Gamification and Game-Based Learning

What Does The Research Say?

This section is a summary of the available research on both gamification and game-based learning. This will be broken into two sections, the first will discuss the game-based learning approach and the second will address the gamification approach. All sources are cited in the "Literature Cited" section of this website.

While both approaches are discussed separately, this does not mean that they cannot be implemented together. Since they are not exclusive of each other, combining the two ideas would be feasible in a classroom. Gamification would allow for teachers to reward behaviour and make the classroom experience feel like a game; while game-based learning approaches would allow students to learn curriculum through a variety of interactive activities such as online or in-person games.

Why Game-based Learning?

One important question to ask in any teaching practice is why? Why would this approach help students succeed? Why should teachers look into this approach? Research done into game-based learning show that the concept itself is very old. Parents, Teachers, and scholars have used games as a way for children to explore their environment and learn through this interaction. Children have a natural drive to explore and learn and play, combining all three into one came naturally from this idea. There is a reason why I have emphasized "children" though... Usually when students get to be in their teens or young adults, this concept gets swept aside in favour of more rigorous structure and learning. However, studies show that age does not limit a students ability or desire to learn through games. Video games for example are widely played by any age group and allow anyone to explore a world or an idea that is new. Research shows that high school students engage and learn just as well as elementary students through games. Utilizing this fact allows teachers to engage their students in learning and make it fun.

The fundamental basis of game-based learning is "Learning by Doing".

Another important aspect to this is the fact that most games and game-based learning experiences allow students to explore and learn in a risk-free environment. Students are free to reattempt things, try new things, poke and prod at everything to see how it ticks and they don't have to worry about consequences. Research has shown that this results in a statistically significant increase in understanding and retention. When faced with a challenge and given the freedom to explore it, students will attempt things over and over again and try different angles of approach to solve a problem. This allows them to better understand what they are facing and better prepares them for applying it to other situations in the future.

It is important to note that game-based learning is not the same thing as having the students play video games for the sake of playing video games. These include a wide variety of games that all must be grounded in curriculum and instruction. Students have to be able to learn and apply concepts through the game itself.

Serious Games versus Game-Based Learning: An Important Distinction

There is a subset of the game-based learning approach that is important to talk about. "Serious games" are defined as games in which the focus is the learning more than the game itself. While game-based learning is generally a balance between these two ideas, serious games put the learning part a little higher. Games such as Oregon Trail have this approach. They focus on the student or player learning about the Oregon trail more than they focus on the player interacting with the game.

Once again, there are good and bad aspects to this. Generally, serious games allow for better knowledge focus and get information to students in a more direct way. Students have a better idea of what they are expected to understand and what is just game play. This enables teachers to provide more information to students through this medium. Other games with a heavier game play focus tend to be specifically catered to one concept or idea. While serious games can tackle an integration of ideas together. They also provide more information in a shorter amount of time, allowing for a higher focus on instruction.

On the other hand, they also tend to leave students disengaged with the content more than non-serious games. With a heavy content focus, students can see exactly what they are supposed to be working through and self-motivation or individual inquiry can be pushed to the side. Sometimes, students can view these types of games as busy work instead of an interactive way to explore the content.

A balance is necessary to implement a proper game-based learning approach.

What are the Benefits?

In order for true learning to occur, students need to be in the right mindset. If students are engaged and excited about what they are learning, research shows that they retain more knowledge for longer, develop problem-solving skills, and display behaviour that is more conducive to learning.

One of the biggest benefits of using game-based learning approaches is seeing immediate change in understanding. Since students just need to play a game in order to work through the content, teachers can immediately see the results through formative or summative assessment. Students get immediate feedback on their understanding as well. The games they play give them feedback as they are working through it. This occurs immediately and neither students nor teachers have to built up to see immediate results.

Teachers also get a chance to see where students need to improve right away. By observing where students tend to get stuck in a game, teachers can help fill in the gaps for students and help them have a more complete understanding of the idea. Many games even offer direct feedback to the teacher. One website, "Gizmo" (discussed in the "Resource" section of this website), allows teachers to track student progress in real time as they work through the games. The application will even categorize each of the outcomes and display exactly where the student is struggling.

Game-based learning allows teachers to also differentiate their approaches according to individual student need. For example, a teacher can challenge a student to further their learning by giving them games that require them to critically think their way through an idea. While the same teacher can give another student assistance as they work through the game in order to help them bridge any missing gaps. Most games have this feature built in as an easy, medium, and hard mode. Some even designed this into the progression of the game through a learning curve. As students better understand the ideas, the questions and challenges steadily ramp up in difficulty, consistently challenging students to apply their knowledge.

