What Is The Main Goal You Hope To Achieve With Gamification?

94% of learning leaders aim to improve learners’ engagement through gamification

One main gamification goal stands out above all else:

Gamification is expanding across a vast range of industries and sectors in 2025. From finance and travel to healthcare and education, gamified platforms are utilizing intelligent design and predictive analytics to provide users with more engaging experiences that align with real-world objectives and outcomes.

There are a few key drivers contributing to the majority of the industry’s growth. These include the rise of remote work and online learning platforms, the growing demand for employee, customer, and learner engagement, and rapid technological advancements in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, blockchain, and other pioneering tools.

According to Crustlab’s Global Gamification Market Size and Forecast (2025–2032) Report, the gamification industry is set to grow at a CAGR of 25.4% between 2025 and 2032, reaching a value of $132.6 billion by the year 2032. While the report shows that the retail sector currently dominates gamification, gamification in the education market isn’t far behind. 

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It’s no surprise, then, that 94% of our learning leaders report that improved learner engagement is the top goal they aim to achieve through gamification. The remaining 6% aim to use it in training to support employees, showing that a small percentage are using it for organizational success, too.

What Is The Biggest Barrier To Adopting Gamification?

88% of learning leaders say a lack of expertise is not a barrier to adopting gamification 

Neither skill nor limited tools affects gamification adoption: 

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While adopting gamification can bring significant benefits to organizations and businesses, the process is not without challenges. These obstacles vary between industries and use cases. That said, there are clear similarities in the key adoption challenges that organizations experience. 

A recent study published in BMC Nursing highlights barriers, including a lack of institutional support during implementation, unclear use guidelines, and technological barriers such as outdated IT systems and limited IT support. The educators surveyed in the study also noted that both educators and students sometimes struggle to adapt to gamified learning environments, making for a challenging transitional process. 

However, for our audience of learning leaders, these issues were clearly not a concern, with 88% saying that a lack of expertise didn’t pose a barrier to adopting gamification, and 12% saying limited technical tools were not an issue, either. It’s likely that the audience then already has updated tools and systems in place that mitigate this challenge and ensure users are well-prepared to integrate gamification effectively.

Which Element Of Gamification Excites You Most?

100% of learning leaders find points and rewards the most exciting element of gamification

There’s one clear winner in the element of gamification that’s most exciting:

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Gamification uses a combination of highly engaging design elements to keep learners motivated and interested. Game-like features are naturally a cornerstone of these systems. Equally important are the rewards they offer to their users as they reach new milestones. Studies show that gamified points and reward systems provide learners with intrinsic motivation, encouraging them to continue exploring and learning as they unlock rewards and accumulate points for their new achievements. 

Rewards systems make for fun, entertaining, and exceptionally engaging educational experiences, and our audience’s opinions reflect this.  A full 100% of learning leaders say that points and rewards are the elements of gamification that fuel their enthusiasm the most.  

Which Industry Do You Think Benefits Most From Gamification?

71% of learning leaders believe the healthcare industry is the perfect fit for benefitting from gamification 

Different industries benefit in varying degrees from gamification: 

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Gamification offers notable benefits for learners across industries. It enables organizations and educators to create customized learning paths, increase learner motivation and engagement, and enhance both the learning experience and information retention. While gamification is increasingly featured in education, only 7% of our audience believes that this industry is the perfect fit for gamified systems. Interestingly, while 23% feel that the tech sector benefits most, our audience does feel that gamification’s benefits for the technology industry are limited. 

The majority (71%) of our learning leaders believe that healthcare is the industry that benefits the most from gamification, and that gamification is the perfect fit for this sector. 

This isn’t unexpected as the global healthcare gamification market is projected to reach $15.95 billion by 2030, with North America leading the way and accounting for 41.67% of the market share in 2024. This growth is fueled by the rising adoption of gamification in disease management programs, fitness and wellness apps, and physician training solutions.

What Motivates You Most To Work With A Gamification Studio Partner?

Proven expertise is a crucial motivator for 43% of learning leaders when working with a gamification studio partner

Motivations for working with a studio partner differ:

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Teaming up with a studio partner simplifies the process of implementing gamification considerably. According to our audience, proven expertise is the number one factor that motivates them to choose a specific partner, with 43% viewing this consideration as crucial and 19% saying it’s important. 

18% of our learning leaders look for studio partners with innovative ideas, with 6% saying this is crucial and 12% agreeing it’s important.

Interestingly, despite proven expertise being the number one motivator, 10% of our audience says that having a strong portfolio is irrelevant. Another 10% look for clear pricing structures, with 4% deeming them critical in their decision and 6% as important. 

Overall, if a studio partner can prove their expertise and showcase innovative ideas, it seems that they will be able to position themselves as a strong choice for most prospective clients, at the right price, of course.

What Factor Matters Most When Choosing A Gamification Studio Partner?

100% of learning leaders say technical skills are essential when choosing a gamification studio partner 

One predominant factor is essential in a gamification studio partner:

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There are many considerations to make when choosing a capable gamification studio partner. The ideal partner will have a proven track record of success, along with clear case studies from satisfied clients. They should offer comprehensive technology packages with versatile integration capabilities, allowing their tools to integrate seamlessly with clients’ existing systems. The right partner will also offer software with user-centric experiences, industry-specific designs, and ample support and training resources for new users.

