A Brief History of Gamification [#Infographic]

Thanks to the spread of gamification, learning is progressively becoming more fun.

Gamification—the incorporation of game elements into nongame settings—drives engagement in topics that might otherwise not grab students. Take, for example, the work of researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

An app being tested at the university directs students' attention to sustainability efforts. Students interact with a map through tablets or smartphones to find environmental hot spots, where they’ll find QR codes which can be scanned to unlock videos, information or games that further their educational quests.

While newer implementations of gamification are popping up every day, the concept itself is more than 100 years old.

The following infographic, from TechnologyAdvice.com, gives a brief tour of the history of gamification, from its roots in 19th-century marketing to its future as an estimated $2.8 billion industry.