The article provides a new approach to understanding gamification. Its distinctive feature is taking into account the criticisms that have been expressed about gamification to date. A detailed examination of the gamification history is given in the article, revealing that at its first stage (before 2015), the approaches focused on external motivation prevailed, whereas at the second stage (after 2015), the approaches focused on intrinsic motivation began to prevail. Neglecting this aspect leads to the fact that the criticism voiced in the early 2010s (with its main idea that a gamification is a new form of exploitation and manipulation) still seems to be relevant these days, although it is not. Nevertheless, the point goes beyond merely questioning the criticism towards reconsidering the gamification itself, which since 2011 has been defined as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts. Although this definition does not correspond with the present situation.
As an alternative, we propose our own definition: gamification is a methodology for using metagame elements and mechanics to correct human behavior by creating a favorable emotional background.