This type of research is a quantitative bibliometric study that aims to map scientific publication trends and intellectual structures related to gamification and students' social skills in physical education. The bibliometric approach is used to identify patterns, main themes, and scientific collaborations that have developed over a specific period.

The sampling technique used the Scopus database as the primary data source. Data collection was conducted on April 22, 2025 using word (gamification OR gamified learning OR game-based learning) AND (physical education" OR "PE class" OR "sport education") AND ("social skills" OR "social competence" OR "social interaction") AND ("elementary school" OR "primary school" OR "middle school" OR "junior high school" OR "high school" OR "secondary school"). In addition, the publication year filter was limited to the range of 2015 to 2025. From the initial search results, 120 articles were obtained. After filtering based on inclusion criteria and removing duplications, 47 articles met further requirements. The search procedure can be shown in Figure 1.

The main instrument used in this analysis is VOSViewer software, which is used to visualize and map the relationships between elements in scientific publications. The parameters used in VOSViewer include:

The analysis in this study uses co-occurrence analysis as the primary type of analysis, with the unit of analysis being all keywords. The calculation method used is complete counting, namely, each occurrence of a keyword is entirely counted without considering the relative weight. For contributor mapping, the minimum number of documents per author included in the analysis is set at two documents to ensure each author's relevance and significant contribution in publications related to gamification and social skills.

Data analysis techniques are carried out through two main approaches, publication map and keyword co-occurrence analysis, which are part of the co-word analysis technique. This analysis includes mapping the main contributors to the publication (authors, university affiliations, and journal sources), identifying publication trends based on frequently appearing keywords, and tracking the main thematic clusters that develop in gamification research.

In addition, the analysis results are presented in the form of data visualization, which illustrates the relationship between keywords, frequency of occurrence, and thematic developments based on the year of publication. This visualization aims to display the knowledge structure and direction of topic development comprehensively. Researchers mapped the main contributors (authors, universities, and source names) and applied keyword co-occurrence analysis to determine publication trends. They traced the main themes or topics in the publications (McAllister et al., 2022).

Based on gamification publication productivity data, 47 article publications were recorded and distributed from 2015 to 2025 (Figure 2). In the publication productivity table, the frequency of publication per year shows quite significant fluctuation. In early 2015-2017, publications were relatively stable, with the number of publications ranging from 2 to 3 per year. However, there was a decline in productivity in 2018, which only produced one publication.

A Significant increase occurred in 2020, with a peak of 14 publications. This spike can be caused by the increasing attention to applying gamification in various fields, especially in education, and the encouragement of technology use during the pandemic. After 2020, publication productivity fluctuated again. In 2021, only one publication was recorded, then it increased to 6 publications in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, publications were relatively stable, with a frequency of 3 and 10 publications, respectively.

Meanwhile, in 2025, there will be only one publication. From the results of the publication mapping, it can be seen that there is a fluctuating trend, with a decreasing-peak-decreasing pattern, which describes the dynamics of research in gamification. The peak of productivity occurred in 2020, then declined drastically the following year.

A bibliometric analysis of gamification research was conducted based on data from the Scopus database, which lists the five main topics of gamification publications. With 12 publications, "gamification in education" is the most popular topic. "Digital game-based learning (8 publications) and "collaborative learning" (7 publications) are other widely discussed topics. All of this shows researchers' interest in utilizing gamification as a "collaborative learning" strategy. Furthermore, six publications note "emerging technology trends in education", and four publications discuss "motivation in game-based learning".

The institution contributing most significantly to gamification research is the University of Patras, which has four publications, followed by Wenzhou University (two). Other contributing institutions include Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College, Çankırı Karatekin University, and various national educational institutions, each with one publication. This distribution demonstrates international collaboration in gamification studies across different educational levels, from university to primary education institutions.

The journal that published the most articles on gamification was the International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research (3 publications). In addition, the International Journal of Game-Based Learning also has two publications, which emphasize the research focus on using gamification in education. There are also publications from other multidisciplinary journals such as Sustainability Switzerland, Information Switzerland, Smart Learning Environments, and several other journals that show the relationship between gamification and the themes of sustainability, information technology, and innovative learning environments.

The most productive authors in gamification-related publications are Rigou (3 publications), followed by Leonardou (3 publications), Garafalakis (3 publications), and several other authors who each have one publication. The diversity of authors' names indicates the existence of international collaboration in gamification research, with researchers from various countries actively contributing to this field.

