The document discusses gamification in MOOC discussion forums and whether it increases participation and engagement. It presents on a study comparing discussion forum data from a MOOC before and after adding gamification elements. While registered users and certification ratios increased slightly with the new design, the percentage of users who never used the forums also increased. The conclusion is that gamification did not make a real difference in participation. External factors like ECTS rewards and increased MOOC advertisement may have contributed more to participation changes.