The idea that games impact learning is not new to pedagogy. Within the last decade, there has been an increased use of games for higher education, social engagement, marketing, and business training. When used within a higher education setting, a gamification system does not operate within a vacuum, but rather is imbued with and embedded in the learning content of the course. So, to thoroughly understand the system's impact on learning outcomes, we must consider how the learning content within the system and the instructor's behaviors might impact student motivation to use the system and thus the outcomes of use. A gap in knowledge exists regarding how to include these aspects in the examination of the phenomenon. This gap is addressed through the presentation of a Theoretical Model of Student-Centric Edu-Gamification Systems. Additionally, references are provided for established empirical instruments that can be adapted to operationalize the proposed model. Taken together, these contributions set the stage for both practitioners and academics to engage in research toward the development of student-centric educational gamification systems.