Play Games to Learn

 

            Games and gaming are favorite activities that consume the time of a lot of people.  Ever since I was a child, I have learned and played games.  Arguably, playing all kinds of games, whether it be mental or physical, provides learning opportunities that no other activity can offer.  Games teach us, and games make us better thinkers.  Combining elements of games in learning activities that traditionally do not have them, a concept called gamification, can be a very powerful learning opportunity.

            Games teach us that there are foundational rules that govern how things are supposed to work.  The rules, followed properly, can lead to a good time.  Sometimes, even when the rules aren’t followed, people can be entertained.  If we can learn the rules for a game to have a good time, then we can learn other things.  Overall, games increase motivation for entertainment.  If we can harness this type of motivation and make learning the goal of the game, learning could be as simple as playing.

            One blog I found this week describes the concepts of gamification.  The author, Yu-Kai Choi, has extensive experience in the field of gamification.  The octalysis framework dissects the different elements of games and applies these to human motivation.  Practically, the octalysis framework is useful for ideas to create engaging learning experiences that are valuable to learners based on the types of motivation that best fit the learning event.   If learning could come to us as naturally as playing games, imagine what we could learn.

https://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/octalysis-complete-gamification-framework/