Developing and changing technology has led to rapid changes in learning and teaching environments (Meşe & Dursun, 2019). In recent years, there have been many developments in the field of education that have enabled the development of effective teaching and learning models (Garzón-Artacho et al., 2021, Zabolotska et al., 2021, Yunos et al., 2017). It is also stated that current teaching methods and techniques do not attract students' attention and are ineffective (Dicheva et al., 2015). Apart from teaching methods and tools, it is stated that the change in the nature of the learner also plays a role in not achieving the expected goals (Glover, 2013). The addiction of digital natives also called the Z-generation, which is expressed as the generation born and raised with technology, to games has led to the idea of carrying gamification, a concept derived from games, to education and training environments with the idea that games can be used in education (Bozkurt & Kumtepe, 2014). The concept of gamification, which is used in the sense of using game design elements in non-game contexts (Deterding et al. 2011), has attracted intense interest in academia and practice. Studies show that the components used in gamification facilitate learning and make it interesting (Lee & Hummer, 2011), increase motivation and increase class participation (Muntean, 2011).

Its putative motivational power has made gamification a particularly promising method for teaching contexts (Sailer et al., 2020). While gamification research has been widely studied in education (Dichev and Dicheva, 2017, Hamari et al., 2014, Seaborn and Fels, 2015), it has also started to trend in health education (van Gaalen et al., 2021). The application of digital learning methods that facilitate interaction and competition, such as game-based learning, can increase students' participation and interest in education, make education fun and ensure retention (García-Viola et al., 2019; Killam et al., 2021; van Gaalen et al., 2021). Despite the mentioned advantages, traditional methods still constitute most of nursing education (Saeedi & Parvizy, 2019). In a recent systematic review examining the use of gamification methods in health education, it was mentioned that gamification is effective in improving learning outcomes, but the study quality is poor (van Gaalen et al., 2021). Since the process is time-consuming in systematic reviews and meta-analyses that offer a high level of evidence, the number of studies is limited, and studies may include the biases of the authors. While literature reviews in these studies deal with a small group of studies in depth, bibliometric studies deal with an area consisting of hundreds or even thous ands of studies (Zupic & Čater, 2015).

Gamification in education has received considerable attention as a tool to engage and motivate students throughout the learning process (Borges et al., 2014). It involves the use of game-based mechanics, aesthetics and thinking to enhance student engagement and problem-solving (Yamani, 2021). Research has shown that the application of gamification in science education can have a positive impact on students' motivation and learning outcomes (Hürsen & Bas, 2019). In the field of nursing, gamification elements are used to sustain student engagement and motivation, thus reducing dropout rates (Castro & Gonçalves, 2018). Although gamification can increase student motivation and engagement, it is crucial to consider it as part of the learning process rather than the central focus for students who are unable to participate (Panis et al., 2020). Gamification has been found to have a significant impact on critical thinking processes and promote creative thinking in students (Panis et al., 2020; Shavab et al., 2022). Additionally, it can support self-directed learning and increase student engagement in various subjects, including programming (Palaniappan and Noor, 2022, Winanti et al., 2021). Moreover, gamification has been integrated into e-learning systems to increase motivation, engagement and overall learning outcomes (Alshammari, 2020). Research has shown that gamification can lead to a significant improvement in student performance (Mogavi, 2022). While gamification can serve as a valuable tool to increase student engagement and motivation in education, it should be seen as a supportive element rather than the only solution for students who are unable to participate. Appropriate integration of gamification with instructional design models and educational strategies is vital to maximize its benefits in the learning process.

Bibliometric analysis is used for a variety of reasons, such as revealing emerging trends in article and journal performance, collaboration patterns and research components and exploring the intellectual structure of a particular field in the existing literature. Bibliometric analysis is used to decipher and map cumulative scientific knowledge and the evolutionary nuances of well-established fields by rigorously making sense of large volumes of unstructured data. As such, well-done bibliometric studies can lay solid foundations for advancing a field in new and meaningful ways. They enable researchers to get a one-stop overview, identify knowledge gaps, derive new ideas for research and position their intended contributions to the field (Donthu et al., 2019).

In this article, a bibliometric analysis of the studies in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases that include the concepts of "gamification" and "health education" was conducted. These databases were chosen because they are the main repositories of scientific production worldwide. A bibliometric analysis examining gamification in health education has not been reported in the literature, so our study is the first of its kind. In addition, this research will contribute to reducing the gap in the literature on these terms and increasing the knowledge on the subject. The current study aims to investigate the effect of gamification in health education and aims to provide a high level of evidence to the literature.