This decidedly unacademic presentation provides a broad scientific overview of what research has taught us about the effectiveness of games and game-elements in changing learner behaviors. We will consider how playing a video game changes a person’s behavior, how avatars can shape in-game and out-of-game behavior, and how storytelling helps learners memorize facts. We’ll answer questions like: What makes a game…a game? How do points and rewards fit into games? Why are challenges, feedback, and interactivity the keys to successful games? Do serious games have to be entertaining to be educational? This engaging, exciting session shows you how to use the existing research literature in your own design and delivery of learning. You will be given advice for how to match research findings to your own learning design for games and gamification. We’ll move the concepts from research to practice with plenty of examples. We’ll even match game types with content types. The presentation also includes several practical case studies outlining how the research tips, techniques, and practices can be applied in a real-life online learning situation. Discover how research-based practices support games and gamification for learning.