You’ve probably heard it before: gamification is the future of education. But you might be wondering what that means—and how to get started.
We know it’s hard to find the right data when you need it. So we scoured the internet and hand-picked the most relevant statistics on gamification in education—all in one place.
You’ll find stats on everything from how many teachers are using gamification in their classrooms to what types of games are being used (and why). You’ll also get stats about who is using gamification, how people feel about it, and how it impacts students’ learning outcomes.
The best part? You don’t have to spend hours searching through reports and blog posts to find all this information—we’ve done all that work for you!
Gamification in Education Statistics (Highlights)
- The global gamification in education market was valued at $860.13 million in 2021.
- More than a third (38%) of teachers use digital games in class on a weekly basis.
- 91% of the teachers who use games in the classroom use educational games.
- 54% of teachers use digital game devices in class to motivate and reward their students.
- 55% of teachers agree that using digital games in class motivates low-performing and special ed students.
- 21% of teachers agree that digital games in the class promote collaboration between the students.
- 87% of teachers found that students were more engaged in class when they included purposeful play in their lessons.
Gamification in Education Market Statistics
1. The global gamification in education market was valued at $860.13 million in 2021.
Future projections show that the market is expected to grow to $11,671 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 33.61% between 2022 and 2030.
Furthermore, statistics show that by deployment, cloud gamification in education dominated the market with a 56.7% share, generating $487.69 million worth of revenue in 2021.
By end-user, corporate training gamification led the market with a 54.2% market share and generated $466.19 million in revenues.
By region, North America is the largest player, with a 34.3% market share and $295.02 million of the total revenues for 2021.
(Globe News Wire)
2. Western Europe has the highest growth rate for game-based learning, at 47.2%.
Eastern Europe is in the number two spot with a growth rate of 42.2%, and Africa holds the number three spot, with a 41.3% growth rate.
The game-based learning market in the North American region is already mature, though it is still steadily growing at a 35.2% rate, just below the growth rate of the Middle East of 36.2%. The market in Latin America also has a healthy growth rate of 30.1%, while in Asia, the market is growing at the slowest rate of 27%.
(Metaari)
Using Gamification in the Classroom Statistics
3. 74% of teachers say they use digital games for instructional purposes with their students.
The stats also show that female teachers are slightly more likely to use digital games in the classroom, with 75% of them saying they use digital games to teach, while only 69% of the male teachers say the same.
Moreover, 3-5 grade teachers are the most likely to use games with 79%, followed by K-2 teachers with 66%. Teachers of older students are less likely to use games in the classrooms, with 47% of 6-8 grade teachers and 40% of 9-12 grade teachers using them.
(Academia, Umich)
4. More than a third (38%) of teachers use digital games in class on a weekly basis.
In addition, just over a fourth of all teachers, or 27%, use them on a monthly basis. Furthermore, some teachers are more comfortable using digital games in the classroom, so 18% of teachers use them on a daily basis.
However, there are also 16% of teachers that are not comfortable using games in class, so they use them less frequently than once a month or never use them.
(Umich)
5. 91% of the teachers who use games in the classroom use educational games.
While most teachers say they use educational games like literacy, math, and other content-specific games, there are also 24% of teachers who say they use trivia games and 23% of teachers who say they use puzzle games in their class.
Moreover, 14% of teachers say they use student-designed games, and 12% also use games that encourage students to be physically active.
Simulation, role-playing, and action/adventure games are the least frequently used, by only 8%, 6%, and 5% of the teachers.
(Academia)
6. Not having enough time is the biggest barrier that 45% of teachers are facing with digital games in the classroom.
The teachers face plenty of barriers when using digital games in class, however, time and money seem to be the biggest ones. 44% say the cost of gamification is a barrier, while 35% say the lack of tech resources is also a problem.
Additionally, 34% say that it is hard to find games appropriate for their curriculum, and 27% say they are not sure where to find quality games.
Some of the more minor barriers include unfamiliarity with technology, and lack of administrative and parental support, according to 17%, 14%, and 9% of teachers.
(Games and Learning)
7. 80% of teachers say they wish it was easier to find digital games suitable to their curriculum standards.
Only 39% say that the games that are available now and fit their curriculum standards are sufficient. A considerable portion of teachers, or 45%, believe that commercial digital games, which were not created for educational purposes, can also be used for teaching their core curriculum.
(Games and Learning)
8. Only 15% of the teachers read reviews of the games they use in class before deciding to use them.
The experience their colleagues had with a game is the main factor that influences 48% of the teachers’ decisions when choosing a game they want to use in their class. In addition, 42% of teachers rely on their own, personal experience with the game, while only 31% take their students’ experience into account.
Moreover, 24% of teachers say the game’s price, and 17% say its rating plays a role in their decision.
(Games and Learning)
9. 72% of teachers say their students access digital games in class from a Mac or a PC.
In addition to computers, 41% of teachers say their students engage with the game through an interactive whiteboard, while 39% say their students use tablets to partake.
While these three are the main devices used in most of the cases, there are also 9% of teachers whose students access the games through Chromebooks and netbooks, and another 9% whose students take part in the games through smartphones.
Finally, 7% of teachers say their students access the games through TV gaming consoles, while 6% say through portable gaming devices.
(Games and Learning)
10. 54% of teachers use digital game devices in class to motivate and reward their students.
