Top Gamification Statistics of 2024: Next Level Gaming

The traditional mindset of many people says the opposite of playing is working. That kind of thinking hurts both their play and their work. In fact, the opposite of play is depression. Need proof?

• More than a third of high school students drop out at some point of their studies.
• In 2018, there were more than 300 million people who suffered from depression, according to the World Health Organization.
• Up to 70% of employees throughout the world don’t feel engaged with their job.

There is a reason for that. The answer lies in gamification statistics. What is the question?

How can we empower ourselves, be positive and creative, and be effective at work without all the stress?

First thing is first – we need a taste of the cocktail first:

• 95% of employees enjoy using gaming-inspired elements in their work.
• By 2020, the education gamification market is estimated to reach $1.5 billion.
• Gamification participants score 14% higher skill-based assessments.
• The gamification market was estimated to be worth $5.5 billion in 2018.
• 72% of employees claim gamification inspires them to work harder.
• Using gamification may increase newly registered business users by 600%.

Let’s dive in together into the hottest gamification statistics 2018. They’ll lead the way:

Fascinating Gamification Facts

Before we start, let’s get some things straight. We start with a big one:

What is gamification?

Contemporary scientists strongly believe play is a major part of the human experience. Implementing gaming in business strategy and education gains momentum in recent years and more and more organizations enjoy the benefits.

Imagine gaining points and achievements at school or at work, or being allowed to do the task at hand any way you want using your creativity and full potential.

Well, guys, that’s what gamification is all about. It’s a trend that is already subtly changing the way we learn, work, and possibly… live.

For the purposes of selecting the most important gamification statistics in 2019, we examined tons of reviews and gamification survey data and hand-picked for you the crème de la crème. The stats we have gathered cover the years from 2015 to the present and will show you the progress of gamification in that span.

The success of gamification is undeniable, with a great impact that has been going on for a while now. As usual, we depend on our statistics to tell us all we need to know about the topic at hand.

Here we go, guys:

1. In 2015, the gamification industry was worth $2 billion in the US.

(Source: Digital Chalk)

• By 2021, the estimated global market value of gamification will be $11.94 billion.
• 93% of marketers love gamification.
• The number of active video gamers worldwide in 2019 is 2.47 billion.

2. The gamification market was estimated to be worth $5.5 billion in 2018.

(Source: eLearning Industry)

• In 2015, the gamification market was worth $1.7 billion.
• By 2024, the CAGR of gamification market is estimated to grow by 30.1% in comparison to 2019.
• By 2025, the global gamification sales revenue is estimated to reach $32 billion.

Now:

3. By 2015, as much as 40% of Global 1000 organizations used gamification as a primary tool to transform business operations.

(Source: Business.com)

• In 2015, it was expected that more than 50% of corporate processes would be gamified.
• Companies who use gamification enjoy up to 7X higher conversion rate.
• 80% of US households own a gaming device.

4. Gamification participants score 14% higher in skill-based assessments.

(Source: eLearning Industry)

• 89% of survey respondents claim that if a task is gamified, they feel eager to complete it and are in a competitive mood.
• Only 3% of people remain unproductive during a gamified training.
• Games are everywhere around us these days!

Need proof?

Here we go: I’m sure you have seen this image:

Well, instead of waiting (in pain) without internet, Google found a way to help us spend our time a bit better.

With a game! (That little dinosaur over the No Internet sign likes running, I’ll tell you that!)

We all enjoy the Google Doodles. Sometimes they remind us of a regional holiday, or a sports event, or the birthday of a famous person. Or election day. Or just…

Hey, if there is a Google Falafel Day, then why shouldn’t there be a mountain day?

However, sometimes they are animated pictures, videos and even games on the Google logo. They are creative and fun, but most importantly – they are a great example of gamification. Such short gamified activities stimulate users’ creativity and help pass a couple of enjoyable minutes and get the pressure off. And have fun as well!

But, the power of games lies beyond the pass time activities:

5. In 2019, 79% of employees claim they have gained motivation and purpose at the workplace because of gamified activities.

