The term gamification was first used in 2003.
At the time, most people didn’t understand what it meant or how it was relevant to running a business.
Fast forward twenty years and gamification is everywhere.
As the following gamification statistics show, businesses of all sizes have seen that it can benefit them and their employees.
Gamification involves adding game elements to everyday tasks.
It should make them more enjoyable and employees more willing to engage in them.
For example, adding points and other rewards to a training process will encourage trainees to complete the process faster and as well as possible.
It can also be used to describe adding a leaderboard in the workplace.
This, with suitable prizes, will encourage workers to get onto the leaderboard and win a prize.
Gamification doesn’t mean you let employees play games, it simply means you take the principles of gaming and apply them to everyday situations.
This encourages staff to work harder and more efficiently.
That’s good for business and, therefore, good for their job.
Key Statistics
- 90% of respondents state gamification improves productivity
- Businesses which embrace gamification are seven times more profitable
- The gamification industry in North America is worth $3.8 billion
- 67% of students state gamification boosts motivation
- The gamification industry is expected to grow by 12.9% by 2025
- 70% of global 2000 companies are using gamification
- 95% of employees see gamification as advantageous
- Approximately 50% of employees are also casual gamers
- 80% of company gamification attempts fail
- Western europe has seen the biggest increase in game-based learning
- Websites with interactive content have a six time higher conversion rate
- 66% of employees believe gamification reduces stress
- 33% of employees would like training software gamified
- Xoxoday plum is the most popular gamification software
- Gamification is increasingly popular as part of the recruitment process
- 69% of employees are more likely to stay loyal
- Gamification is increasingly important in research
Best Gamification Statistics in 2025
1. 90% Of Respondents State Gamification Improves Productivity
Gamification has quickly gone mainstream and it’s not just because it makes the work day more enjoyable.
Employees appreciate that it can help profitability, even if this isn’t passed on to the employees.
The use of games in certain activities throughout the work day makes other activities more bearable, encouraging employees to see each task through to completion as quickly as possible.
Interestingly, alongside 90% of employees seeing gamification as more productive, 78% of employees look for gamification when job hunting.
That’s 78% of all potential candidates who wouldn’t take a job unless the company includes gamification in its recruiting and daily procedures.
All businesses need to pay attention to this statistic if they want to find the best employees.
(Zippia)
2. Businesses Which Embrace Gamification Are Seven Times More Profitable
All businesses are looking at ways to improve efficiency and productivity.
The more efficient and productive they are, the better the profit.
However, it can be difficult to motivate employees to encourage this efficiency and productivity.
That’s why businesses are constantly looking for new techniques.
Gamification has become popular, simply because it provides results.
According to the latest studies, gamification can lead to seven times more profit when compared to companies which don’t use gamification.
That’s enough to motivate any business.
(Zippia)
3. The Gamification Industry In North America Is Worth $3.8 Billion
The global gamification industry is set to be worth $20 billion within the next two years.
Currently, it is worth approximately $12 billion. The US share of this industry is $3.8 billion.
That’s larger than any other country.
The US is likely to remain as the largest part of the gamification industry for the foreseeable future.
The huge number of cell phones in the US is a large part of the reason why gamification will continue to thrive within the US.
Of course, as the global industry expands the need for gamification software will also increase. The US is already prepared for this. That’s why the gamification industry in the US is exploding.
(Zippia)
4. 67% Of Students State Gamification Boosts Motivation
Gamification isn’t just useful for employers. It has been shown to be useful in educational facilities.
It can be difficult to listen and absorb an array of new information, even when you’re interested in the topic.
It’s much harder if the education is forced, learning generally becomes tedious and boring.
However, as 67% of students surveyed agree, add gaming into the educational mix and the learning process suddenly becomes distinctly more attractive.
In fact, studies show that gamification doesn’t just make students more motivated. It also helps students learn.
It’s more fun and the brain is designed to absorb information from images.
The studies found that student test scores can go up by as much as 34% simply by adding gaming into the mix.
Thanks to several teachers verifying the results of these studies, as many as 75% of all teachers in elementary schools are using digital games to enhance the learning process.
It’s a trend that is likely to be adopted by 100% of teachers in the future.
(Zippia)
5. The Gamification Industry Is Expected To Grow By 12.9% By 2025
Gamification has been used increasingly in businesses for several years, and it’s growing more popular.
As a sign of how popular, the industry is expected to grow by 12.9% by the end of 2025.
This rate of growth is impressive. In 2016 the gamification industry across the planet was worth $4.9 billion.
By 2018 it had jumped to $6.8 billion, and by 2020 it had reached $9.1 billion.
The steady increase continued and by 2021 it was already worth $11.9 billion.
However, that pales in comparison to the $20 billion experts believe it will be worth by 2025.
(Zippia)
6. 70% Of Global 2000 Companies Are Using Gamification
The Global 2,000 is the 2,000 largest companies in the world.
