A Wide View on Gamification

This paper presents an overview of gamification research. It introduces a panoramic research map that comprises a research map and keyword maps for each year of publication of research on gamification. The panoramic research map resulted in a detailed view of gamification research: covered areas, types of published papers, gaps, and most researched themes. The main area of research on gamification is related to the education and training domain, showing a strong connection to the use of game design elements and game experience to improve educational scenarios among students. Knowing the panoramic research map aids the development of future research on gamification, helping in the identification of important papers, gaps in the knowledge, and relevant papers for future research. As an additional outcome, the panoramic research map might also be used to understand other fields of research or specific themes besides gamification.