Gamification is a new trending popular topic in the market. I think it stems from the strong influence that games have on consumers in terms of other types of games such as Playstation, Xbox users, etc. Using gamification as a learning technique is a briliant idea when it comes to education because it keeps the learner's attention because their relating their experiences to fun. When people are having fun it can become a more positive learning experience.
The Case Gameful experience suggest positive experiences in terms of gamification. In this case the users overall experience is primarily based on their gameful experience. A good gameful experience typically results is a positive experience. The goal of gameful experiences is to motivate it's users and encourage them to keep coming back. The six dimensions of gameful experience includes enjoyment, absorption, creative thinking, activation, absence of negative affect, and dominance.
Johan Hogberg et al. The Gameful Exprience Questionnairre. 2019.
The concept of earning badges and achievements in a game adds an extra layer of fun and competition in completing the game. I have played several games over again just to achieve new badges or achievements for collection value. This concept has been in the entertainment sector for decades but seeing it cross over into educational settings would help improve engagement with learners and their content.
Although admittedly not the competitive sort, I can appreciate how friendly competition against others in a social context can lead to socializing, relationship-building and teamwork. I can definitely relate to the way the playful design of the badging system lends itself to sustained engagement.
Andrea,
I believe that gamification in education has been around in some form or another for decades. As an elementary student in the mid to late '70s, I remember teachers putting up charts with each of our names in the classroom, and adding different colored stars by our name for each achievement we reached our activity we completed. As students, we perceived this as a contest, constantly competing to be the student who had the most stars at the end of the week. At specific completion of "levels", the teacher would reward students with prizes, like stickers, candy, special pencils, etc. If we as an entire class reached a predetermined target, we all got a more special prize. This motivated us and created an environment of healthy competition. I think the difference now is that the instructional strategy of gamification is more clearly defined and tends to be touted as innovative in terms of the way that technology platforms are being implemented in the classroom. Did anyone else have experiences similar to this?
Denise - I agree that gamification in education is not new. I had a similar experience to that which you mentioned but it was more negative. In fifth grade, I recall the teacher awarding some kind of ticket or token for students completing work. These tokens could then be used to "buy" prizes and rewards from her. I was highly motivated and excited about this until I found out that another classmate was using social influence to gather tokens from other classmates and collected far more than should have been possible. This took the fun out of it for me as it felt unfair. I think modern day gamification, especially that which occurs in a digital setting, is able to avoid this kind of "working the system" and is a more positive experience for most users.
I wonder if it is hard to work the politics out of any system, even digital ones.
As Dr. Rodney referenced last week, gamification is rooted in the positive/negative reinforcement and behavior modification aspects found in B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism. It makes sense since I keep thinking of the digital badging reward system as a high-tech sticker program.
I completely agree with all. I had a sticker system back in elementary and once you received so many stickers, you could pick something from the treasure chest. My own children earned Pizza Hut pizzas when they read enough books. The digital component has made it more visible in my opinion. But, like it has been pointed out, competition doesn't motivate all students and there are aspects of cooperative gaming that could be applied instead of just the competitive aspect.
I appreciate how the gamified aspects of Hive invite playful and sustained engagement through the completion of tasks that earn the user a range of colorful badges depending upon their level of achievement. Once the user familiarizes themselves with the Hive ecosystem it is easy to become immersed in the game in a way that is motivating and fun.
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