This article describes how gamification in education through the use of digital badges has emerged as a means to motivate and reward student learning. This exploratory, multi-case study looked at the motivations and perceptions of 90 higher education students across four disciplines, regarding the use of digital badges as an incentive for either a performance-related task or for student effort. Survey findings suggest that although students found the badges motivating, learning the course content and the overall course grade were more important to them than the tangible reward. The successful implementation of digital badges in higher education requires advanced planning to promote awareness of the usefulness of digital badges with students.