Video games: Beyond just fun

Video games exert an enormous power of attraction on a large part of the child, youth and adult population. The so-called
serious games are video games designed for purposes other than pure leisure. Gamification consists in the introduction of game mechanics
in non-playful contexts. Both try to take advantage of the captivating nature of the game to attract and retain users in non-playful
activities as diverse as education, rehabilitation or professional recruitment. This article explores the concept of play, analyzes its
characteristics and design elements, and presents examples of serious games and gamification