One of the most recent advances in education today is the integration of games into the classroom. More specifically, using games as tools for teaching and facilitating has shown to have a powerful impact on learning. Two of the leading researchers, Matthew Farber and James Paul Gee began studying these effects several years ago. In Jim Gee’s Principles of Gaming (2013), Gee explains how video games create environments that engage and motivate the player; by replicating this structure, educators can engage and motivate their students in the same way. His emphasis on digital media is very relevant in education today, and worth investigating to provide students with the best learning experiences. Farber takes this further, and explains how “gaming generates a dynamic which can inspire learners to develop skills and build an emotional connection to learning and subject matter” (Farber 2021).

However, the way games are used within the classroom can vary. Terms such as gamification and game-based learning sound similar, but have very different meanings. Dr. Karl Kapp describes gamification as “using the elements of games to motivate and engage the learner” (Kapp 2014). When a game is broken down into elements such as points, avatars, and score, learners find their experiences most enjoyable. It is one thing to use gamification in a classroom, educational setting or programming, but digitizing the gamification strategy and placing it online is very different (Kuo et al 2016). Additionally, gamification at different age levels will require different formats. Despite these differences in age or mode of learning (in person or digital), research shows significant engagement behaviours demonstrated by the participants even at a university level (Kuo et al 2016).

In contrast, game-based learning uses games to teach a specific skill in a learning environment (Farber 2021). Both gamification and game-based learning have advantages for learners in educational settings. While there has been extensive research regarding gamification and game-based learning in a classroom setting, not as much has been studied with adult learners, including young adults. ETHOS Career Management Group is a leader and innovator in the Employment Training industry. Since 2000, they have developed and delivered a variety of highly successful employment and self-employment programs and services, with a focus on online and virtual delivery. Gamification was introduced at ETHOS several years ago, with badging, leaderboards and related, while game-based learning is a new tool and one we are interested in testing more.

The clientele that enroll in the various courses offered by ETHOS are adult learners, including young adults. One of the programs offered by ETHOS is the REBEL Entrepreneur Program. It provides opportunities to young adults aged 15-29 to enhance entrepreneurial skills and build a business plan. Our project centred around testing an educational game (Game Based Learning) that would make learning enjoyable for young adults who are creating their own business. The game we decided to test out on the REBEL participants was a Digital Escape Room (DER), targeting competencies in the course curriculum. We recognized that we could use a DER in different ways for the program, namely as an icebreaker, as a learning tool, and as motivation or engagement to bring them back for follow-up, after the program had ended.

Maintaining high levels of interest, motivation, and engagement as well as facilitating learners' educational achievements is a daunting challenge both in classroom-based and distance education. Educational games and Games-Based Learning have the potential to engage and motivate minors and adult learners. In the article Why Games? they discuss the benefits and challenges of game-based learning. Referenced in her article, Harnessing the Power of Game Dynamics (2020), Kim states that gamification is the process of game thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems. The author states that games can help in learning because people are more:

• motivated

• engaged, and

• achieve more in games than in the real world.

As for challenges, in the article, Gaming and Learning: Winning information literacy collaboration (2008), Spiegelman and Glass discuss potential Barriers to Games Based learning. A few examples include:

• Games take time to learn and design properly

• Wasted efforts will be the greatest administrative fear

However, it should be noted that Spiegelman and Glass state that a lot of game-based learning can be done with a small investment of funds and many can be implemented with very little overhead. Additionally, the benefits of games-based learning, including increased engagement and motivation, greater learning, are too compelling to ignore.