Dr. Çağrı Çubukçu

School

University College Dublin

Keywords

Gamificaton, Education, Machinations, Design Patterns

Abstract

Gami1cation is often described as ”the use of game design elements in non-game con-texts” [1]. As a 1eld, it is considered to be completely separate to Games or Game Studies (in academic settings), as games o−er playful experiences while gami1cation of-fers gameful experiences [1]. The di−erence between these two categories is discussed in detail in this thesis, regarding the original methods of categorising these experiences as developed through the PhD research process.

The adoption of game elements in the private sector has increased exponentially in re-cent years, as evidenced by a wide array of applications spanning the gamut from brand loyalty [2] to attaining positive life goals [3]. Although the adoption of gami1cation has increased over the years, there remains a gap in knowledge in the academic literature of gami1cation. An almost complete lack of rigour or consistency in applying de1nitions and methods for categorising experiences so that they can be meaningfully compared and contrasted with each other results in a corresponding vagueness in much of the lit-erature; a gap in applied knowledge and an obvious need for further research, which is at the heart of this PhD project. This issue has been raised multiple times by scholars in prominent publications over the years [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]; yet, no solution has been proposed.

This thesis puts forward an evidence-based, systematic and replicable solution to these problems in the 1eld by o−ering a comprehensive framework for devising gami1cation environments in educational settings. Through combining Robert K. Merton’s codi1ed structural functionalism with Software Design Patterns approach, a novel Gami1cation Design Pattern methodology is presented. The overall approach taken is that of consis-tently labelling and analysing the speci1c impacts of gami1cation elements frequently adopted (both in the applied 1eld of gami1cation and in the private sector at large) to consider each element in detail concerning its smaller building blocks and patterns. This framework is devised within an educational context and is intended for use with educational gami1ed systems, virtual or physical.
It is hoped that this PhD will make an original and substantial contribution to the 1elds of knowledge in Game Studies and the Literature of Gami1cation, and that future prac-titioners and scholars will bene1t from the results.