DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: March 13th, 2026
COURSE START: Sept 7th or Nov 2nd, 2026
SCHOLARSHIPS AMOUNT
• Scholarships covering from 5.000€ to 8.000€ of the total tuition fee both for the Academic Master's Programme and the Dual Award Master's Programme.
INTRO
Gamification has been seen as the way to go for habit building and sustaining motivation. The term saw a surge in adoption and popularity around 2010.
Games were more popular than ever, and it felt natural to transpose game mechanics into non-game contexts to increase engagement, motivate, and create long-lasting experiences. However, while it remains popular even today, research increasingly shows both its potential and its limitations.
Gamification is not necessarily bad, and it might support the creation of some initial sustaining effect, but it is not the holy grail. There must be other ways to build long-lasting relationships than relying on superficial rewards and their drawbacks such as drops in motivation, performance anxiety, shallow progress, or simply gaming-the-system practices. If we want learning experiences that truly last, we need approaches that reach deeper than points and badges.
BRIEF
Design a digital learning solution that seeks alternatives to gamification to keep its users motivated throughout their learning journey.
Define the context of application (i.e., learning a foreign language, cooking, software training) and find other mechanisms, beyond points and leaderboards, to reimagine how your solution could sustain and support a healthy and deep sense of progress, reduce pressure and frustration, and limit compulsive behaviours in favour of meaningful engagement and authentic learning outcomes.
The focus is not only the digital solution itself but the system and mechanisms you design to create long-lasting and honest engagement. Start with desktop research to analyse the status of studies around gamification, its complexity, and the state of the debate. Also analyse existing solutions relying on gamification and identify gaps, flaws, and opportunities for creating more authentic learning experiences.
Your proposal should consider intrinsic goals and adaptive challenges capable of creating sustained, virtuous flows. You may draw on broader motivation theory, flow research, or learning psychology to support alternative systems capable of sustaining engagement without depending on reward loops. Support your design directions with insights from user research and clearly articulate how your approach enriches and advances the learning experience and engagement beyond gamification.
APPLY NOW When you submit your project you will receive an immediate confirmation email that your submission was received. If you do not receive a confirmation, let us know at: competitions@domusacademy.itRequired materials
ADDITIONAL FOR DUAL AWARD MASTER
- 2 Reference Letters
- IELTS 5.5 in all parts or recognized equivalent certificate to be submitted within 3 months before the course start date. (not mandatory)