That’s businesses like JPMorgan Chase, Toyota Motor Company, and Samsung Electronics.
The list is full of financial institutions, oil companies, and retail giants.
Statistics show that 70% of these companies have chosen to adopt gamification into their employee engagement programs.
That means games are used in training, undertaking regular daily processes, and even customer outreach.
The fact that so many of the largest companies are doing this is worth taking note of.
Studies suggest as many as 70% of the workforce in all businesses are not committed to their job, simply going through the motions for a paycheck.
Companies which have committed employees are shown to be 22% more profitable, 21% more productive, and have 10% higher rates of satisfaction for customers.
In other words, the Global 2000 are onto something, gamification helps them be successful.
(Zippia)
7. 95% Of Employees See Gamification As Advantageous
A recent survey by Zippia showed that an impressive 95% of employees believed gamification is advantageous.
The simple process of adding games to tasks, training, and other every day assignments makes them more pleasurable.
This increases the likelihood that an employee will complete the designated role properly.
It also has been shown to help with employee retention.
While 95% of employees state gamification at work makes them happier, more productive, and more willing to do extra, an impressive 69% of employees said gamification would ensure they stay at the company for longer.
In short, any business that introduces gaming as part of training and every day tasks, is likely to see better employee retention and productivity.
(Zippia)
8. Approximately 50% Of Employees Are Also Casual Gamers
Gaming has become one of the biggest industries in the US.
In 2021 it had a revenue of nearly $86 billion, which was an 11.9% rise on 2020!
The latest research by Zippia shows that nearly half of all respondents are also casual gamers. Many even play games during work time.
The survey found that 24% of white-collar workers admitted to playing games while working. Surprisingly, 35% of top-level executives made the same claim.
It illustrates both how gaming has infiltrated every area of life and how useful it is for de-stressing.
Of the surveyed workers that admitted casual gaming, 65% say they did it at least once a month and 61% said it was a regular occurrence during lunch breaks.
The prevalence of casual gamers suggests gamification in training and other workplace activities would be both well-received and beneficial.
(Zippia)
9. 80% Of Company Gamification Attempts Fail
Gamification has been shown to be advantageous, improving productivity, staff retention, and even making customer targeting simpler.
However, that doesn’t mean every attempt to gamify results in a glowing success.
The simple truth is that 80% of gamification attempts fail to meet the objectives set by the company.
It’s possible that the objectives are not a fair indication of what the gamification should achieve.
However, the studies show the issue is generally connected to poor planning, design, and implementation.
In other words, it’s not enough to simply add a game to an advertising campaign or training video. The game must be creative, fun, and subconsciously help the audience learn something new.
That’s why many businesses employ the help of gamification specialists. This will help to ensure the design and message are properly thought out and the process is beneficial to everyone involved.
With the right implementation learners will generally get 14% higher scores on tests and potential customers are six times more likely to commit to a sale.
(Zippia)
10. Western Europe Has Seen The Biggest Increase In Game-Based Learning
The US is the largest market for gamification. That’s not surprising, it’s often the leading market for new technology and ideas.
However, it’s not the fastest-growing market,; possibly because it is already significantly larger than other markets.
Surprisingly, Western Europe is seeing the biggest growth in gamification.
For the period 2019-2024, the industry in Western Europe is expected to grow by 47%.
Eastern Europe follows closely behind with an expected growth of 42% in the same period.
Africa is looking at 41% growth and The Middle East at 36%.
North America, including the US, is expected to grow the industry by 35%. Interestingly, Latin America also expects to see a 30% growth.
The Asia-Pacific region sees the lowest growth of those surveyed. Their growth rate between 2019-2024 is 27%
(Metaari)
11. Websites With Interactive Content Have A Six Time Higher Conversion Rate
A survey conducted in 2019 found that websites with interactive content increase conversion rates by six.
If you’re currently converting 2% of visitors then a six times increase means you’ll be converting 12%. That’s a significant difference.
The main reason is that interactive pages encourage visitors to stay on the page and they will understand/see the benefits of a product easier.
Gamification takes this a stage further and makes staying on the page more attractive.
It can also be addictive, ensuring visitors keep returning and eventually start buying.
With these types of figures it makes sense to try gamification.
(Ceros)
12. 66% Of Employees Believe Gamification Reduces Stress
This is an important statistic even if it isn’t medically confirmed.
Perceived stress reduction is important to quality of life perception.
The higher someone perceives their quality of life to be the happier they will be with that life.
High life quality encourages employee retention, people that are happy with what they do, don’t generally look for employment elsewhere.
Of course, believing you have lower stress levels generally means you feel more relaxed, which is likely to mean stress levels are lower.
Businesses directly benefit from lower stress levels.
Stress is a leading cause of an array of issues, including heart problems and even mental health issues.
It’s also one of the primary reasons employees miss work.
The fact that gamification reduces stress means every business should employ this technique.
It will reduce the number of sick days taken each year.
