Can Gamification be a Pedagogy?

A little intro

Games are fun. There are no second thoughts about it. Among the plethora of games available across an ocean of genres, there is definitely something for everyone. If that isn't the case, I am pretty sure it is being developed as you read this article. The gaming market is ever booming and is now more accessible on various platforms. Games can be played on mobiles, consoles of various sizes, or a full blown rig with one-off equipments, worth more than a car and having more processing prowess compared to early space stations. Let's not forget about all the lovely RGBs too. You can never have enough, am I right? I know I can't.

Keeping the fancy hardware aside, the variety of games out there is mind-blowing. We've got everything from simple puzzle games that you can pick up and play for five minutes, to massive open-world epics that you can lose yourself in for hundreds of hours. There's strategy games for the thinkers, action games for the adrenaline junkies, and even games that blur the line between art and entertainment. It's a wild world out there in gaming land, and it's only getting wilder.

Getting nerdy

Let's look at this chart that I "borrowed" from statista. It shows the revenue (in billions) of the video game market worldwide and some predictions.

So this begs the question, why is the industry so big? The short answer is simple. Games are engaging, versatile, and they help us release a lot of dopamine with a very real sense of achievement. Game design is super underrated in my opinion.

Learn by gaming

This got me thinking, are there games to learn stuff? If games can be addicting, can learning be too? Naturally, I started surfing the web and boy oh boy, did I stumble upon a giant. Gamification of education is a real thing and it is totally flying under the radar for many. Examples include simple but effective apps like Duolingo. I am sure almost everyone has used this app at least once to fulfil their language learning desires. They are one of the few companies to have pioneered gamification of learning. The attractive colours, addicting animations, rewards, sounds, and various other features makes learning fun, and you gain a skill in the process. A win-win.

That's not all. There are various other kinds of games that are available to play having their own distinct themes. Recently, thanks to my house mate, I came across a game that teaches you SQL (Structured Query Language). The theme of the game was a murder mystery, so it immediately got my attention. The design was so good that it kept us engaged for a good amount of time as we used our skills to uncover the truth! I wish learning was this engaging and fun when I was in the process of developing these skills. If you are interested in playing such games, let me know and I can share the links with you.

Gamification clearly has some advantages then. It boosts motivation, makes the art of practice a little bit more fun, helps flex your brain muscles by improving critical thinking, speeding up response times, and much more.

Hypothesizing

With the tech available to us today, we can integrate VR or AR experiences into learning. It is already proven, that for most people, learning using audio visual cues is way more effective than just using one of the methods. Stick with me over here, but, can you imagine how amazing it would be to learn anything in AR? You can interact with the elements in real time! I can totally see myself going back and re-learning some advanced geometry.

Gamification: yes or no?

There are clearly some great examples of gamification, but it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. As always, there are two sides to a coin. Like playing any game, there will be someone out there making their own side quests. Trying to beat the game under a certain time or cheating the system can be a few examples. This will completely defeat the purpose of the game. There can be some other ethical considerations too as certain games can provoke parts of the brain they shouldn't like teaching manipulation or other psychological tricks.

Cost of development should also be taken into consideration. Most games are expensive to develop and may not be as engaging every time you play it and figure out how to beat the system. A good game design can go a long way in this field, but sometimes quality is compromised. There are so many games out there that are just masked quizzes in a fancy clothing. In the end, people will be playing a lot of games, and games can get addicting.....very quickly. No one should have to justify spending 1000 hours on "enhancing critical thinking skills".

Finishing thoughts

Having said all this, I really like the idea of gamification. For someone who likes playing intellectual games, this is a treat. But, how about you? How do you feel about the gamification of the education industry? Will the education industry really benefit from this pedagogy or will it lead to having diminishing returns over time? Let me know and let's have a fun conversation.

Have a great week ahead :)