Higher Ed Translation no. 4: Learnify Gaming

We often think of higher education as being static. By that I mean, it occurs in-person on campus or online via computer. Additionally, this learning often takes place in a somewhat traditional format (regardless of location) where information is presented, assignments completed, and projects graded. There is a lot of reading, writing, and often frustration in this typical learning experience. It’s not intuitive or easy, that’s for sure. Yet, we know learning isn’t restricted by location or format. We learn all the time in a variety of ways outside of the teacher/student model. For some time now, gaming has been explored as a means to enhance the learning experience. That said, gaming is often only applied one way – the gamification of traditional learning. While this initially sounds great, in practice -- not so much. The game phenomenon is far too advanced to be successful in an environment severely restricted in its ability to provide consumer-grade user experiences and “real-time” advanced engagement opportunities. In other words, gamification in traditional learning might be likened to playing Candy Land in comparison to consumer-grade platforms that are affording gamers first-person, immersed experiences like Fortnite. There is a severe disconnect between the two that is far too wide to be breached anytime soon. So, should we give up on gaming? No, absolutely not.

Gaming is learning, and it is learning in a way that provides benefits well beyond those gained in the typical classroom. Advanced teamwork, strategic collaboration, and leadership skills along with integrated practice, growth mindset and grit, creativity, communication, technical skills and even the genuine willingness to fail in the name of learning are just some of the benefits “naturally” gained through gaming. Furthermore, people are addicted to this type of “learning.” In fact, they seemingly can’t get enough of it. Fortnite, which continues to dominate the gaming world, is now so popular it is shaping the business practices of some of our largest tech companies because of its worldwide popularity. Here are some interesting facts about this game giant:

·        200 million users as of November – up from 125 million users in June

·        8.3 million concurrent users

·        Half of every Nintendo Switch sold had Fortnite installed (Switch being an additional platform for Fortnite)

·        Interoperability between mobile, console, and PC editions of Fortnite (uncommon)

·        So popular that all major platforms (Xbox One, PS4, and Switch) have Fortnite themed bundles

(Stats retrieved from Gamespot article, Fortnite’s Biggest News of 2018 And How It Impacted The Industry)

It’s clear that video games are both powerful and highly efficient as platforms for learning. In fact, Bob Johansen, author of The New Leadership Literacies? stated the following in an interview:

“I believe that gaming – the ability to enter and operate within emotionally laden first-person stories – will evolve into the most powerful learning medium we’ve ever had.”

This begs the question, what does this mean for higher education?

It might mean that higher education will need to tap into this medium in the future in order to meet learners where they are and to provide valuable and engaging learning opportunities that exist outside of its static boundaries. In other words, higher education will need to “learnify” gaming rather than gamify learning. The creation of first-person, story-bound, learning experiences crafted to help learners master content in a way that progresses naturally will be the challenge of the future. We cannot limit our understanding of learning to in-person or online classrooms. To limit ourselves in such a way might close the door to the opportunity to reach millions of learners around the globe and engage them in ways that feel like a natural extension of the games (and the learning) they partake in regularly. Higher education will need to dive into the gaming world and break its territorial view of education. Whether one plays a game or enrolls in a class, as long as it is the learning experience created by the institution, it makes no difference where the learning is housed. This might be the higher education of the future that thrives in a distributed model.