26 Books like Gamification by Design

For the Win

by Kevin Werbach • 2012

Why leaderboards backfire and points stop working: designing motivation that comes from within.

3.75

1k+

🎮 Gamification Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧠 Motivation Psychology 🔬 Self-Determination Theory 💰 Behavioral Economics

For the Win 98%

Why leaderboards backfire and points stop working: designing motivation that comes from within.

by Kevin Werbach 2012

3.75

1k+ ratings

🎮 Gamification Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧠 Motivation Psychology 🔬 Self-Determination Theory 💰 Behavioral Economics

Press Start

by Daniel Griffin • 2019

Forget points and badges. The marketing power of games is in solving problems people actually have.

3.80

🎮 Gamification 🎯 Marketing Strategy 🧠 Behavioral Design 🌊 Flow State 🔬 Motivation Science

Press Start 97%

Forget points and badges. The marketing power of games is in solving problems people actually have.

by Daniel Griffin 2019

3.80

10 ratings

🎮 Gamification 🎯 Marketing Strategy 🧠 Behavioral Design 🌊 Flow State 🔬 Motivation Science

Reality Is Broken

by Jane McGonigal • 2010

Games satisfy us more than reality does. That gap is a blueprint for a better world.

3.79

8k+

🎮 Game Design 🕹️ Gamification 🌞 Positive Psychology 🧠 Collective Intelligence 🌊 Flow Psychology

Reality Is Broken 97%

Games satisfy us more than reality does. That gap is a blueprint for a better world.

by Jane McGonigal 2010

3.79

8k+ ratings

🎮 Game Design 🕹️ Gamification 🌞 Positive Psychology 🧠 Collective Intelligence 🌊 Flow Psychology

Designing Games

by Tynan Sylvester • 2013

Build games as emotion machines: a systems guide to rules, choices, and difficulty.

4.47

517

🎮 Game Design 🧠 Player Psychology 🔄 Iterative Design 🔗 Systems Thinking 📖 Narrative Design

Designing Games 96%

Build games as emotion machines: a systems guide to rules, choices, and difficulty.

by Tynan Sylvester 2013

4.47

517 ratings

🎮 Game Design 🧠 Player Psychology 🔄 Iterative Design 🔗 Systems Thinking 📖 Narrative Design

Gamify

by Brian Burke • 2014

Stop adding badges to everything. Real gamification starts with what the player wants to achieve.

3.44

521

📊 Gamification Design 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation 🔄 Behavioral Design 🎨 Design Thinking 👥 Employee Engagement

Gamify 96%

Stop adding badges to everything. Real gamification starts with what the player wants to achieve.

by Brian Burke 2014

3.44

521 ratings

📊 Gamification Design 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation 🔄 Behavioral Design 🎨 Design Thinking 👥 Employee Engagement

The Art of Game Design

by Jesse Schell • 2008

Players feel your work, they don't read it. A hundred ways to design what they feel.

4.39

3k+

🎮 Game Design 🧠 Player Psychology 🔄 Iterative Design 🌊 Flow Theory 🌍 World-Building

The Art of Game Design 96%

Players feel your work, they don't read it. A hundred ways to design what they feel.

by Jesse Schell 2008

4.39

3k+ ratings

🎮 Game Design 🧠 Player Psychology 🔄 Iterative Design 🌊 Flow Theory 🌍 World-Building

The Gamification Revolution

by Gabe Zichermann • 2013

What makes games sticky, and how to steal their playbook for business.

3.71

194

🎮 Gamification 💼 Employee Engagement 🧠 Behavioral Economics 🎯 Intrinsic Motivation 👥 Crowdsourcing

The Gamification Revolution 96%

What makes games sticky, and how to steal their playbook for business.

by Gabe Zichermann 2013

3.71

194 ratings

🎮 Gamification 💼 Employee Engagement 🧠 Behavioral Economics 🎯 Intrinsic Motivation 👥 Crowdsourcing

A Game Design Vocabulary

by Anna Anthropy • 2013

The grammar of game design: how to script a back-and-forth that players lose themselves in.

3.94

134

📗 Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧩 Game Systems 🧠 Player Experience 📖 Emergent Narrative

A Game Design Vocabulary 96%

The grammar of game design: how to script a back-and-forth that players lose themselves in.

by Anna Anthropy 2013

3.94

134 ratings

📗 Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧩 Game Systems 🧠 Player Experience 📖 Emergent Narrative

Glued to Games

by Scott Rigby • 2011

Games grip you longer than movies because they feed deep needs that daily life starves.

4.00

111

🎮 Video Game Psychology 🕹️ Game Design Theory 🧠 Player Motivation 📚 Self-Determination Theory ⚠️ Game Addiction

Glued to Games 95%

Games grip you longer than movies because they feed deep needs that daily life starves.

by Scott Rigby 2011

4.00

111 ratings

🎮 Video Game Psychology 🕹️ Game Design Theory 🧠 Player Motivation 📚 Self-Determination Theory ⚠️ Game Addiction

The Gamification of Learning and Instruction

by Karl M. Kapp • 2012

Points and badges alone fail. Design learning that motivates like a game, tailored to player types.

