Of course the concept underlying gamification is nothing new – the idea of using fun and play to motivate people and make work seem more enjoyable has a very long history. However, it wasn’t until the widespread use of new technologies that this idea really began to crystallize. The terms gamification and gamify first appeared in the early 2000s and their coinage is often associated with Nick Pelling, a British computer games programmer. But the terms didn’t really become generally known until several years later, their popularization initially associated with Foursquare, a location-based social networking website awarding points when users check in at particular venues.

Of course the concept underlying gamification is nothing new – the idea of using fun and play to motivate people and make work seem more enjoyable has a very long history. However, it wasn’t until the widespread use of new technologies that this idea really began to crystallize. The terms gamification and gamify first appeared in the early 2000s and their coinage is often associated with Nick Pelling, a British computer games programmer. But the terms didn’t really become generally known until several years later, their popularization initially associated with Foursquare, a location-based social networking website awarding points when users check in at particular venues.