Co-written by Marko Antic and Soli Le-Masurier
It all started with gym bingo.
No, really. Soli Le-Masurier, a colleague of mine, recently signed up for ‘Winter Bingo’ at his local gym. This month-long challenge encouraged members to attend despite the cold and rainy weather of August. Tasks ranged from the mildly ridiculous and unrelated to fitness (take a selfie with your coach) to the physical and sleep-disrupting (attend a 5:30am class). Some were social – like bringing a friend (me) along – while others pushed personal limits.
The surprising thing? It worked. Soli was soon bouncing into classes on a more regular basis, trying new activities and chasing small, joyful wins.
So, we started wondering: could this kind of gamification work in university learning design? Not to replace assessments or core learning tasks. But to spark that extra bit of effort – the kind of engagement that tends to drop off around Week 3. What if students had low-stakes incentives to increase the completion of activities like comment boxes, social polls, small application tasks or collaborative discussion boards? These enriching activities support deep learning and assessment preparation but can sometimes get skipped.
Gamification might offer one solution – if designed and planned cleverly.
Why gamification works
Gamification isn’t just about slapping points or badges onto content, or shoe-horning leader boards onto every learning module or subject. When designed well, it can support what psychologist John Keller calls the ARCS model of motivation—sparking Attention, making content Relevant, boosting Confidence, and ending with Satisfaction. Soli’s gym bingo did all of this. It was short, surprising, socially shareable and satisfying to complete.
Self-Determination Theory suggests that for motivation to be fruitful, we need to feel autonomous, competent and connected. Gamified experiences work best when they’re optional, achievable and engaging. Providing a wide range of tasks to means individuals can choose their level of participation in chosen tasks.
Recent research backs this up these theories. A meta-analysis by Sailer and Homner showed that well-designed gamification leads to meaningful improvements in how students think, feel and behave in learning environments, particularly when social interaction is part of the learning design. A study from earlier this year focused on a course that used gamified tasks alongside collaborative learning tools like ClassDojo. It revealed that students didn’t just enjoy the experience; they improved their academic performance and built valuable transferrable skills such as communication and teamwork.
Closer to home, Associate Professor Christine Giles from UTS uses short, gamified learning tasks to drive participation throughout her migration law subjects. These tasks all build towards better employment readiness. The prize for completing enough tasks? Formal recognition of an Excellence Award, a LinkedIn Digital Badge and attendance at an awards evening.
The takeaway is clear: gamification can work in higher education, especially when it’s opt-in, time-bound and tied to authentic incentives.
What made Soli’s gym bingo different?
As we unpacked the gym bingo example, a few elements stood out:
- It was short and sharp – with just one month to complete it, you could see the finish line!
- It offered choice – you didn’t need to complete every task to participate
- It wasn’t hyper-competitive – no leaderboard or comparison to others, just personal goals being achieved
- It was playful, not patronising – It felt authentic and without the need for excessively complicated planning or strategy (some of the tasks could be achieved in the spot)
- It had a tangible reward – not just the fun of participation, but a chance to win something meaningful
- It gently built confidence – Soli attended classes he’s never attended before and now feels able to attend more of those in the future
Compare this approach to more commercial examples like Duolingo, which offer endless streaks, points and nudges. While these features can be motivating at first, research suggests that over-gamification – especially when tied to external pressure – can undermine intrinsic motivation. Duolingo users, for example, often focus more on maintaining their streak than on meaningful learning. That’s why good learning design matters.
Applying gamification to learning design
We’re not suggesting that all learning should be gamified or that points-based motivators should be worked into all activities. Optional enrichment-based activities, a bingo-style challenge or gamified checklist could be a smart, engaging layer to add to a portion of relevant learning.
Importantly, the gamification must be authentic to the learning experience and content. Gamification in learning often fails as the gamified elements are unrelated to the learning. A common error made is adding a leaderboard to everything. If there is no learning-aligned reason for there to be a single winner, it puts the participants off and often results in the opposite outcome.
Matching tasks to subject types
- In a subject focussed on building proficiency – tasks related to practicing a particular skill would be more would be authentic. For example, a nursing student might earn more points for practising taking blood pressure readings on 5, then 10 or 20 people. Here the tasks are reinforcing the skill.
- In a subject focussed on exploring knowledge – tasks related to researching or adding to shared information would be authentic. For example, completing additional readings, or exploring more angles of a topic and sharing in a discussion board.
- In a subject focussed on inquiry or production – tasks related to seeking feedback from others would be authentic. The feedback doesn’t have to be acted on, just sought and considered to help ideate, or validate or test a prototype.
Example: challenge card
An example of a set of gamified tasks could be a voluntary ‘challenge card’ with 20 reflective or participatory activities, such as asking students to:
- Post in the comment box for a guest speaker
- Participate in a Miro board brainstorm
- Share a resource in a discussion group
- Attend one extra optional tutorial or discussion session
- Interview a classmate, peer or colleague
Complete 10? Get a shoutout. Complete 15? Go in the draw for a professional association membership or conference ticket.
This is about inviting participation, not mandating it. When learners feel like they have choice, control and a real reason to engage in a relevant way, they’re more likely to lean in.
More than a game
For some, gamification might feel like a gimmick. For others, it’s the helpful and encouraging nudge that keeps them going. And as we’ve seen from Soli’s gym bingo adventure, a playful structure with small wins can make all the difference.
When we get the learning design right – with short, authentic and purpose-driven gamification – we can improve students’ learning experiences amidst the usual flurry of due dates, assessments and wrestling with GenAI, to allow some time for the joy of learning.
No 5:30am classes required!
Love this! I might try out a gym bingo style activity with my students.
Thank you for sharing such an inspiring and well-written article, Marko. Your insights really resonated with me, particularly your analysis of Duolingo’s limitations.
I’ve been using Duolingo this past year to review my Arabic, and your observation about streak maintenance versus meaningful learning is spot-on. There’s a stark difference between how well I retain words I originally learned at university—where I wrote them down, rewrote them, and tested myself regularly—compared to new vocabulary introduced through Duolingo, which simply doesn’t stick without that deeper engagement. The badges feel hollow because, as you noted, they’re disconnected from authentic learning experiences.
Your alternative approach is much more compelling—linking gamified tasks to genuine professional development opportunities like conference tickets or association memberships creates real value. I especially appreciate how you’ve provided practical, subject-specific examples that show how gamification can enhance rather than replace meaningful learning activities.
Thanks for demonstrating how to use gamification thoughtfully without falling into the over-gamification trap. This has given me a lot to think about!