A brief history of gamification

1990s

Games such as Math Blaster and The Incredible Machine are introduced to children.

2002

The Serious Games Initiative is launched, a group that plays a key role in the creation of several games for the U.S. military.  

2003

British computer programmer Nick Pelling coins the term “gamification.” First gamification consulting firm, Conundra, is formed. While it didn’t last long, it was the first of its kind to offer a service that gamified consumer products and incorporated enterprise gamification.

2004

The Games for Change (G4C) initiative is launched, specializing in using games for social impact. The most famous example is G4C’s Peacemaker, which allowed players to take a side in the Arab-Israeli conflict to show the difficulty from both perspectives.  

2007

Bunchball creates Dunder Mifflin Infinity, a gamified website for the TV show, “The Office.” It receives over 8 million pageviews in six weeks.

2010

Gamification becomes a popular term.

2011

First gamification summit is held in San Francisco, attracting nearly 400 attendees.

Oxford dictionary adds gamification to its word of the year shortlist and defines gamification as “the application of concepts and techniques from games to other areas of activity.”

Corporate gamification takes off. The success of gamified applications like Foursquare inspires many large corporates to jump on the gamification bandwagon. Global revenue from gamification marketing, software, and consulting reaches nearly $100 million, according to M2 Research.