Play is a part of human nature. Using actual games for learning in itself is not a new phenomenon. However, using games for entirely different purposes seems to be a rather recent development. Gamification – the use of game elements in non-game contexts – has become an emerging topic in scientific research. The application of gamification in areas such as marketing, library science or software engineering might be the start of a trend which sees the implementation of game elements in many areas of our lives, be it shopping at the local super-market or our children’s education. There is some research that explains positive effects of gamification and a number of guidelines have been written on how to use gamification and on which game elements to use.

Some of these guidelines are more scientific than others and it is often unclear where the elements actually come from. So which game elements exist? How have they been identified? Where do they come from and what are their potentials? Which of these elements are actually used in games? One curious element that is often discussed is the system of badges – however those are not an element of the game itself but a reward the player gathers outside of the actual game, a meta-game. Speaking generally, research that focusses on games should base its theories on empirical data from actual games, but is this really the case?

These questions lead to the formulation of the following research questions:

1. Which game elements exist in current gamification literature?
2. Which game elements exist in current video games?
3. Are the elements discussed in gamification literature used to the same extent in video games?
4. Which taxonomy accurately captures the elements from literature and video games?

As research method a grounded theory approach will be used. The aim of grounded theory is theory building and it requires the researcher to abandon any preformulated hypothesis. Ideas and theories are to be generated from joint data collection and constant comparison of the data, gradually enriched by more pieces of data. The next data sample has to be chosen by the researcher on analytical grounds. According to grounded theory there are three levels of generating a theory. The first, narrow concepts are often derived from “hunches” and anecdotal evidence instead of empirical data. The second, substantive theory, is the level laying the groundwork for the more sophisticated formal theories by providing sufficient empirical data and applying grounded theory methods to back up its theories in a specific area of research. Formal theories as the third level focus on conceptual entities, such as organizational knowledge, organizational learning or collaborative work.

This thesis aims for the second level substantive theory. Therefore a review of current literature covering taxonomies of game elements will be conducted, followed by an analysis of actual game elements in modern video games. In conclusion, depending on the outcome, either an existing taxonomy will be refined or a new one proposed. Due to the limited scope of a bachelor thesis, the effects and potentials will not be an object of research. The aim of this thesis is to support existing theories and provide more data that can be used as a solid base for works covering the elements for gamification.