For many of us, our first interaction with computers was to play a digital game. With the advancement of digital technology, digital games have advanced in complexity and ambition. Today there are a plethora of digital video games: strategic, action, combat, logical, educational games, etc. Gamification is a term that has been around for many years now, but many educators are not clear what is that and how they can benefit from it. Gamification can be simply defined as using elements of digital games in non-game environment.
Game-like elements are already widely included in our daily life even if we are not completely aware of them. For example, loyalty cards of big supermarkets or airlines include a game-like elements. Selecting the employee of the month in some companies is done through ranking and it is another game-like approach. LinkedIn gamifies our engagement by ranking our profiles as Beginner, Intermediate or Expert. If you climbed up the Musical stairs, I bet you have preferred them the escalator.
Several companies are conducting their recruitment process through gamified activities. Other companies are using gamification for their training activities. Of course, there are already many educational games that are well established and well used, however it seems that gamification has a big potential that is still to be used.
First of all, we should consider what makes digital games attractive. Here is a short list:
- FUN – popular digital games are fun to play. Players have fun while playing.
- Specific Goal – players have to accomplish specific goal that is announced at the beginning of the game.
- Failure – all popular games give an opportunity to the player to learn how to play while failing several times. Failure is a part of games that is helping the players learn how to progress to the next level.
- Rewards – all games give rewards for achievement of given tasks. Rewards can be points, badges, different tools/weapons/dresses; all dependent on the game played. Based on the points or badges the player can progress at next level or can use some other benefits.
- Avatars – player can select own avatar that will represent him/her in a game.
- Using points/coins – in some games you are able to purchase some needed tool or weapon with points or coins. Or maybe you can purchase different outfit for your character. In any case it will increase the efficiency or visibility of your character.
I think that the list shows that educators will need to decide which game-like elements are relevant and practical in relation to a given learning activity. There is no one-size-fits all solution. What kind of games and game-like elements can be used should be identified based on the specific learners and specific learning outcomes. Game development can be very demanding but it may be very simple to adopt one game-like element – it may not even need to be digital. It is true, however, that digital technologies can make it easier for teachers to build game-like activities into learning activities and to adapt learning games to use them for a range of different teaching and learning purposes.
Well established games like Minecraft can be adapted for particular learning activities. Alternatively, specific games can be developed for selected learning outcomes. However, game development may be a very demanding process. But the good news is that gamification can be used with small effort in all subjects with learners of all ages with or without technology. Let’s see how this can work:
- Giving points to all students if they have accomplished some required task. For example, if they all have done homework on time, if they all have read the required text and answered the quiz, if they are all in the classroom ready to start the class on time, etc. The stress here will be that all students have accomplished the requirements. With this we are motivating them to help each other and to work in teams. You can agree with your students what task will lead to receiving how many points.
- Using points or coins to receive some benefits can be also very motivating for students. You need to decide together with your students how they can spend earned points/coins. Spending points/coins can be for the whole group or individually. Some of the options are: they can purchase more time for the test, they can purchase additional points in the test, or maybe having a party in the school, having one class outdoors, etc.
- Quizzes and tests can be presented as quests that students need to finish in order to progress to new activity or to gain points. All you need is to think of the theme or story around this quest.
- Avatars can deepen engagement and encourage participation. Each student (or group of students) can select or create own avatar based on selected theme. Many students are used to having avatars and usually they like them. For example, we can have forest theme with competing groups of bears, lions, tigers or other animals selected by students. Mural, an on-line collaboration tool, generates avatars automatically.
- Prepare games or assignments that students can repeat until they are happy with the result and ready to go on to the next level. Points can be given for each attempt; rankings can be provided to reward those that solve problems first. In this way learning tasks come to serve the learning goal, rather than becoming themselves the outcome. Students are encouraged to repeat until they are competent.
Having said all above, we should be aware that gamification is not a universal remedy. Endless gamification can become boring and there are many, many other ways of generating fun, motivation and creativity. Teachers need to learn just when to and when not to use gamification – though of course they will have to experiment to learn this!
We need more awareness of the potential benefits of gamification. Only then will teachers and learners accept gamification and harvest fruits from it. Game-like elements and games can be introduced in education step by step, so that everyone can learn what works best and understand the costs, for example, the amount of time and energy consumed.
Gamification is a process that never ends. It should be constantly changed and adapted to the new requirements of student groups, to new possibilities given by technology and new requirement placed by respective industries.
Please share with us your additional ideas about how the educational process can be gamified. Maybe you already have some experience?
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