(eLearning Industry)
13. 33% Of Employees Would Like Training Software Gamified
A few years ago the idea of games as part of recruitment or training would probably have been laughed at.
Today, research shows that it can be an exceptionally effective tool.
As such, it’s being embraced by many businesses across the globe.
The latest research shows some interesting facts.
Specifically, 33% of employees feel that adding gamification to training software would make the training process easier and enable them to retain more of the information learned.
The same survey showed that 49% of employees are bored if they receive non -gamification training.
That means they are less likely to pay attention and absorb the necessary information.
It was also shown that just 3% of employees who received training with gamification were unproductive.
That number increases to 12% if gamification isn’t used.
(TalentLMS)
14. Xoxoday Plum Is the Most Popular Gamification Software
The number of available gamification software is growing rapidly.
However, there are several companies already well-established and enjoying a large share of the market.
One of the most popular at present is Xoxoday Plum.
It’s an all-in-one gaming platform which can help any business create games as part of recruitment, training, or customer research.
It has an impressive 96% satisfaction rate with its customers.
Other top companies include Tango Card, Influitive, Badgeville, Hoopla, and GetBadges.
Each of them offers an array of specialities and provides an insightful guide to using and getting the most from the software.
(finances online)
15. Gamification Is Increasingly Popular As Part Of The Recruitment Process
The global pandemic transformed the way people work.
Billions of people across the planet started to work from home.
Companies needed to adjust their working techniques quickly and this included the recruitment process.
Research has shown that gamification can play an important role in recruiting and training new staff.
The approach to a game, how quickly it is completed, and even the selected playing character can reveal a lot about an individual and their suitability as an addition to the team.
A large number of businesses adopted games as part of the recruitment and training process.
While the pandemic has officially passed, an increasing number of businesses are adopting this approach. Statistics show it works.
(McQuaig)
16. 69% Of Employees are More Likely To Stay Loyal
One of the most important company assets is actually the employees.
Their experience, attitude, and loyalty are essential to maximize productivity and profits.
Employee engagement is becoming an increasingly important part of business success.
More importantly, an increasing number of businesses are recognizing this.
According to the latest survey, 69% of employees are likely to stay loyal to a company for three years or longer if they get gamification initiatives as part of their employee package.
While most people associate gamification with making training more fun, several businesses have started using it to make every day tasks more enjoyable.
FreshDesk recently adopted this approach to help customer service reps deal with mundane daily tasks. They were astonished to find the reps productivity increased by 1,000%
(training zone)
17. Gamification Is Increasingly Important In Research
Every business strives to understand its employees and customers.
It’s the most effective way to ensure the business is offering the best working environment and products that are desired.
However, it can be difficult to assess how effective any training program or customer outreach is.
Gamification offers the perfect solution, which is why it is increasingly being adopted by businesses.
Using gamification allows progress to be tracked, simply by identifying how far users have got in the game.
Equally, a game aimed at customers and potential customers can help companies identify what is most important to customers and how to make their products more appealing.
Dunkin’Donuts created a game called ‘On Your Mark’. It challenged people to play the game and win gift cards.
This got users hooked and allowed Dunkin’Donuts to collect their data and discover how they approached various issues.
The company states it allowed them to boost sales through better targeting of customers.
(Gartner)
How To Add Gamification To The Workplace
If you’re not already using gamification in the workplace then trying to introduce it can seem difficult, if not impossible.
Fortunately, it’s not as difficult as you may think.
Start With Communication
If you’re just about to start gamification in the workplace you’re going to need to get your employees on board.
That means telling them what gamification is, how you envision it working, and what rewards may be available.
While communicating your objectives include some game elements and ask for feedback.
The conversation should end up being fun, highlighting the benefits of gamification.
Add Gamification To Training
It won’t just make training more fun, it will introduce the idea of gamification to the general workforce.
It’s simple to add. Include a points system, this means allocating points every time a task is completed.
The aim is to collect enough points to pass the training, and perhaps win a prize if you have the most points.
Make Sure Rewards Are Balanced
Offering rewards to those that achieve the best results should inspire employees to try harder.
However, if the same employees are consistently the high achievers and get the rewards, the other employees will quickly become disillusioned.
This will decrease morale and productivity.
You need to create a rewards system that includes everyone, allowing every employee to shine in their own field.
That’s when this approach will deliver the best results.
Don’t forget to track the progress of your gamification attempts.
It’s the best way to ensure it boosts productivity, efficiency, and staff retention.
Summing Up
Gamification as a principle is sound.
As the above gamification statistics show, it’s a good way to approach the workplace and improve productivity.
Done right, you’ll also see improved employee happiness, leading to employee retention and a good working environment.
To be part of these positive statistics you need to devise a gamification plan and then review it regularly.
Encourage staff to provide feedback.
That will help you create the best possible environment for them and your business.
There is no doubt that gamification will become more popular.
This will make it more important that you offer it and easier to implement it into your daily procedures.
In short, if you’re not already part of the gamification movement, you need to start considering it today.
