Ramirez Diaz 1

Lissette Ramirez Diaz

Instructor: Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

11/1/2017

Growing Up Or Leveling Up? Video Games in Education

What exactly does gamification mean? Why is this a big deal today? Gamification is the

application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. (Gamification)

The subject of including gamification in the learning process at school has become more of a

topic that cannot be ignored. In this day and age with advancing technology, many companies

and teachers have asked, how can we use the technology and the interests of students today to

our advantage? Some businesses, such as Triseum, TeacherGaming, and Immersive VR

Education, have turned to game development to better suit the needs in the classroom. (10) For

example, the creator of Minecraft developed and released a new version of their game called

Minecraft: Education Edition for use in the classroom. This version allows students to build,

design patterns, visit different areas of the globe, and develop their spatial thinking. (In The

Classroom.)

Gamification's roots began with early customer loyalty programs such as the first such

program, the S&H Green Stamps, which were awarded to customers for their continued loyalty

to their brand. Then, in 1981, American Airlines comes out with the first frequent flyer program

for customers. Not to be outdone, in 1983, Holiday Inn makes the first loyalty program for the

hotel industry guests. The article, titled Gamification in Education written by Michael Jackson,

then goes on to discuss more events down the line that show how exactly gamification has been
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evolving and shaping the world around us today. Further down the line, in 2009, Quest To Learn

accepted a class of 6th graders into a game-based learning environment. A game-based learning

environment consists of using competitive exercises to motivate students to learn. Scores or a

points system are applied so that the instructor can make sure that the material is learned.

(Game-Based Learning) Lastly, Gartner, a company that delivers technology research to global

technology business leaders to make informed decisions on key initiatives, predicts that by 2014,

70% of Global 2000 organizations will have at least one gamified application. (Jackson,

Gamification in Education) Other companies such as U.S. Army, Samsung, and Verizon, have

also implemented gamification to either teach, or gain loyalty among consumers. (9) For

example, in 2002, a Serious Gaming Initiative forged a bond between the gaming industry and

health, training, education, and public policy. In terms of health, to briefly describe one, patients

can be more active in their healthcare. Games can help improve physical as well as brain

health/memory, and even allow a patient to help keep up with continuous treatments. (Gaming.

The next big healthcare trend?)

How did gamification in education come about?

In 1985, the emergence of the children's software industry began. This is when the

gaming industry released such games as Carmen Sandiego, Reader Rabbit, Legend of Zelda,

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, Math Blasters, and Pirates. In the years 1995-2000, virtual

worlds with user created content became popular, with games such as Active Worlds, Whyville,

and Roller Coaster Tycoon. Around the year 2002, more serious games, which were better

designed for teaching in the classroom, were being developed and capturing peoples attention.

For example, some of the serious games were Diner Dash, Wii Fit, Brain Age, EVE Online,
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Immune Attack, Arden, Gamestar Mechanic and Making History: The Calm & The Storm. (The

Gamification of Education Infographic #gamification #edtech.)

From the year 2010 to the present, gamification helps inform education's course design

and curriculum development. We see this in other projects and schools, such as Quest To Learn,

Knewton Math Readiness, and Mozilla Open Badges Project At the present, games and the

platforms they are played on are advancing at a fast rate and include elements such as virtual

reality, massively multiplayer online role-playing games (online games that allow for players

around the world to interact with each other), user-created content and role-playing, It is a hope

that eventually, augmented reality, which is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-

world environment whose elements are "augmented" by computer-generated or extracted real-

world sensory input such as sound, video, graphics, haptics or GPS data, will be implemented.

(The Gamification of Education Infographic #gamification #edtech.)

How are games influencing the learning of students?

What allows gaming to be used in an educational setting? How would students benefit

from this new technology in the classroom? Gaming offers many different elements that would

help others learn, and continue to want to learn or work. Using levels in a game creates a sense

of adventure in a user, and enables them to want to explore and continue to grow and develop.

Using a points system in the game allows the user to feel the need to succeed as they can see

their hard work paying off numerically. Other elements such as achievements, virality (the

tendency of an image, video, or piece of information to be circulated rapidly and widely from

one Internet user to another), and epic meaning (the user serves a key role in the game and its

story) give the user a sense of purpose. They influence the user and make them want to continue

playing and striving to be the best. When incentivized with rewards, the user becomes more
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active and invested in the gameplay/learning. In other words, elements that include collaboration

(which enforce the need to learn how to cooperate and work well with others), and appointments/

deadlines (which give the user a sense of responsibility, or influence them to continue playing).

