Reflection and "Ah-Ha!" Moments

When I accepted this "mission", to seek out and find a game that would inspire and challenge me long enough to play for an extended amount of time, I did not anticipate the number of levels I would need to achieve in order to find just the right type of game. Not having much XP in this area, I opted for something that comes natural to me: WordsWithFriends. I began slowly by choosing a known opponent from my own database; this, unfortunately, failed and I was left to seek out a "Smart Match" from the website. This too, proved to present with obstacles as my potential opponents either declined; or, failed to comprehend the time-factor in which I needed to complete my mission. Therefore, after about 25 minutes of waiting for them to make their move, I got bored and went in search of a different quest. I found myself on somewhat familiar territory and played ToyBlast! This game is one that I do, in fact, play from time-to-time so I am currently (at time of this post) at a level 389. As I played, I began to look at this game from a different perspective, asking myself "Why?" I liked it and continued to play, even if intermittently. The answer was "for many of the reasons that I'd just read and viewed throughout this Module".

This was my "Ah-Ha!" I never gave it much thought before, "Why?" I liked that it was simple enough for my very scattered and chaotic focus. It sustained my interest enough to pacify me through many school pick-up lanes, waiting my turn to roll forward. I like that I have learned skills throughout my practice that allows me to (now) use certain strategies when playing. I like the fact that I know when I am struggling, there are often "boosters" that I have earned and saved to use for those times that I just feel completely stuck and would, otherwise, give up. It seems, at times, that the game can read my mind! It knows just when to push me a bit and make me work at it, then ease up when I've exhausted boosters and attempts and still haven't Leveled up.

This was a huge revelation, seriously! When I think about this thing: Gaming & Gamification, something that I have dismissed as a "waste of time" has just proven to me that there really is something to it that can be applied in the classroom and, if done thoughtfully and appropriately, both teacher and student can score big!