3.83

305

🧱 Instructional Design 🎮 Game-Based Learning 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation 🎓 Experiential Learning 🔬 Self-Determination Theory

The Gamification of Learning and Instruction Summary

The Gamification of Learning and Instruction 95%

Points and badges alone fail. Design learning that motivates like a game, tailored to player types.

by Karl M. Kapp 2012

3.83

305 ratings

🧱 Instructional Design 🎮 Game-Based Learning 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation 🎓 Experiential Learning 🔬 Self-Determination Theory

Explore Like a Pirate

by Michael Matera • 2015

Turn your classroom into a game where students chase knowledge, not grades.

4.22

307

🎮 Classroom Gamification 🕹️ Game-Based Learning 📐 Instructional Design 🔥 Student Engagement 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation

Explore Like a Pirate 95%

Turn your classroom into a game where students chase knowledge, not grades.

by Michael Matera 2015

4.22

307 ratings

🎮 Classroom Gamification 🕹️ Game-Based Learning 📐 Instructional Design 🔥 Student Engagement 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation

A Theory Of Fun For Game Design

by Ralph Koster • 2004

Games tap into your brain's learning circuits. The rush of fun is the moment something clicks.

3.90

3k+

🎮 Game Design 📚 Game Studies 🧠 Learning Through Games ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧩 Player Psychology

A Theory Of Fun For Game Design 95%

Games tap into your brain's learning circuits. The rush of fun is the moment something clicks.

by Ralph Koster 2004

3.90

3k+ ratings

🎮 Game Design 📚 Game Studies 🧠 Learning Through Games ⚙️ Game Mechanics 🧩 Player Psychology

Loyalty 3.0

by Rajat Paharia • 2013

Five intrinsic drives plus data and game mechanics: a playbook for loyalty beyond points.

3.79

248

🎯 Customer Loyalty 👥 Employee Engagement 🎮 Gamification 📊 Big Data 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation

Loyalty 3.0 94%

Five intrinsic drives plus data and game mechanics: a playbook for loyalty beyond points.

by Rajat Paharia 2013

3.79

248 ratings

🎯 Customer Loyalty 👥 Employee Engagement 🎮 Gamification 📊 Big Data 🧠 Intrinsic Motivation

Think Like a Game Designer

by Justin Gary • 2018

A repeatable design loop that turns raw ideas into tested, publishable games, no genius required.

4.01

184

🎮 Game Design 🎨 Creative Industries 💡 Design Thinking 🔧 Rapid Prototyping 🧠 Player Psychology

Think Like a Game Designer 94%

A repeatable design loop that turns raw ideas into tested, publishable games, no genius required.

by Justin Gary 2018

4.01

184 ratings

🎮 Game Design 🎨 Creative Industries 💡 Design Thinking 🔧 Rapid Prototyping 🧠 Player Psychology

The Game Changer

by Jason Fox • 2014

Pep talks fail. Visible progress works. A game-design playbook for building it into work.

3.88

185

🏗️ Change Management 💼 Workplace Motivation 🎮 Gameful Design 📊 Visible Progress 🎯 Motivational Design

The Game Changer 94%

Pep talks fail. Visible progress works. A game-design playbook for building it into work.

by Jason Fox 2014

3.88

185 ratings

🏗️ Change Management 💼 Workplace Motivation 🎮 Gameful Design 📊 Visible Progress 🎯 Motivational Design

Getting Gamers

by Jamie Madigan • 2015

The psychology that turns play into obsession, strangers into teammates, and pixels into identity.

4.01

489

🎮 Gaming Psychology 🧠 Behavioral Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🌐 Online Communities 🪪 Social Identity

Getting Gamers 94%

The psychology that turns play into obsession, strangers into teammates, and pixels into identity.

by Jamie Madigan 2015

4.01

489 ratings

🎮 Gaming Psychology 🧠 Behavioral Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 🌐 Online Communities 🪪 Social Identity

Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools

by David Lightbown • 2015

Game tools are an unmeasured productivity drain. A UX method for fixing what studios overlook.

4.13

🛠️ Game Development Tools 🖼️ User Interface Design 👥 User-Centered Design 🔍 Usability Testing 🧠 Cognitive Design

Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools Summary

Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools 94%

Game tools are an unmeasured productivity drain. A UX method for fixing what studios overlook.

by David Lightbown 2015

4.13

16 ratings

🛠️ Game Development Tools 🖼️ User Interface Design 👥 User-Centered Design 🔍 Usability Testing 🧠 Cognitive Design

Game of Work, The

by Charles Coonradt • 1999

Why people work harder at games than at jobs, and five rules for stealing that energy.

