What Makes Gamification So Appealing To Learners?

According to the report – Global Education Gamification Market 2016 – 2020, the gamification of education in the year 2015 was marked at $93 million. However, this figure is likely to explode by the year 2020, expecting to reach around $1.2 billion. This is CAGR of almost 68% over the next five years.

Gamification makes use of gaming mechanics, such as badges, points, levels, or leaderboards and applies these mechanics to the way a learning course is taught. This, in turn, improves the learner’s motivation. Moreover, the design of game offers the learners the freedom to fail and to face and accomplish various challenges and goals respectively.

The gamification in education is also sometimes termed as game principles for education, gameful thinking, engagement design, or motivational design etc. 

How does game-based learning differ from gamification? 

A game-based learning is about crafting the content around game-story. The students may create their own games or play other commercial video games. On the other hand, gamification is about shaping the game around educational context.

Gamification operates on the assumption that the engagement experienced by the gamer should be translated to the learning context. This would eventually influence the behavior of student while facilitating learning at the same time. Since gamers willfully spend hours on solving the gaming challenges, the developers are using the potential of video games to harness learners’ motivation and to apply the techniques to learning environments.

The majority of times, the term ‘gamification’ conjure pictures of earning points, leaderboards, and obtaining badges for educational specific content. While all these elements have been a part of gamification, the long-term advantages usually come by incorporating some other rich elements.

Moreover, now instructional designers use a lot richer game elements and incorporate them in learning. These elements increase the motivation in learners. Also, it helps in drawing their attention and to engage them in learning through play as well as continuing playing - as one of the major achievement.  

For your better understanding, here are the top-picked game elements which are a powerful vehicle for learners. They are designed to enable learners to solve a problem; a crucial skill which is needed today and even tomorrow.

• Mystery – this element requires the learners to fill the gap of known with unknown. The learner has to use some information to fill this gap but for that, they first need to find that information. For instance, finding a hidden key to a closed door.
• Action – Almost every game instantly start with an action. The action that forces the learner to make a move. For instance, finding a map, searching a shelter, collecting pieces etc. The action is used to engage the learners immediately.
• Challenge – Every human feel pleasure in overcoming challenges. This runs in human’s DNA and that is why game developers leverage this innate desire by challenging players at each step.
• Risk – A game with no risk of life or collected coins is a piece of boredom. A game is always appealing if it comes with the risk of losing a ‘life’, a need to start over again or to lose all the collected items just because of a wrong move. Such game elements, first challenges and then improves the learner’s ability to focus and make a strategic move.
• Uncertainty – in this element, learners hold no idea about what may come next in their way. For instance, can you solve the puzzle and move to next level or you may get stuck in the round and require to start over again
• Progress Visibility – such game designs clearly tells learners what must be done, where to start and how long it must go on. For instance, in PacMan, you know the remaining dots and throughout the stage, players follow through these dots, improving their performance and chances of success.
• Emotional Content – unlike learning modules, games bring up the emotion of anger, sadness, enthusiastic happiness or frustration. In short, it brings out the most valuable human aspect of emotions. These game elements help in encouraging and embracing different human emotions.

It is highly efficient to incorporate one or more of these game elements in a learning strategy. While all of these learning strategies appeal to the core human values, they also help the learners in adapting the learning material immediately and in a lot more depth.

Now, to give a better understating of gamification in education and modern-day learning strategy, let us have a look at some amazing examples of gamification in education.

Examples of Gamification in Education

Here are some examples of game designs, which capture the learners on a much deeper level. These games help the learners to master the skill or information, as they put them to competition or challenges. Meanwhile, they also offer rewards and both positive and negative feedback.

Medieval Swansea

This is a highly interactive game. It’s a historical game in which learners take up the role of a detective to solve an old mystery. The game can be played on all digital devices. The underpinning ideas of the game include various scenarios driven by different branches, character witnesses and narrative stages, including progression. All of this; help learner to follow their progress and to know what is left to be done.

Every stage put learners to new challenges and provides them with instant feedback. The better they perform the better they can move on in the game.

Ribbon Hero

If we speak of corporate learning and gamification then Ribbon Hero is the game that first comes to mind. The game helps in meeting the basic demands of Microsoft Office. It helps learners to learn the basic tools of Microsoft Office. As the learners play the game they earn points for successfully completing the different challenges. The challenges are offered as text manipulation, page design, artistic presentation and a comprehensive section of quick points.

The game is smartly designed that put learners to various challenges while helping them developing Microsoft skills. Ribbon Hero tracks learners’ progress and links it with Facebook, allowing learners to share and compete with other learners.

Virtual Reality House

At eLearning Awards, the game has been awarded gold medal twice. The skilful game let the trade trainees for instance plumbers to utilize and practice their learned skills in an immersive and real-life virtual reality simulation. The game helps them to polish their skills, improve competence and confidence and to learn from their mistakes.

The game comes with scenario-based learning, with different pathways for advanced learners and beginners. It offers the players with tools, fittings, and fixtures the assist players in visualizing the real-life setting. Moreover, learners learn through step by step approach as they follow through the steps of planning, installation, and costing.

DuoLingo

This game is actually a language learning platform. The game offer combination of paid and free components i.e. free language learning and paid text translation feature.

The game offers different levels based on developed skills of the learners. It also comes with the features of websites and documents translation. Also, the learners can look at other learners’ translations, rate them and provide feedback. If the student completes the task within the time limit, they earn points as well as a time bonus. DuoLingo is definitely a great achievement in terms of gamification in education.

Brainscape

Brainscape is a simple learning-oriented game. This helps the learners to create exceptional flashcards to meet their learning capabilities. In such a way they learn the ideas in the most comprehensive manner, leaving out the ones they already know. Since learners usually forget almost 90% of the material while studying, brainscape overcome this issue with its smart flashcards. Teachers and students can create flashcards collaboratively, using the scientifically proven system of study.

Knowre

In a traditional classroom, it is difficult for teachers to personalize the material. The high achievers may not be challenged enough or the low-graders might get frustrated due to lack of motivation. But as we speak of the potential of gamification in education, Knowre has enabled the instructors to personalize the course material in accordance with every learner’s skill.

It is an adaptive math curriculum which enables instructors to provide personalized instructions to every student. It helps the student to get the experience and benefits of one-on-one learning. It helps students to break concept in a step-by-step process and help them in learning with more depth and with consistent feedback and review to overcome weak areas.

Lifesaver

The game helps learners in understanding and applying the basic steps to save someone’s life, suffering from choking or cardiac arrest.

The players are challenged on the basis of scenario-based approach, crisis simulation; choice of story and characters, and time limitations that help in understanding that time is essential in such circumstances. The learners can unlock levels as they progress and acquire the required skills and knowledge. Moreover, you can review your performance in the real-time, analyze your weak points and share your progress through various social media platforms to compete with other learners.

Virtonomics

This is the game that offers extensive strategic learning for higher education learners. However, there is no age limit to play this game. The game is played by over 1 million learners around the globe. The storyline of the game revolves around an economy which is full of businessmen, scientist, students, entrepreneurs etc.

They live in a friendly yet business-oriented community. However, players have to use their strategic and analytical thinking, experience and knowledge to implement impactful business strategies in order to bring exponential success in your company.

Conclusively

These are some of the colors of the spectrum of gamification in the learning industry. All of these games target anyone or two game elements such as competition, time management, communication others. Some enlighten creativity while others ask for imagination. Regardless, what element they speak to and how they are designed, gamification in education is an incredible learning technique and a complete package of educating, learning, and assessment in the good learning environment.