The keyword map visualization based on co-occurrence analysis using VOSViewer shows that "game-based learning", "students", and "gamification" are the most dominant and frequently appearing keywords in publications related to gamification and social skills. The highest density centers are seen in areas that group terms such as collaborative learning, motivation, and learning systems, reflecting a strong focus on game-based collaborative learning strategies. Meanwhile, the emergence of keywords such as augmented reality, psychology, and computer-aided instruction indicates that the gamification approach has evolved towards using advanced technology and psychological approaches. On the other hand, keyword groups such as elementary school, male, female, and intellectual intelligence indicate research attention to learner characteristics based on age, gender, and cognitive abilities. Overall, this visualization displays a broad thematic structure, reflecting the complexity and multidimensionality of gamification in the context of social education. The visualization of item density from high-frequency keywords is presented in Figure 3.

Source: Research data on the database obtained from Scopus (April 22, 2025), which has been analyzed using the VOSViewer application

Meanwhile, analyzing the co-occurrence of the highest keyword frequency brings up thematic groups/clusters in game-based learning. These groups are shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 4, the keyword network visualization above shows the thematic structure in the gamification and social skills literature analyzed using VOSViewer. Each color represents a related thematic cluster, while the connecting lines indicate the strength of the relationship between keywords based on their frequency of occurrence in the publications. The central cluster is indicated by game-based learning, students, collaborative learning, digital game-based learning, and gamification. The keyword "game-based learning" is closely connected to terms such as motivation and education, reflecting the focus on pedagogical aspects. On the other hand, the word "gamification" forms a dense cluster related to psychology, augmented reality, and demographic variables such as male, female, and child. Meanwhile, other clusters show the relationship between digital technology and learning, such as e-learning and interactive computer graphics. This connection pattern illustrates that research on gamification not only discusses learning techniques but also integrates psychological approaches, educational technology, and learner characteristics as part of a holistic learning strategy.

Based on the visualization in Figure 4, 5 thematic clusters can be identified, namely: (1) Gamification in education; (2) Digital game-based learning; (3) Collaborative learning; (4) Emerging technology in education; and (5) Motivation and game-based learning. Items categorized into the identified thematic clusters are listed in Table 3. Keywords in bold are keywords with the highest number of occurrences.

Source: Research data based on data obtained from Scopus (April 22, 2025), which has been analyzed using the VOSViewer application.

Based on Figure 5, the visualization shows the keyword co-occurrence network based on the average year of publication in gamification and social skills studies, analyzed using VOSViewer software. The colors in the network represent the average year of occurrence of each keyword, with a gradient from purple (earlier years, around 2020) to bright yellow (more recent years, around 2022).

Keywords such as "game-based learning", "education", and "collaborative learning" are dominated by purple, indicating that these topics were discussed more in the early period of the analysis (2020–2021). Meanwhile, keywords such as "primary school", "male", "female", and "school child" appear more yellow, indicating that the research focus on student demographics and the application of gamification at the primary education level has become a growing theme in recent years (2021–2022).

In the center of the map, the keywords "gamification", "students", "psychology", and "augmented reality" are colored yellowish green, indicating that these topics are connecting clusters and are constantly evolving in recent publications. The close connection between digital game-based learning, media in education, and interactive computer graphics reinforces the integration trend between digital technologies and game-based learning strategies in modern education.

Overall, this visualization provides a temporal overview of how the focus of research in gamification has shifted and evolved, and identifies topics at the center of academic attention in recent years.

Source: Research data based on data obtained from Scopus (April 22, 2025) which has been analyzed using the VOSViewer application.

This study has several limitations. First, the exclusive use of the Scopus database may introduce selection bias, as articles from other databases such as Web of Science, ERIC, or non-Scopus-indexed regional publications may be missed. Second, this bibliometric approach is quantitative and only assesses the frequency and relevance of keywords, without assessing the methodological quality of the studies analyzed. In addition, the findings show that most studies are still focused on primary education, while other levels of education and physical learning contexts have not been widely explored.

Based on the above results and limitations, here are some recommendations for future research. Conduct experimental or quasi-experimental research in the context of physical education learning to directly assess the effects of gamification on students' social skills. Examine the application of gamification to minority groups or underrepresented populations, such as students in disadvantaged areas, people with disabilities, or those from low-income backgrounds. Incorporate a mixed methods approach to capture both quantitative results and qualitative student learning experiences. Integrate data from multiple databases in a bibliometric study or systematic review to generate more representative coverage and minimize bias.