Gamification consists of applying mechanisms and dynamics of games in other areas to motivate and teach users in a playful way. In recent years, both the educational and business worlds have increasingly used this tool to train students and staff.
The word gamification comes from the English word game and consists of the application of the mechanisms and dynamics of games in the educational-professional scope to motivate and teach in a playful way. This term was coined by the British video game programmer Nick Pelling in 2002, but it did not start to gain relevance until 2010. Since then, the idea of learning by playing has been gaining presence in classrooms and companies around the world.
GAMIFICATION IN EDUCATION
Gilles Lipovetsky already said in the book The Twilight of Duty (2006) that, unlike previous generations, for the first time, we live in "a society that devalues the ideal of self-denial, systematically stimulating immediate desires". As a result of this individualist revolution, playfulness has become an indispensable element of our daily lives. And this does not only occur in our leisure time, it is also part of the business sphere and, especially, of education.
Often, the traditional passive method of teaching fails to motivate students. This causes an increase in early school leaving. Given this scenario, gamification (also known as ludification) presents itself as an interesting tool to arouse the interest of students, promoting active learning by transforming a routine and unattractive activity into one that is dynamic and stimulating.
Among the main objectives of gamification are:
- Make the learning process more fun.
- Increase student motivation.
- Promote proactivity in the study.
- Encourage the student through rewards.
- Optimize the efficiency of the learning process.
MECHANISMS OF GAMIFICATION
Gamification uses mechanisms extrapolated from games to motivate users. It is the way to reward the user according to their success through, for example:
- Points and rankings
Points are awarded for reaching the objectives and these accumulate to foster competition.
- Levels rise
These limits allow the user to rise to a higher level depending on their evolution.
- Awards and gifts
Trophies, emotional rewards or gifts are given for achieving certain achievements.
- Challenges and missions
These are individual or team challenges designed to reinforce involvement and a sense of belonging.
EDUCATIONAL GAMIFICATION TOOLS
There are currently several gamification tools aimed at the educational field, especially for early childhood and primary education. Among the most generalist, which can also be applied to higher education, the following stand out:
FLipQuiz: facilitates teachers to create question and answer panels with different scores according to their difficulty. With a format similar to some television contests, it reaches its maximum potential when organizing tournaments with teams in the classroom.
Socrative: allows teachers to conduct quick questionnaires and organize competitions by teams represented in attractive virtual races. At the end of the game, students can evaluate the session through a poll.
Gamification in education is able to make the classroom more attractive, fun and up-to-date. It also fights the lack of interest, making students learn in a playful and natural way.
It provides new learning models in which students are not entirely dependent on content or teaching material. The three components are complementary.
Furthermore, gamification in education can develop some skills in those who use it:
- Creativity and autonomy;
- Ability to solve problems;
- Achievement of objectives;
- Team work;
- Technological language;
- Sense of urgency;
- Healthy competition;
- Improvement in concentration.