(Source: Talent Ims)

• 85% of employees say they’ll spend more time on gamified software.
• 97% of employees of age 45+ claim gamified activities improve the quality of their work.
• 50% of startups incorporate gamified activities in their strategy.

6. 90% of employees feel more productive when using gamification.

(Source: Medium.org)

• Only 28% of people feel motivated during non-gamified training.
• Using gamified activities increases motivation by 48%.
• 69% of employees intend to stay with a company for 3+ years if they use gamified activities.

7. Using gamification may increase 6X the newly registered business users.

(Source: Forbes)

• Using gamification can help a company increase customer interactions by up to 40%.
• 60% of employees who undertook gamified training increased their productivity.

Let’s not forget millennials and Generation Z, guys. They are used to technology, creative thinking, not to mention that smartphones are literally stuck to their hands and they can’t handle not knowing the answer to a question. (Just try saying to a millennial “I wish I knew what year that song came out…” and – BAM! – the cat is dead, curiosity strikes again.) One more thing – those guys LOVE playing games and know how to benefit from them!

Oh, yes! Everybody, brace yourselves…

Gamification in Training: Does Gamification Have a Place in My Business Strategy?

Business gamification is one of the best ways to boost employees’ motivation. Gaining rewards and recognition and adding achievements on your list of tasks is a guaranteed way to win the heart of your employees.

Gamification has the power to improve your business performance. The concept is simple:

Apply game-oriented activities to a non-game environment.

In recent years gamification became a big deal. Most major organizations have already implemented gamification in their business strategy. Why? Because their leaders understand the importance of employee commitment and motivation. So, when choosing a business plan software to help you out, keep gamification in mind.

Here are some gamification stats that will prove our point:

8. In 2019, 89% of employees would spend more time on an app or software if there was a gamified element.

(Source: Talent Ims)

• 89% of employees would feel more engaged in the workplace if there were gamified activities.
• 95% of employees enjoy using gaming elements.

Gamification can boost your business in unsuspected ways!

Also, gamifying your ecommerce business is a way to achieve growth quicker. Sharing our achievements and our work progress on a platform of any kind and in a non-game environment stimulates productivity and dedication of the target group. As the gamification guru Gabe Zimmermann says:

Gamification is 75% psychology and 25% technology.

Moving on to our next stop on our gamification tour:

Gamification: Benefits and Risks

The key benefits of gamification are increased customer engagement, reducing banner blindness, and boosting brand awareness. Motivating users by rewarding them with special features, will make conversion rates skyrocket.

9. Gamifying your website can boost browsing time by up to 30%.

(Source: Optimonster)

• 78% of people claim that a gamified recruiting process makes them more eager to work for the company.
• In 2019, 87% of employees claim they feel more socially connected when there are gamified activities in the workplace.

10. 89% of employees say a gamified task at work makes them more competitive.

(Source: Talent Ims)

• 62% of people claim they would feel more motivated if given the chance to compete with their peers.
• 26% of people say they prefer gamified activities that include real-time feedback on performance.

The major risks of gamification are excessive use and poor execution. Either of these can cause the system to fall short of its intended results.

On the one hand, employers should avoid the mistake of making participation in workplace activities mandatory. The idea is to help your employees feel at ease at the workplace. You can’t make a person have fun, am I right?

11. 72% of employees claim gamification inspires them to work harder.

(Source: Medium.org)

• 30% of employees claim that progressing to more difficult levels is their favorite gamification element at the workplace.
• 53% of students of any age say profile updates are the top way of making a class more enjoyable.

On the other hand, there are many great benefits to gamification. It creates a sense of competition that works miracles. Facebook’s popularity, and that of many other apps and platforms after that, is based on the newly introduced by Zuckerberg Like-system. The more likes you get – the better you feel about yourself. That principle can easily get implemented at the workplace.

