Gaming and education? Never heard of it in the same sentence, right?
Growing up, our parents taught us that games were not good for our health. They were labeled as addictive, distracting, and time-wasting.
On the contrary, education was endorsed to us as a magical solution to every problem. However, just like most kids, we never found it fun. Instead, learning was a boring task, and it felt like a burden.
But what if I tell you learning can be as fun and addictive as playing a video game? Unbelievable, right?
Well, tech experts have combined the elements of video games to design online courses, making learning more fun and addictive. Now you do not need to invest a lot of money in a degree or skills. All you need is a smart device like a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and a reliable internet connection, such as Optimum, is essential. to start online learning.
From learning a language to complex coding, online courses and applications can make education easier and accessible for all.
If you are a student, working in the education industry, or you are a course instructor working on your next course, keep reading.
This write-up will help you explore some of the most important gaming elements that can help you make any boring course interesting. Moreover, you will also get to know about gamification, its elements, and ways to utilize these elements in daily life solutions.
What Is Gamification?
Gamification is a whole process where the gaming elements used to design the video games are used for online course design as well.
These gaming elements can help boost the overall engagement of the student and make the process fun, simple, and easy. The best thing about these courses is that they boost the overall motivation and offer better learning outcomes.
Within the gamification process, developers generally focus on adding elements like scorecards, achievement levels, badges, challenges, pop tests, leaderboards, ranking, and other interactive exercises. With the help of gamification, teachers can now utilize the motivational power of games, keep the students engaged, and make their learning experience more fun.
What Are the Elements of Gamification?
Video game addiction is caused by not just accessibility but also game design, story, and plotline. In fact, there is a whole psychology behind game design.
Here are some of the most important gaming elements that can make a gaming experience worthwhile:
- Scoring: Numbers and scores are a very common element in education and gaming. Both industries have a scoring system. Each time the individual completes a task, challenge, or fulfills criteria, the score is updated.
- Badges: Just like the student earns an award for completing a task, in terms of a video game, there is a milestone badge. Every time the player accomplishes something, they automatically earn a digital badge.
- Leaderboard: This works just like a mark sheet, where players are ranked based on score and performance. It helps in creating a healthy competition and motivates the students to do better.
- Levels: Just like classes in school, games have levels. With the help of these levels, players are classified based on skills.
- Progress Bars: Another very fun gaming element, the progress bar offers a visual representation to the player, so they can sense their progress over time.
- Challenges: In terms of games, it mainly helps in making situations thrilling and interesting. The players feel more like experiencing adventures rather than feeling it like a hurdle.
- Storyline: A story or plotline simply makes a game engaging. With the help of a story, the learner gets a more meaningful and immersive experience.
What are the benefits of gamification in the education system?
Gamification of the education system has countless benefits. From keeping the student engagement and helping them develop an interest in complex subject matters, to helping students learn new things, it has improved the education system as a whole.
Here are some benefits of gamification in the education system:
Boost Engagement
By using the elements of a game, teachers can keep the students invested in the lesson. Traditionally, lengthy lectures are delivered using old, boring methods. This can exhaust the student, and they might lose interest in the process. However, with the use of gamification, students anticipate the next step and stay excited at every end.
Motivation
Losing motivation is very easy when the process is lengthy and the goal is not clear. However, by adding gaming elements, students receive rewards, badges, and scores right away. This boosts motivation and improves the learning outcome as well.
Customization
In a classroom setting, students have no room for personalization. However, with gamification, there is more flexibility allowing the students to learn at their own pace, earn points, and speed up at any time.
Collaboration
Gamification is all about collaboration, teamwork work and group learning. In traditional education, there is a one-way flow of information, leaving no room for elaborate class discussion. However, with gamification, sharing knowledge is much easier.
Cost-Effective
Traditional and formal education requires a lengthy enrollment process and even an expensive degree program. However, implementing gamification requires minimal effort, making it affordable. Moreover, a learner doesn’t require lengthy enrollment. Instead, a smart device, internet, and a digital platform are enough to start studying.
Gamification vs. Game-Based Learning
A common misconception among developers and educators is that gamification and game-based learning are the same thing.
While it may share some basic concepts, the core idea is not the same. For instance, both gamification and game-based learning involve gaming within education.
In gamification, the gaming elements are integrated into the learning process. With the help of these elements, educators and developers aim to make challenging lessons more interesting, simple, and fun for the learner. Apart from this, gamification helps in boosting motivation, making sure that the student feels compelled to come back for the next lesson.
On the contrary, game-based learning only uses games as the primary learning source for the students. This mainly focuses on games that are designed for the sake of learning. For instance, quiz and puzzle games where the student gets to score and improve. Moreover, history-based games and general knowledge-based trivia are also very good examples.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can gamification work for any subject or age group?
Yes, gaming elements have worked on every age group. Therefore, whether you are a high school student or you are an employee working in a corporation, gamification will have the same effect on you.
Can you use gamification to bridge the gap between theory and practice?
Yes, using gamification can help students enjoy a more immersive experience, which will eventually offer something much more than the basic theory that you get to learn in school.
Why is social competition beneficial for gamified learning?
Social competition triggers the human drive to stand out, achieve, and be recognized. It motivates the player to learn and strive for betterment in all walks of life.