Moreover, 43% use them to give their students a break, while 25% say they use them to teach their students new material. Additionally, 20% say they use digital game devices to practice the material their students already learned, and 18% use them as a pastime for the students between assignments or tasks.
There are also 15% of teachers who say they use digital game devices to better connect their students with each other, and 7% who use them to conduct summative assessments.
(Academia)
11. 30% of teachers have their students use the digital games in class individually.
Another 20% of teachers say they have their students make small groups of three to five members and use the games like this. 17% of teachers say the whole class uses the games together, while 14% say they couple students with one more classmate and use the games in pairs.
Additionally, 14% of teachers say they only use the games between lessons or other assigned activities, and 5% of teachers ask the students to play the game at home as a homework assignment.
(Games and Learning)
Statistics on the Benefits of Gamification in Education
12. 47% of teachers say that it is the low-performing students who benefit most from using digital games in the classroom.
However, there are also 30% of teachers who believe that all students benefit from gamification equally. Furthermore, students with emotional problems and those suffering from cognitive or developmental issues benefit from games in the class, according to 28% and 24% of the teachers.
Average-performing students and high-performing students benefit from gamification, according to 23% and 15% of the teachers, while only 1% of teachers say that none of their students benefits from games in class.
(Games and Learning)
13. 55% of teachers agree that using digital games in class motivates low-performing and special ed students.
According to more than half of the teachers, the ability to motivate students to learn is the most valuable quality that digital games introduce in the class.
Additionally, 24% say that games allow them to teach mixed ability groups much more easily, while 23% appreciate the fact that students are able to use the games independently.
(Games and Learning)
14. 21% of teachers agree that digital games in the class promote collaboration between the students.
An equal percentage also praise the inclusion of games in the class because they allow for more personalized instructions. Another 17% of teachers believe games can deliver content without direct instructions, while 13% say the use of games in the class aligns with the Common Core Standards.
Finally, 10% of teachers believe that digital games provide a more effective, while 8%, a more efficient way to assess the students.
(Games and Learning)
15. 78% of teachers agree that digital games have improved the students’ mastery of curricular content.
In addition, 71% also agree that digital games improved the students’ mastery of extra-curricular content and skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, etc. Moreover, 58% of teachers say that the use of digital games in the classroom encourages higher attendance.
However, there are also 39% of teachers who believe that digital games can be used too much and have a negative effect, so they limit their access to the classroom.
Nevertheless, the percentage of teachers who believe that the use of digital games in the classroom can lead to behavioral issues is only 21%, while the vast majority of teachers, or 73%, disagree with that statement.
(Games and Learning)
16. 43% of teachers use the built-in assessment systems that come with the games to assess their students’ performance.
Another 39% of teachers say they use the students’ scores to assess their knowledge and skills on topics they covered earlier, in a traditional learning format.
There are also 31% of teachers who say they can assess what the students learned from the games through a whole-class discussion, while 30% say they create tests or quizzes to assess their students’ newfound knowledge.
Finally, there are 23% of teachers who don’t assess their students regarding digital games in the classroom.
(Games and Learning)
17. 71% of teachers say that the use of digital games has been very effective in their students’ learning of math.
While math is the subject on which most teachers agree that digital games are a very effective way to help students learn, 65% of teachers also agree that games are effective for computer technology content and skills learning.
Moreover, 59% consider games a very effective way of learning executive function skills, while 56% think the same about learning the English language, arts, and literacy.
Games effectively improve 21st-century skills, according to 52% of the teachers, and science, according to 42% of them.
(Academia)
18. 87% of teachers reported that their students were more engaged when they played purposeful games in the classroom.
In a lot of ways, play is the way we learn the most about ourselves. When we’re playing, we’re developing our skills and our passions and learning how to navigate new situations. And it turns out that teachers know this: 87% say they’ve seen an improvement in student engagement when they incorporate purposeful play into their curriculum.
The reason for this is that play allows the students to participate in a meaningful activity, which makes them feel more connected to the subject matter and more invested in learning about it.
When you think about it that way, it makes sense—you can’t learn if you’re not engaged! So if you want your students to learn more and retain more, then you need to make sure they’re engaged.
For example, if you’re teaching about volcanoes, you could have your students make their own volcano out of clay. They can even go home after class and use it as a centerpiece on their dinner table! Your students will be able to see how they can connect what they learned while playing with something they love doing. This will help them retain information better than if they simply read through a textbook or watched a video about volcanoes without any hands-on experience.
(LEGO Education)
19. Nearly three out of four (74%) teachers prefer to use fun activities in their gamification strategy.
To make learning more fun by gamifying the classroom experience, teachers have come up with a number of strategies:
- adding fun, engaging content (74%)
- creating a competition among the students (49%)
- making progress visible to students with points and badges (49%)
- giving students assignments or projects that are increasingly difficult as they progress (48%)
- weaving a narrative or story into the lesson (31%)
- putting time pressure on students (19%)
- letting students collect/trade virtual items (16%)
(LEGO Education)
Conclusion
As you can see, gamification is a growing trend in education. It’s so effective that the stats show that students who are motivated by rewards are more likely to learn and achieve success.
So what are you waiting for? Start gamifying your classroom today!
Thanks for reading! We hope you found this article useful and that you take what you’ve learned with you into your own education, as well as the education of others.
Happy learning!
How Does Khan Academy Make Money? Business Model of Khan Academy
22 Preschool vs No Preschool Statistics (Is Preschool Worth It)
20 AI in Education Statistics To Rethink How You Teach