarios). As a result, the book is very limited in its scope, despite the author's claims that its implications are far-reaching. However, the author doesn't intend to be so myopic; it just happens apparently. Nevertheless, the effect is harmful to the exploration of the field. In my mind, this book presents a very limited view of what 'gaming' actually is and can be. Equally problematic is the fact that these mediated examples of games, in the end, are intended to accustom learners to goals that serve the military-industrial complex, not the education of users (count how many times corporate or military examples are used in the book; it's astounding). I wonder who's giving Kapp et al. the funding for all this research? Hmmmm...
April 1, 2013
TODO
+ background on use of gamification
+ related theories, especially serious games
+ asks the right questions, including 'which gaming technique(s) to use for a particular learning objective/player type/player skill level/etc.?'
- the author spend most of the time on computer-based gamification
- many assumptions and unproven claims, rapaciously about effectiveness of one technique or another. in particular, Knapp favors narrative, complex story, and role-playing. how would one teach Computer Organization or Java Programming 101 focusing on these, one can only speculate...
- the chapter by Nathan Kapp and to some extent also the other 'invited chapters' are rather weak, unacademic, and chaotic
+ background on use of gamification
+ related theories, especially serious games
+ asks the right questions, including 'which gaming technique(s) to use for a particular learning objective/player type/player skill level/etc.?'
- the author spend most of the time on computer-based gamification
- many assumptions and unproven claims, rapaciously about effectiveness of one technique or another. in particular, Knapp favors narrative, complex story, and role-playing. how would one teach Computer Organization or Java Programming 101 focusing on these, one can only speculate...
- the chapter by Nathan Kapp and to some extent also the other 'invited chapters' are rather weak, unacademic, and chaotic
October 24, 2013
Kapp does an excellent job reviewing the literature up to the point of writing; however, it became obvious to me after reading some of the more significant papers on my own that the author seems to confuse gamification with serious games and game-based learning. He establishes a well-founded definition in the beginning only to ignore the finer nuances of its meaning as he discusses the implications and applications of findings from research in game studies and positive psychology. Still, I recommend this book for anyone looking for an overview of the most significant literature behind gamification or game-based learning alike.
March 15, 2019
I already had some knowledge of gamification from my student teaching, so I felt this book was helpful to expand my ideas for teaching. I also play video games and board games myself so the parts that had me really think about what makes games interesting was entertaining and useful. There was a lot of repetition, though, such as a chapter on theories right after a chapter describing how gamification works. It was also very centered on digital games for business and universities, so not as relevant to me as a middle school teacher. I ended up skimming about half of it.
February 21, 2016
I loved the use of scientific data, but it seemed to focus more on the use of video games rather than gaming as a whole. I don't fault the book for that decision, but it was not as helpful to me as a result.
June 26, 2016
A perfect 'systematic review' style book with a clear outline and key takeaway in each chapter, besides as a super tool for who needs writing a paper related with gamification, also recommend as an enjoyable read.
March 15, 2015
Superb research!
June 4, 2015
A good book if you are into instructional design.
August 13, 2017
Excellent introduction to the ins and outs of gamification in learning and development. Kapp articulates a theoretical basis and provides research evidence for the use of games to enhance learning. He also offers several examples of how games can be successfully implemented in all types of organizations, including but not limited to schools. Finally, he emphasizes how simply offering badges or points is not true gamification. Instead, he encourages instructional designers to challenge players to solve meaningful, real-world problems that will have a lasting impact on their learning. The author writes in a very accessible manner that will appeal to a variety of readers, from private sector to education, novices to experts.
March 25, 2018
A good exploration of gamification, but mostly in industry and mostly through games themselves. So maybe I am being unfair in giving it 3 stars because it wasn¡¯t directly applicable to what I was looking for. Lots of useable theory but not always clearly written (many typos). I found the first half more useful and interesting than the second half.
April 8, 2018
The information in this book is good, and there are some good ideas and suggestions. However, the value of the information is largely outweighed by the appallingly bad writing. Except for chapters 10-13 (which were not written by Kapp), the book reads like a rough draft of a blog post. A good editor and an experienced copyeditor would make this book 200x better.
March 26, 2023
Great introduction to gamification. Particularly helpful are the summaries of theories underpinning gamification and reports of the different academic results that help to inform it.
I'd have liked to see more visual examples and links to online games to try out. The book could also do with a solid copy edit.
I'd have liked to see more visual examples and links to online games to try out. The book could also do with a solid copy edit.
December 19, 2018
El texto es un buen inicio para reconocer los conceptos detr¨¢s de la gamificaci¨®n as¨ª como la forma en que esta puede ser implementada en los ambientes educativos para tratar de atraer los educandos al aprendizaje
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April 19, 2020If you are into an introduction of gamifying learning, this is a nice book written. If you are searching for valid data and research to support gamification for education, forget about it.
August 7, 2020
A comprehensive theoretical introduction into the field. Great if you are writing a BA/MA thesis or similar, less great if you want to learn to implement gamification into your instruction.
October 8, 2016
If you are looking for a reference guide on gamification, then look no further. Karl Kapp has just released his book,?*
. This book is a great guide on the topic, and is packed with examples of research on the subject.
. This book is a great guide on the topic, and is packed with examples of research on the subject. 
August 23, 2013
There are a large number of glaringly obvious typos in this book that make it painful to read. That said, it provides a nice overview of gamification and teaching and learning. (Not enough depth to actually put the concepts to use, however.)
September 24, 2013
A solid overview of the theories of games, the dos and don'ts of gamification, and some specific examples taken from real life. It was a little long and became a little repetitive towards the end, and I didn't find the "first person" perspective of Chapter 11 useful or interesting.
December 19, 2014
This book is for people who need an explanation of what gamification is all about. It doesn't give concrete ways to apply the strategies, but it is a good starting point to understanding gamification.
March 23, 2013
There's just not enough here. I was looking for new insights; this book is largely a summary of existing research.
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May 7, 2019Typos galore.
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