Gamification systems as part of business have proven to be some of the most effective engagement tools to emerge from the digital environment. Having expanded consistently throughout the smartphone age, gamification platforms are still on a considerable upward trend. Expected to be worth more than $112 billion by 2031, this market is experiencing significant investment by both businesses and gamification platform creators, indicating their key role in future digital marketing campaigns.

Initialisation and Growth of Gamification Platforms

The use of gamification as a way to drive engagement and encourage a feeling of progress is not new. Early implementations of this idea could be seen over a hundred years ago with clubs like the Boy Scouts, and have persisted over the years in ever-changing forms. Such systems have evolved drastically in the digital age, owing to the ease of developing and implementing gamification solutions via software.

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Standing out as the first iterations of gamification-type systems were karma systems. The website Slashdot was a central innovator in this way, via its experimentation with karma-based visibility. Here, users who contributed more to the website were, in turn, recipients of higher privileges like access to moderator power.

Early karma systems laid the groundwork for software gamification, eventually becoming a staple of savvy online businesses. While statistics are limited, earlier reports state the total market value of gamification in 2020 at around $9.1 billion. In 2026, the global value of gamification would reach $36.46 billion, on a projected CAGR of 25.24% over the next five years to hit $112.32 billion by 2031. Driven by better development software and now ubiquitous smartphone usage, this pattern reflects broader overall trends of software usage and reliance.

Current Generation Models

Newer generations of online businesses are increasingly adopting gamification within their core marketing tactics. Sometimes this comes in the form of existing businesses reshuffling their marketing efforts as they take a more digitally focused approach. Other times, it’s seen in businesses built from the ground up with gamification accessibility in mind.

Aiding in the development and insertion of gamification tools are advanced systems leveraging the latest in AI tools. Gamification in finance offers some standout recent examples, with newer platforms customising user offerings with personalised trading suggestions. These suggestions are driven by user histories, cross-referenced with recent market developments, and encouraged by levelling up user accounts to provide future improved rewards.  

All of these solutions are made possible on the consumer end by customer bases who are increasingly accustomed and attuned to being served by digital platforms. Storefronts are increasingly extending offerings beyond direct purchases, with users expecting more diverse offerings and methods of engagement. This primed market feeds back into the business gamification development, creating a feedback loop of overall growth.

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Gamification systems aren’t strictly necessary in modern business, but their inclusion is becoming increasingly standardised. Backed by ever more streamlined development platforms, building gamification software is becoming easier, and users are becoming more expectant. Upward trends demonstrate that engagement in gamification could establish a new status quo, should businesses continue to deliver value to customers in novel and worthwhile ways.