The workshop was gamified. The audience could earn points and badges for participation. There's not a lot you can do in a 30-minute workshop, but here are a few key areas:
Challenges and quests for the workshop
Basic challenges: Collect pieces of an Oregon map by participating in tasks
Simple quest: Explain 3 game mechanics to a colleague
Advanced quest: Create a plan to gamify a class or workshop (use the resources from this presentation for that quest)
What is gamification?
Gamification is adding elements of games and gaming to regular activities that we may not normally think of as games. It's not the same as playing games, though you might want to do that, too.
Why gamify?
Gamification is used in business to motivate people to shop and keep shopping. In education, we want to motivate students and encourage persistence in learning.
Grades work well for high achievers, but not for those who may be struggling a bit. They may see their grades drop with every assignment, quiz, and test. But if you're gamifying, you're using points. Everyone starts at zero and goes up. You can add incentives for weaker or less motivated learners.
Collaboration is as important as competition.
How do I gamify?
Use game language - see the handout below for suggestions about converting ordinary activities into game-flavored ones. Learners are "players," they do "tasks" and "quests" rather than assignments and projects, they use "team play" or "player vs. player," and they get points, badges, and levels for their work in class.
Remember that the teacher can set what the points are and how they work - but it needs to be consistent. I encourage using "collaboration points" (CPs) as well as "experience points" (XPs).
The handout below gives detailed instructions about converting a regular class or activity into a gamified one.