# From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining "Gamification"

- **Authors**: Sebastian Deterding, Dan Dixon, Rilla Khaled, Lennart Nacke
- **Year**: 2011
- **Summary**: This is one of the most cited academic papers that defines and conceptualizes gamification. It distinguishes between games and play, and defines gamification as the use of "game design elements" in "non-game contexts." It cautions against a simplistic focus on points, badges, and leaderboards (PBL) and advocates for designing for "gamefulness"—the experiential quality of a game.
- **Link**: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2181037.2181040