GAME AND GAMIFICATION

GAME AND GAMIFICATION

In the resent years, social media has been source of entertainment for people which keep them busy. But wait, have you ever wondered what keep people busy and entertained before twitter, Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and the rest of the social media? Yes, it is the traditional games. These games were initially in form of sports and competitive tournaments.

However, with the advance in technology, the development of video games has allowed people to get engaged without having to go to field to play or games stadia.

Games are not only for fun, it helps some to sharpen their ideas, teaches some certain aspect of life. But there are differences between games, gaming and gamification. Do you know their differences? 

GAMES

Games are computer-simulated applications that offer fun and rewarding digital interactions to users. They are highly engaging as they keep the mind actively involved in a virtual  environment (Garbade, 2018). Games are exciting and can be structured to serve as an educational motivation for players.

 Also, it can help to imbibe a subconscious thought that you don’t always win as you can sometimes loose and sometimes struggle. Games can be computer games, board games, card games and so on. The popular solitaire sharpens the mind by keeping the player attentive. 

Examples of computer games as suggested by Hurst, 2015 are:

1.  Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO): It is played over the internet or local area network. It allows interaction between players in the virtual game room. You can play with people all over the world.

2.  Simulations: It involves taking control of real-world          vehicles. You learn how to control these vehicles and        use simulation games that can be used to train                  professionals. It is of beneficial to learning, in fact,            many pilots are trained air plane simulation with this          type of game before taken flight. 

3.  Adventure: It is a single player game in form of a           puzzle. The player complete puzzle to advance               levels. How the game is completed is figured out by       the player.

 4. Real-Time Strategy: With this type of games, players can play all at once without taking        turns.

   5. Puzzle: It appeal to people that loves solving puzzles.

       It is made up of many levels, from beginner to expert. 

       These are brain games with no action involved.       

6.  Action: You have to be fast to enjoy this type of game. 

     Challenges are completed by fighting with enemies. 

    The player uses the character of his choice to represent 

     himself. 

7. Stealth shooter: It is a spy or war game where                stealth is used to defeat your enemies.

8.   Combat: It is a fighting game. The player needs to be fast and ability to use the controls for all kinds of fighting.

   

9. Role-Playing game: The player acts out the part of the main character and make decision that go along with the story line.

10. Educational games: It helps with learning process. The most common of this type are educational game for maths, science and ICT.

Hurst, J., 2015. 12 Types Of Computer Games Every Gamer Should Know About. Thought Catalog. Available at: <https://thoughtcatalog.com/jane-hurst/2015/02/12-types-of-computer-games-every-gamer-should-know-about/> [Accessed 15 Mar. 2019]. 

WHAT IS GAMING?

Gaming is the act of playing video games on game console. Today, virtual reality (VR) allows the players to enjoy the experience by taking gaming to a whole new level. Players now have more control of the game with VR technology as they can feel, see and experience more.

WHAT IS GAMIFICATION?

Gamification looks at how the game ideologies and elements are applied in non-game frameworks to achieve certain results and promote desired behaviours (Garbade, 2018). 

Gamification in another word, is the borrowing of elements of gameplay and applying them in a traditional non-game context to recreate the same level of attention and engagement in the human brain as would occur in a state of play.

Example of gamification in the classroom

·       Organising a challenge or activity that involves more that one way to solve

·       Giving badges instead of grades

·       Tracking of student progress in a fun or visual way

GAMIFICATION IN AN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT

Games are avenue for something deeper and more meaningful than childish waste of time. Playing games is the first method children used to explore higher-order skill of thinking associate with evaluating, analysing and applying new knowledge.

Games have many elements that makes them powerful in learning. They are structured to solve a problem which is an important skill for today and tomorrow. Depending on how they are designed, games can teach and test the player.

Gamification, which is the approach of adding game element like storytelling, feedback, badges, collaboration and learning through trial and error into non-game situation has experienced widespread of implementation in marketing and training  field with success stories (https://www.cio.com/article/2900319/3-enterprise-gamification-success-stories.html).

TYPES OF GAMIFICATION FOR LEARNING

1.  Content gamification: The player learns the basics of real estate business by buying cities and             making houses while playing the game.

2.  Structural gamification: Example is a game musical chair.  This form of gamification gives a               game-like structure to the content. The content not really a game but how it is presented.

  

http://www.learntech.in/types-of-gamification-games-vs-gamification/

WHEN TO USE GAMIFICATION

Asking these questions to yourself gives the answer to when to implement gamification. If answer is yes, then time for gamification.

1. Is the content boring for learner?

2. Do I want to bring about a cultural change? 

3. Do I want to change the image of my internal brand of training?

4. Do I want to improve the learning performance?

http://www.learntech.in/when-to-use-gamification/

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR GAMIFICATION EXPERIENCE

1. Choose the right gamification template for good gamification story

2. Mix the element of gamification rightly 

3. Don't leave the seriousness of learning behind, the content is also important 

4. Make the gamification element meaningful 

http://www.learntech.in/how-to-design-your-gamification-experience/

Examples of Gamification in The Classroom (Game Based Learning)

Ø  KnowRe: Personalised maths Learning (KnowRe is an online adaptive math learning platform which aims to help students succeed I maths by assessing, personalising and engaging students with game-like features, attractive graphic and social learning). http://www.knowre.com/product/

Ø  DuoLingo: Learn a language while translating the web (https://www.duolingo.com/ )

Ø  ClassDojo is a classroom communication app used to share reports between parents and teachers. Teachers track student behaviour and upload photos or videos. The gamification style system teaches developmental skills through real-time feedback.

Ø  Brainscape is a web and mobile education platform that allows students to study adaptive flashcards. The website and mobile application allow students, teachers, and corporate trainers to create electronic flashcards, and to find flashcards created by other users and publishers around the world.

Ø  Socrative is an in-class mobile interaction between teacher and student. Students share their understanding by answering formative assessment questions in a variety of formats: quizzes, quick question polls, exit tickets and space races. Once students launch the Socrative Student App, they'll be prompted to join the teacher's room via the teacher's unique code. No student accounts necessary.

Ø  Play brighter: Where missions replace assignments.