۱- Introduction

۲- Adaptation of games in learning

۳- Recent advances in gamification

۴- Requirement for efficient gamification framework

۵- Cloud-assisted gamification architecture

۶- Research challenges

۷- Conclusion

References

Abstract

Gamification has gained considerable interest in education circles due to its capability of enhancing the learning process among students. In the future, it is expected that gamification will overtake the traditional way of learning resulting in issues such as scalability, upgradation of learning modules. To address these issues, merging gamification with cloud computing seems a viable solution. However, the employability of gamification through cloud computing is still in its infant stage. Hence, this article investigates the applicability of gamification through cloud computing and presents a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art gamification in education and learning. We also identify the subject areas that can be gamified and taught using the cloud service. The critical elements and minimum requirements necessary to gamify education are also identified. Moreover, a specific cloud-assisted gamification architecture is proposed and discussed together with its possible applications. The article is concluded with the research challenges and suggestions for future work.

Introduction

With the advent of innovative technologies, new areas for solving different problems appear. Gamification constitutes one such area that has promise. The application of game-like environments (game mechanics) to promote motivation for learning and solving problems is known as gamification [1]. This concept possesses a number of applications in the area of promoting business and learning. However, the most recent studies have focused on applying gamification in the education sector to promote the learning process. According to Nah et al. [2], the use of games in the process of educationally instituted learning can considerably enhance the motivation of students. Gamification allows students to engage in difficult tasks (missions) and achieve the required goal within a short span of time. Besides, games allow the user to repeat a particular task in the event of failure.