This research is an empirical study using gamified pedagogy in a 3-D animation course in a Visual Communication Design Department. By conducting this research, I hope to increase student interest in learning 3-D animation and to decrease student fears of learning professional 3-D software. Through this research, I have developed a theory of gamified pedagogy. Using gamification as pedagogy requires using a spiral curriculum for students to learn advanced tasks by starting with basic skills, setting clear short-term and long-term goals, rewarding students when they achieve each level, forming a learning community with a showcase for student work, and providing a safety net for students to explore and practice. With a gamified pedagogy, students may become self-motivated learners interested in learning more from the course content and from each other. Gamified pedagogy provides another approach for art education.