Because of the possibilities that it opens for a variety of fields and practices, gamification has increasingly garnered significant attention. This has put it at the forefront of many significant debates around its applicability and implications. In the case of its application to cultural heritage, although there is much trailblazing to do, the body of work has been growing and the field is gaining its maturity. As such, this paper aims to take stock of the directions the field has been moving towards—to provide orientation for future work and projects that are yet to be developed. To do this, the paper aims to map out the publications in the field of gamified cultural heritage, by conducting a broader and systematic literature review. The study has found that, with regards to who the main actors with publications in the field are, a prominence of European institutions and networks, namely from Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom, can be observed. Regarding what heritage is being gamified and for what purpose, the study found a prominence of focus on historical, architectural and archeological heritage values and a very significant focus on gamification being used for motivation/engagement and for creativity enhancement. When looking at the gamification design dimensions that are given prevalence, intrinsic motivation seems to be prioritized, and, with regards to the observed target publics, tourists and visitors and seem to prevail in gamified heritage projects, with children as a specific group coming in second. Regarding technologies and tools being used, Mobile Applications, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are particularly prevalent. Regarding mentioned future orientations, the study found that a vast majority of papers are self-contained, both in scope of work and discussion, with most of those that do mention future directions indicating continuation and/or expansion of their specific project.

Although there is ample evidence that gamification can engage students in learning, it is less used than one would expect. This raises the question of the difficulties teachers face in planning and implementing gamification in their classes. What enables teachers’ implementation of gamification? These questions were addressed through a case study, and data were collected along the four phases of a teachers’ training course. The first phase approached the gamification concept, the Octalysis Framework, the types of gamification, and digital tools. The second phase focused on planning the gamification activity, the third one on implementing it with their students in school, and the fourth phase on sharing and reflecting on their experience. It was possible to identify enablers and difficulties that influenced the planning, such as personal background, time available, and technical conditions in the classroom. Most teachers opted for a platform with digital tools that allowed them to apply all the desired features to their gamified activities. The most complex gamified activities were related to the teacher’s gaming experience, use of digital tools, and risk-taking.

Gamification es un concepto reciente y se proyecta como una tendencia tecnológica para aplicar en las escuelas para el año 2017 (Johnson, Adams Becker carretera y Freeman, 2014a, 2014b, 2014c). Actualmente la mayoría de los ejemplos de aplicación de gamificación, incluyendo el contexto educativo, consiste en utilizar los botones / insignias, tablas de clasificación y puntuaciones. Varios autores (Burke, 2014; Deterding, 2014; Kapp, 2012; Zichermann, 2013) enfatizan que la gamificación no puede limitarse a la mera aplicación de estos mecanismos en el juego si quieren contextos gamificados. Es necesario conocer los intereses de la audiencia, sus necesidades, lo que puede motivar y planear una actividad gamificada que cumpla con estas expectativas. Por todas estas razones, se tienen que desarrollar estudios para comprender cómo este proceso podría implementarse con mayor eficacia en contextos educativos, lo que permite el desarrollo de herramientas adecuadas y las directrices que crean que pueden guiar a aquellos que quieren incluir gamificación en su práctica docente. Este artículo presenta una revisión de la literatura sobre el concepto de gamificación, describiendo algunos ejemplos relevantes que hacen que sea más fácil de entender cómo se puede implementar, proponer preguntas para reflexionar sobre la hora de aplicar esta nueva metodología a los contextos educativos.

This paper presents results from a survey conducted in 2013 in Portugal to students from 5th grade (10 years) to University Students (Master's degree). The sample included 2303 subjects, 1273 male and 1030 female. The results show the five most mentioned games according to student's grade level and gender, emphasizing the similarities and differences. Participants were also inquired about their receptiveness to learn school subjects through games and what kind of games they would prefer. Students expressed themselves favorably. However, there is a difference between the kind of games suitable for learning, and the games most played by University Students.

A gamificação tem vindo a ser integrada nas práticas educativas de alguns professores, provocando mudanças que promovem a motivação e o envolvimento dos alunos nas tarefas propostas. Para proporcionar emoções similares às que os jovens procuram nos jogos, podem ser utilizadas diferentes ferramentas digitais que se vão referir ao longo das descrições dos casos. Neste artigo procede-se ao enquadramento teórico sobre o conceito de gamificação e à sua aplicação no ensino, apresentando o modelo Octalysis. De seguida, reportam-se exemplos desenvolvidos e aplicados em sala de aula por professores, que podem ser replicados, proporcionando aos alunos novas experiências e emoções, envolvendo-os no processo de aprendizagem.