Gamification: Making Learning Fun or Making Fun of Learning?
It’s safe to say that gamification has become a cliché in education over the past ten years thanks to the increasing call to make learning “fun”. Or are we actually “making fun” of learning?
Drawing the essense from game-based learning (learning driven through games which may or may not be developed for learning purposes), gamification in its simplistic understanding is the use game elements (game mechanics) in non-game contexts. The reason for such usage is to make those non-game contexts “fun” or “playful” with the goal of increasing student engagement so that they would “enjoy learning” and eventually achieve the intended learning outcomes.
While some may think gamification is a novel 21st-century learning approach, it has been around since the late 70s (formally) but the emphasis then was more of physical engagement through hands-on activities. For example, “The Game of Work” released in 1973 by Charles Coonradt addressed the issue of flagging productivity in the US by motivating employees through games. But the introduction of consumer-friendly game consoles and personal computers in the 80s fast-forwaded the implementation of gamification and game-based learning in schools as well as workplace (e.g., “What Makes Things Fun to Learn: A Study of Intrinsically Motivating Computer Games” by Thomas Malone, 1980)”.
Personally, I was exposed to the term “gamification” in the 1999, as I vividly recalled I bought a CD-ROM when I was in Form 4 (upper secondary school) that taught physics using a space odyssey theme. The word “gamification” was proudly shown on the CD Cover. Of course, I paid less attention to the meaning of it then, as being an avid gamer, completing the game missions was more important. But as we are now in 2020, I noticed the terms “gamification” and “game-based learning” are superficially used whenever anything has a “fun” element in it. There was little consideration on the real mechanics behind it that drives learning.
All “gamifying” roads lead to intrinsic motivation
A review of major gamification-related theories will point to the age-old understanding of human behaviour not just in learning but in most of the things we do. B. F. Skinner’s operant conditioning, for example, despite being “badly labelled” as “meaningless” behavioral learning, is in fact pretty much related to motivation. To understand this model in terms of motivation, think of the likelihood of response as the motivation and the reinforcement as the motivator, just like what “gamification” is trying to achieve. Giving “points, badges, rewards” for positive actions (positive reinforcement) and penalties for negative actions (negative reinforcement). While these are extrinsic at first, it would indirectly help to increase the learners’ intrinsic motivation. A review of empirical studies on gamification by Juho Hamari also revealed “gamification provides positive effects, however, the effects are greatly dependent on the context in which the gamification is being implemented, as well as on the users using it”.
“The truth is, simply incorporating game mechanics and game elements does not make a game fun.” — Yu Kai Chou
Thus, without clearly undrestanding the conditioning that we are setting for the purpose of learning, merely making an activity “fun” will result in short-lived excitements and students may not learn much. Questioning “why” certain game mechanics are injected into a task or activity and “how” they are linked to expected learning outcomes would be a good start. Just because something looks fun, it doesn’t always give a good purpose for learning.
A good gamified or game-based learning design will consider many factors involving the learners, as echoed by Prof Sylvester Arnab:
“Games and gameplay provide insights into the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics of engagement and participation in experiences that encourage learners to act, make decisions and reflect, nurturing a lifelong learning practice that will guide them in future inquiries”.
Ultimately, we should really stop “hard selling” gamification as the solution to all student engagement problems in learning. Even game developers spend years to come up with good games that could keep motivating “players” to stay.
And if we are serious about making learning fun, then we should begin by not making fun of it.
P.s. I highly recommend these book if you would like to discover more about proper gamification design.
Game Science in Hybrid Learning Spaces. (1 ed.) (Digital Games, Simulation and Learning; №6). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group by Sylvester Arnab
Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards by Yu Kai Chou
