Glossary

Short, neutral definitions of terms you will see in this sub. Sources live on the Best resources page.

Gamification: the use of game design elements in non-game contexts (Deterding et al., 2011).
Points, badges, and leaderboards (PBL): the most common, and most basic, mechanic set.
Intrinsic motivation: doing something for its own sake, because it is satisfying.
Extrinsic motivation: doing something for an external reward or to avoid a penalty.
Over-justification effect: when an external reward reduces existing intrinsic motivation.
Core Drives: in The Octalysis Framework, the eight categories of human motivation the framework is built on. First listed here as Core Drive 1 (CD1): Epic Meaning & Calling through Core Drive 8 (CD8): Loss & Avoidance.
White Hat / Black Hat: in The Octalysis Framework, empowering motivation (positive, long-term) versus pressure-based motivation (urgent, and often draining).
Player types / user types: models that segment people by what motivates them (Bartle, Hexad).
Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics (MDA): what's built, how it plays out, how it feels.
Loop (engagement or progression loop): the repeating cycle of prompt, action, feedback, and reward that sustains behavior.
Onboarding / mid-game / endgame: the phases of a user's journey. Each needs distinct design.
Feedback / "juice": the immediate sensory response to an action (sound, animation, progress) that makes it feel satisfying.
Serious game: a full game built for a non-entertainment purpose.
Game-based learning: learning through playing an actual game. Distinct from gamification.
Points economy / virtual economy: the system of earnable and spendable value inside a gamified product.

This page is part of the r/gamification community wiki.