Gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals. – Badgeville
Gamification is not a new idea. In fact, it has been around longer than the term has existed. Anyone who has ever learned geography playing Carmen Sandiego can attest to that. However, it is only over the last few years that this concept has really begun to make inroads into the education scene (see: Ananth Pai – How video games can educate children).
Although gamification is often discussed in the context of technology, it should be noted that it does not require the use of video games for it to work. Some great examples of gamefying regular activities:
- children learning statistics as they play the board game Risk.
- “recorder karate” – this is something they do at my kids’ school. The children earn a new belt that they can tie onto their recorders as they master new songs.
There is no doubt that gamification can be an extremely effective method for engaging students, but before we rush headlong into it, we need to understand how it works because, like everything else in life, even a good idea can fall flat if it is applied poorly.
More about gamification:
- Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother?
- Gamification in Education
- Games in Education: Gamification – Open Learning