Gamification only emerged as a strategy in the context of business at the beginning of the 2000s. The inventor of the term was the programmer and author Nick Pelling, who is said to have coined it in 2002.
The idea of using playful elements to acquire or retain customers, and to motivate employees, is however considerably older.
As early as the 1960s, psychiatric clinics utilized a so-called token economy, a systematic reward system in which patients received chips for desirable behavior. These could be exchanged for specific prizes. Since the 1990s, airlines have been utilizing frequent flyer miles programs, and supermarkets have been relying on loyalty programs for decades. Even the award “Employee of the Month” can be understood as a playful competition to increase motivation, and therefore, gamification.
If in the past there were gamification prototypes that operated according to a simple reward scheme, the present-day versions are normally digital and offer playing experiences that are more sophisticated.
Sometimes, the physical and digital world can also interlock – for example, the app “Zombies Run” motivates runners, and apps like “EpicWin” combines the completion of daily tasks with digital role-playing.