Other elements include Bonuses, Loss Aversion, Discovery, Infinite Play, Countdown and

Synthesis. These elements convince the user to continue playing and to strive to master the game

and unlock achievements, hidden sections, quests or items that were once out of reach for the

user. (The Gamification of Education Infographic #gamification #edtech.)

Has this method of teaching been successful?

Lee Sheldon, a professor from Indiana University, decided to implement gamification in

the sense of gamifying the grading process. He gamified his course by abandoning grades and

implementing an experience system. Students letter grades are determined by the amount of

points they have accumulated at the end of the course. In other words, by how much they have

accomplished. Professor Sheldon attributes success to the fact that the elements of the class are

couched in terms they understand. Students are progressing towards levels of mastery, and each

assignment and test began to feel rewarding, rather than disheartening. Mr. Sheldon later

mentions that Using experience points allow educators to align levels with skills and highlight

the inherent value of education. (4 Ways To Bring Gamification of Education To Your

Classroom.)

Grade-school teachers Ryan Schaaf & Jack Quinn state In my class, students dont take

practice tests; they battle the evil emperor, Kamico (the maker of popular test prep workbooks

used at my school). While students are collecting points, leveling up, and competing against each

other, I am collecting data, tracking progress, and tailoring the rules, rewards and quests to build
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positive class culture while pushing student achievement. (12 Examples Of Gamification In

The Classroom)

Competition has also been shown to be a good motivator to learn and get ahead of the

rest of the group. Celine Petsche, a teaching assistant in the School of Business and Economics at

Wilfrid Laurier University, uses Top Hats tournament module to engage her students. Celine

also noted that the tool worked as a great equalizer among students. Introverts were able to

demonstrate their knowledge of the material and participate without having to raise their hands.

Most of all, gamifying the review of readings boosted the general energy of the class.

Another example is of a 3rd grade teacher named Mr. Pai. He disrupted the traditional

classroom setting by introducing the Nintendo DS, among other technology, into his daily

curriculum. Students practiced math and language through the use of computer and video games.

In just eighteen weeks, his class went from a below 3rd grade level to a mid-fourth-grade

level.(Mak, Heong Weng. Boosting Classroom Engagement with Kahoot!)

These anecdotes by various teachers of different levels of schooling show that no matter

the age of a student, how effective this type of teaching can be. In fact, In a study provided by

the Kahoot! Journal, it reported: students that did the game-based quiz (Kahoot!) learned 22%

more than students that did paper quizzes, and 52% more than students that used the student-

response system Clickers.. Since paper exams are what one would typically find in a classroom,

it is enlightening to know that the students took away more material from a quiz that incorporates

visual interaction over the standard paper format. The Kahoot! Journal also shared that the

student engagement of those who participated in the Kahoot game was 46% higher than

students doing the paper quiz, and 55% higher than the students that used the student-response

system. (Mak, Heong Weng. Boosting Classroom Engagement with Kahoot!)

Not only is gamification implemented in the physical classroom, but also in the digital

(online) world as well. In 2015, a survey was done to assess the reaction of people when asked

about motivation and the eLearning process. A survey conducted by TalentLMS, showed that:

89% of those surveyed stated that a point system would boost their engagement, 82% are in

favor of multiple difficulty levels and explorable content, and lastly, 62% stated that they would

be motivated to learn if leaderboards were involved and they had the opportunity to compete

with other colleagues. (Pappas, Christopher. The Top Gamification Statistics And Facts For

2015 You Need To Know.) A study was also conducted to see if gamification in education

would be effective for adult learners also. It states that According to a study conducted by the

University of Colorado on the impact of simulations and games in adult learners, participants in

gamified eLearning experiences scored 14% higher in skill-based-knowledge assessments, 11%

higher in terms of factual-knowledge, and 9% increase in retention rate. This shows that

gamification not only helps online learners acquire knowledge and skills more effectively but

also it allows them to retain information and commit it to long term memory for future use.

Games aren't just for entertainment in the world of eLearning. In fact, judging by the numbers,

they are an effective and powerful tool that enriches eLearning experiences for users of all ages

and in all niches. (Pappas, Christopher. The Top Gamification Statistics And Facts For 2015

You Need To Know.)