3.83

156

🔥 Workplace Motivation 👥 Team Management 🎮 Gamification 🎯 Goal Setting 📊 Performance Measurement

Game of Work, The 94%

Why people work harder at games than at jobs, and five rules for stealing that energy.

by Charles Coonradt 1999

3.83

156 ratings

🔥 Workplace Motivation 👥 Team Management 🎮 Gamification 🎯 Goal Setting 📊 Performance Measurement

UX for Beginners

by Joel Marsh • 2016

A UX crash course in 100 lessons: psychology, research, structure. Effective beats happy.

4.04

521

🖥️ User Experience Design 👤 Human-Centered Design 🧠 Design Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 📋 User Research

UX for Beginners 94%

A UX crash course in 100 lessons: psychology, research, structure. Effective beats happy.

by Joel Marsh 2016

4.04

521 ratings

🖥️ User Experience Design 👤 Human-Centered Design 🧠 Design Psychology 🔍 Cognitive Biases 📋 User Research

Well-Designed

by Jon Kolko • 2014

The best products win on emotion, not features. How to design with empathy instead of assumptions.

3.89

512

📐 Product Design 🧩 User Experience 📋 Product Management 💡 Design Thinking 🧠 Behavioral Design

Well-Designed 94%

The best products win on emotion, not features. How to design with empathy instead of assumptions.

by Jon Kolko 2014

3.89

512 ratings

📐 Product Design 🧩 User Experience 📋 Product Management 💡 Design Thinking 🧠 Behavioral Design

How to Get People to Do Stuff

by Susan M. Weinschenk • 2013

Seven motivations that override logic, and how to ethically build them into everything you design.

3.82

712

🎯 Applied Psychology 🎨 Behavioral Design ⚡ Motivation Science 🔁 Habit Formation 🧠 Cognitive Biases

How to Get People to Do Stuff 94%

Seven motivations that override logic, and how to ethically build them into everything you design.

by Susan M. Weinschenk 2013

3.82

712 ratings

🎯 Applied Psychology 🎨 Behavioral Design ⚡ Motivation Science 🔁 Habit Formation 🧠 Cognitive Biases

Play to Learn

by Sharon Boller • 2017

The step-by-step playbook for designing learning games that slash training time and boost retention.

3.95

🎮 Game Design 🛠️ Instructional Design 🎲 Game-Based Learning 🎯 Serious Games 🏢 Corporate Training

Play to Learn 93%

The step-by-step playbook for designing learning games that slash training time and boost retention.

by Sharon Boller 2017

3.95

42 ratings

🎮 Game Design 🛠️ Instructional Design 🎲 Game-Based Learning 🎯 Serious Games 🏢 Corporate Training

Badass

by Kathy Sierra • 2015

Better users beat better features. A method for designing skill into the first 30 minutes.

4.17

1k+

🎨 Product Design 🖥️ User Experience 🧠 Learning Science 👤 User-Centered Design 📐 Learning Design

Badass 93%

Better users beat better features. A method for designing skill into the first 30 minutes.

by Kathy Sierra 2015

4.17

1k+ ratings

🎨 Product Design 🖥️ User Experience 🧠 Learning Science 👤 User-Centered Design 📐 Learning Design

Designing for Behavior Change

by Stephen Wendel • 2013

Build products that change real-world behavior: a system grounded in how the mind actually decides.

4.09

414

🧠 Behavioral Design 🏛️ Choice Architecture 🔄 Lean Product Development 🔍 User Research 📈 Behavioral Economics

Designing for Behavior Change 93%

Build products that change real-world behavior: a system grounded in how the mind actually decides.

by Stephen Wendel 2013

4.09

414 ratings

🧠 Behavioral Design 🏛️ Choice Architecture 🔄 Lean Product Development 🔍 User Research 📈 Behavioral Economics

Level Up!

by Scott Rogers • 2010

The game design manual that puts controls, camera, and characters first, then shows you the rest.

4.09

1k+

🎮 Video Game Development 🛠️ Practical Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 📖 Game Storytelling 🗺️ Level Design

Level Up! 93%

The game design manual that puts controls, camera, and characters first, then shows you the rest.

by Scott Rogers 2010

4.09

1k+ ratings

🎮 Video Game Development 🛠️ Practical Game Design ⚙️ Game Mechanics 📖 Game Storytelling 🗺️ Level Design

Start at the End

by Matt Wallaert • 2019

Most products try to motivate. The ones that stick remove what's in the way.

3.81

433

🧠 Behavioral Design 🗺️ Product Strategy 📊 Behavioral Economics ✏️ Product Design ⚖️ Ethical Design

Start at the End 93%

Most products try to motivate. The ones that stick remove what's in the way.

by Matt Wallaert 2019

3.81

433 ratings

🧠 Behavioral Design 🗺️ Product Strategy 📊 Behavioral Economics ✏️ Product Design ⚖️ Ethical Design

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