There’s nothing that can get people more stimulated and satisfied with their jobs than a sense of recognition. One of the great gamification examples targets people who label products in supermarkets. The job is tedious and takes a lot of time…

However, imagine if it were gamified. Every employee would get points for doing it on time, which will accumulate and the employee moves to the next level, where they perform a different task. They would receive notice about how many products they have labeled and how many are left. That way a boring task becomes an adventure.

The implementations of gamification are countless… Literally!

Now:

Gamification in Learning

Digital education has introduced some good practices in education in recent years. We are still far from using the full potential of gamification, but there is a lot to look forward to in the near future.

For example:

Teachers of many generations have strived to improve student engagement. That is as true for the education system, as for adult preparatory programs. Gamification of activities is one of the best ways to achieve the ultimate goals of every teacher and employer – engagement, motivation, dedication, and ultimately – results.

12. By 2020, the education gamification market value is estimated to reach $1.5 billion.

(Source: Statista)

• In 2012, the total global revenue of the learning games market was $3.91 million.
• In 2015, the gamification education market was worth $93.04 million.
• In 2017, the total global revenue of the learning games market reached $8.95 million.

One more thing: gamification works for people of all ages. There is no restriction when it comes to learning a new skill or teaching a crowd to release their creativity and boost motivation.

13. In 2018, 90% of people worldwide believed learning technologies are effective.

(Source: Statista)

• 89% of respondents in surveys say that a point system would make them feel more engaged with the workflow.
• 38% of American adults are video gamers.
• In 2018, 81% of respondents in surveys claimed that gamified activities boost their sense of belonging.

The most popular gamified elements used by educators and employers are creating challenges and designing leaderboards, a points-and-scores system, dividing tasks at levels and winning badges for achievements.

Team-building activities with gamified elements are old news in 2019. The real challenge is to implement gamified elements in the workplace and in education programs all over the world.

Playing games is a super easy and fun way to get the full attention and dedication of your audience. Every kindergarten teacher and corporate team leader will tell you that.

14. 63% of respondents in the US say that playing games is very important for their children.

(Source: Statista)

• 97% of kids play video games.
• 60% of US teens play games on a console.
• 2.5 billion people played video games in 2016.

Nowadays, playing video games is already a part of our culture, the same way a pet becomes a member of the family. Imagine if we use the dedication and vigor, with which kids play video games, and channel that into a creative and academic environment.

Children at schools are bored, and employees are the same way – they spend 8 hours every working day doing something dull. Gamification provides an ongoing learning experience, which can be measured and which can give feedback to the learner.

Homo Ludens is up for a game, everybody!

The Future of Gamification

Gamification uses gaming mechanics to increase the sense of recognition and encourage retention in a non-gaming environment. Target groups are stimulated to express themselves through memorable actions and motivation games for work and for educational programs.

15. 83% of employees claim they feel more motivated when their training is gamified.

(Source: Talent Ims)

• By 2021, the number of active video gamers in the world will be 2.72 billion.
• In 2019, 59% of employees are granted points on an app or software at the workplace.

In the future, people will be able to use gamification to develop skills. With the miracle of machine learning, a viral and augmented reality one thing is for sure – there is a lot of potential in the future of gamification.

In the present, gamification is used primarily as a tool to prevent disengagement and to boost motivation. According to statistics, using things like gamification apps for employee engagement not only fulfill their purpose but also make employees happy. What could be better than employees who enjoy their work and give their best for the company?

It’s written in the stars, guys!

Key Take-Outs

People used to be biased about gaming for years. Some still are.

The story of gamification starts when we unlearn our bias against gaming and learn to see all the opportunities for a better future for us, humans!

After you saw our list of gamification statistics maybe we changed your mind today. And if you are a definitely-pro-game person – I am sure you enjoyed seeing the way gamification is progressing.

In 2019, let’s put the power of games to work!

It is in the nature of playing games to inspire us to create. If we apply the concepts of games into a non-game environment, people can change their attitude towards various activities and ultimately – change the world.

Gamification is the future of education and business strategies all over the world, as statistics show. People enjoy different activities and hobbies.

But one thing unites us – we all love to play!

I hope you had fun with the latest gamification stats today, guys!

See you soon!