Is there a negative side to using video games in education?

With everything in life, there are two sides of a coin, and people will think differently. A

website, titled Games in Education, lists a few pros and cons of using video games, such as

Minecraft and Civilization, in the classroom. The website states The skills learned may be
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overlooked or forgotten when tested. The fundamental level of learning in video games may be

discarded by some students, leading to poor results. Violence in games can also add to

behavioral problems, as video games are generalized to be mostly violent leading teachers to be

skeptical with implementation. People may feel more hostile after playing realistic related violent

games as their behavior is afflicted by realistic situations.

Some teachers may feel that classroom necessities like books should be put before video

games and believe that books and reading them can provide a calmer aspect of learning rather

than constant technological productivity. Books also offer better learning in the subject of

English, with learning how to respond to texts, write essays and increase vocabulary, whereas a

game focuses mainly on other subjects. Time spent using video games can be an issue as parents

and teachers may not desire their children playing video games excessively at school. The best

interests at heart of learning can be clouded by the time consumption of video games within

school and outside. Traditional forms of education may be desired by schools and parents, rather

than the technological aspect. It can be strenuous for teachers to monitor all students and make

sure everyone is working on the same difficulty or level. Games as a replacement for books can

be different work for teachers to stay on top of student progression and reports. Perhaps, teachers

may not be accustomed to the use of video games or how to utilize their maximum ability and

also some programs may not be intuitive or suitable.

Why is this important to know?

As the ages progress, so does the advancement of society and the knowledge people gain.

Perhaps through gamification, learning could be made more efficient and engaging, leaving more

room for people to develop and grow. Or perhaps, through gamification will we as people really
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begin to learn and see things from a different perspective in terms of what we know? Who is to

say, yet we cannot deny that games have played a key role in many aspects of life.

It is well known that todays generation of students are often gaming or connected to

their screens, and Pim van de Pavoordts, a member of the data science team of Qualogy,

research indicates that children who grew up as digital natives immersed in the internet are

more likely to engage in online games than with other students or teachers in a traditional

classroom environment. Mr. Pavoordt proposes three potential reasons for modern day students

desire for e-learning options: First of all they want to be connected to one another, secondly

they want to be entertained through games, movies and music, and finally they want to present

themselves and their work. The topic of gamification in education and reshaping the learning

process of students is important because this major tool that has been developing is shaping

society whether many notice it or not. The increased influence of technology in our lives should

be seen as a potential way for students to learn more efficiently and more passionately than

before instead of letting this opportunity go to waste. These, and the reasons mentioned above,

are why gamification in education should be encouraged to better our minds and those of future

generations.
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Works Cited

4 Ways To Bring Gamification of Education To Your Classroom. Top Hat, 14 Nov. 2017,
tophat.com/blog/gamification-education-class/.
12 Examples Of Gamification In The Classroom -. TeachThought, 24 Apr. 2017,
teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/12-examples-of-gamification-in-the-
classroom/.
25 Examples of Gamification in Business. ClickSoftware, 15 Aug. 2017,
www.clicksoftware.com/blog/top-25-best-examples-of-gamification-in-business/.
Game-Based Learning. Games, 14 Nov. 2016, serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/index.html.
Gamification. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Dec. 2017,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification.
Gaming. The next big healthcare trend? NueMD, 8 May 2014,
www.nuemd.com/blog/gaming-the-next-big-healthcare-trend.
In The Classroom. Minecraft: Education Edition, education.minecraft.net/how-it-works/in-
the-classroom/.
JACKSON, M. - Jackson, M. (2016). Gamification in EducationUsma.edu,
https://www.usma.edu/cfe/Literature/MJackson_16.pdf
Mak, Heong Weng. Boosting Classroom Engagement with Kahoot! Gamification Co, 25
Mar. 2016, www.gamification.co/2016/03/28/games-in-education-kahoot/.
Pappas, Christopher. The Top Gamification Statistics And Facts For 2015 You Need To
Know. ELearning Industry, 31 Oct. 2017, elearningindustry.com/top-gamification-
statistics-and-facts-for-2015.
The Gamification of Education Infographic #gamification #edtech. Knewton,
www.knewton.com/infographics/gamification-education/.
The Top 10 Companies Working on Education in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.
Touchstone Research, 29 Sept. 2016, touchstoneresearch.com/the-top-10-companies-
working-on-education-in-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality/.