All these aspects are important, but according to our audience, one consideration stands out above all else. All 381,226 of our audience of learning leaders believe that technical skills are essential when they are choosing a gamification studio partner. This makes sense, considering that technical skill allows a studio to create functional, user-friendly systems that effectively keep users engaged. 

Which Type Of Game Mechanic Do You Find Most Effective?

30% of learning leaders say that rewards systems are a highly effective game mechanic

Opinions vary about which gamification mechanics are truly effective:

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While 100% of our audience finds points and rewards the most exciting element of gamification, opinions differ somewhat when it comes to the type of game mechanic that’s most effective. 30% said that rewards are highly effective, and 26% that they are moderately effective. However, 34% said they found rewards to be ineffective, showing that opinions do differ quite dramatically in this case.

In contrast, only 6% see challenges as a moderately effective gamification mechanic, and recognition seems to be the least favored, with 4% saying that it's ineffective. This suggests that while rewards remain the most universally appealing features of gamification, their actual effectiveness is still up for debate. 

Additionally, mechanics like challenges and recognition appear to have less impact overall, highlighting the importance of tailoring gamification strategies to the specific needs and motivations of the target audience.

What Type Of Support Do You Value Most From A Gamification Studio Partner?

100% of learning leaders agree that ongoing training is an essential form of support from gamification studio partners  

One type of gamification studio support is paramount:

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Research reveals that 74% of workers prefer to learn through their employer—a finding that aligns closely with what our learning leaders identify as the most essential form of support from gamification studio partners. 

100% of our audience views ongoing training as the support they value the most from their providers, saying that it is crucial. Ongoing training ensures that educators and users are fully equipped to make the best use of gamified systems, leading to better outcomes and more user satisfaction overall.

How Do You Usually Measure Gamification Success?

22% of learning leaders say that learner feedback is a definitive measure of gamification success

The success of gamification is measured in various ways:

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Measuring the success of gamification systems is important for quantifying how they are improving the learning experience and its outcomes. 

Our audience uses a range of metrics to assess the efficacy of their gamified platforms. 54% rely on learner feedback as a primary metric, with 22% of them considering this a definitive measure and 29% citing it as a useful indicator. However, 3% say it is not a primary metric.

A further 29% look for performance improvements, of which 6% say it's a definitive measure and 23% a useful indicator, while 4% say it's not a primary metric.

Just 6% of our learning leaders rely on engagement metrics (5% definitely and 1% saying it's useful), and 4% on participation rates, split 50/50 by those saying it's a definitive measure and those saying it's a useful one. 

Completion milestones sit at the bottom of the list, with 2% saying that it's a definitive measure of success. This shows that most learning leaders would rather use learner feedback and performance improvements to gauge how successful their gamification is at supporting effective learning.

Which Outcome From Gamification Is Most Important For Your Organization?

16% of learning leaders think that better customer loyalty is a crucial outcome of using gamification for their organizations

Opinions on the importance of gamification outcomes for organizations vary somewhat: 

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Organizations that implement gamification seek to achieve specific goals, from fostering loyalty to keeping their members motivated. According to our audience, nearly half (47%) of learning leaders believe that improving customer loyalty is the most important outcome for their organizations. 16% of these leaders feel that enhancing customer loyalty is crucial, and 31% view it as important for their ongoing success.

Another 44% of our audience views improved collaboration as important (29%) or crucial (15%) outcomes too. 10% prioritize employee engagement above all else, with all of these audience members in the sample proportion viewing this outcome as essential. This indicates that organizations are utilizing gamification not only as a tool for engagement but also as a strategic driver to enhance loyalty, collaboration, and long-term employee commitment.

How Do You Usually Discover New Gamification Studio Partners?

92% of learning leaders primarily find new gamification studio partners on social media 

Social media is clearly the best form of marketing for gamification partners:

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Statista’s 2025 survey shows that around 83% of markets use Facebook for marketing purposes, followed by 78% using Instagram and 69% LinkedIn. It’s no surprise, then, that 92% of our audience primarily discovers new gamification studio partners through social media, and 4% do so occasionally. Only 3%  say that no social media is involved in their discoveries. 

Other channels, like industry events, account for a minuscule fraction (1%) of new discoveries, while online research yields few to no results. From this, it's evident that gamification studios that connect with prospects on social media have the greatest odds of being discovered as promising new partners.

Stepping Into A Gamified Future 

These insights shed light on the goals our audience aims to achieve through gamification, their primary motivations for choosing a system and provider, and which mechanics, features, and support provisions best meet their needs.

The results indicate a growing trend towards using gamification to enhance learner engagement, particularly through rewards systems developed by skilled and experienced studio partners. All of our learning leaders place a value on ongoing training to utilize these systems optimally, as well as favor support that helps them and their users overcome adoption obstacles and maximize the potential benefits of gamification for lifelong learning.

Methodology

Sourced using Artios from an independent sample of 381,226 United States learning leaders' opinions across X, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, and BlueSky. Responses are collected within a 75% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Results are derived from opinions expressed online, not actual questions answered by people in the sample.

About the representative sample:

• 49% of US learning leaders are between the ages of 35 and 64.
• 55% identify as male and 45% as female.
• 99% earn between $200,000 and $500,000 annually. 

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