Game-based learning can sometimes have a heavy individualistic approach as well. This allows students to learn about self-motivation and determination and put these concepts into practice. Since many games have an emphasis on self-lead or small group style learning, problem-solving and perseverance are a staple of game-based learning.

Even in larger groups or games that focus on working together, there is an opportunity for students to take on leadership and collaborative roles. These allow students to problem-solve with each other and improve their interpersonal skills.

Finally, a biggest influencing factor in the increase in game-base learning is the increasing movement towards online learning. Computer games allow for students to practice concepts and apply ideas in a self-lead environment. Online schooling can be challenging for many students and online activities and games can enable students to work through challenging concepts at their own pace.

What are Some Issues?

With the amount of work that has to go into the game-based approach to learning, a major disadvantage is the resources required to properly implement it. Game-based learning requires a thorough understanding of the process, the proper scaffolding of the concept into the classroom, and the resources needed to bring it to your instruction. There is a heavy long-term commitment needed as it can take a long time to set up. While the results are immediate once it is up and running, the process to get to that point is long.

There will be many schools that simply will not have the resources to bring game-based learning into the classroom fully; either because of budget or time restraints. Many school will not be able to afford the online programs required for many activities. These include programs such as Gizmo. While game-based learning does not require the use of online activities, even the in-person activities require a lot of prep time and different resources to be executed. To try to consistently plan out interactive learning activities on a regular basis can be draining on teachers.

Why Gamification of Learning?

"Gamification" of learning allows for teachers to focus on behaviours of students as well as the general classroom environment. By using game elements to motivate students and practice specific behaviours, students can feel more involved in their own learning process, have fun in their classroom environment, and feel more integrated into the class structure.

Gamification allows for students to feel engaged in their learning because they feel like they are progressing their own learning. They can feel proud when they get a reward and work hard to accomplish goals. They can also gain a better understanding of where they are at and where they are going since the classroom progresses like a video game.

The key concepts of gamification include the addition of goals, checkpoints, medals, leaderboards, experience points, levels, etc. These all aim to motivate students to progress since they aren't left to flounder around and try to figure out where they should be. Since students are motivated to learn and free to progress at their own level, school and the classroom becomes something they want to participate in.

What are the Benefits?

The gamification approach lends itself well to individualizing learning. In any given class, teachers are going to have students that struggle to catch up while others are bored from the pace. By gamifiying, teachers can individualize student learning and allow for a more even playing field. Students can "level up" through their understanding and be given challenges that fit their needs and their knowledge level at that moment.

Teachers can also focus on promoting positive behaviours and self-motivation. Instead of focusing on grades and other superficial ways of measuring student learning, gamification encourages students to work towards improving their own learning in their own way and at their own pace.

Just like with the game-based learning approach, gamification allows students to get into the right mindset to learn. They are engaged and excited about learning. Gamification makes the classroom fun. Most students enjoy progressing through the different levels and can celebrate their accomplishments.

What are Some Issues?

Some of the biggest issues with this approach stem from how it is brought into the classroom. Gamification is a difficult concept to balance in the correct way and there sometimes isn't one way that works for everyone. However the teachers implements it and how slowly they take it will make or break this approach.

One important aspect to consider is how you scaffold in gamification. If a teacher suddenly brings it in, especially in the middle of a semester or a year, this approach often pushes students out of the classroom environment. Students need time to adjust to the approach and gain an understanding of what is expected of them. As a result, it is important that any new addition to the classroom be scaffold in slowly to allow time for the students to adjust. Often times, it is better to not bring in anything new during the school year and attempt different ideas at the beginning of a new semester. This is detailed out very well in the video above.

A delicate balance that needs to be met is between fairness and motivation. Teachers need to ensure that everyone is given the chance to excel and further their own learning but not at the expense of other students. Some students might look at a leaderboard and feel discouraged by the difference between them and the other students. Therefore, some aspects of gamification might not be appropriate for every classroom. Students need to be able to feel they can do their best but will not be judged if they can't reach the same level as some other students.

An excellent way to do this is to make gamification an entirely positive experience. This means that only positive behaviour and achievement is included in the gamification part of a class. If a student is misbehaving or can't grasp a concept, there is not negative consequences as part of that atmosphere. Sticking firmly with positive reinforcement only is a lot more productive than trying to do a combination.

Finally, it is important to be cognizant of the delicate balance between motivation and competition. Since curriculum already promotes heavy competition between students, adding more in the form of gamification can lead to students feeling worthless or stress them out to try to "be the best". Therefore, the focus of gamification should be on bettering yourself instead of competition with other students.