Gone are when video games were considered leisure and a waste of time. The growing interest in gamification has made innovators drive their advantages to the education sector. In today’s world, the word gamification is primarily used in education.

Consider implementing game-related terms in non-game contexts, like the principal themes of games like virtual points, completing tasks, and activities. These terms and tasks can be used in other sectors like education to stimulate learning behavior. It has become increasingly popular in today’s education world, which will help students relate subjects to knowledge-based education.

Gamification in education

One of the main theories behind including gamification in education is to develop a fun and relatable environment for students. It also states that students learn best when assigned tasks in the form of goals, achievement points, targets, and others, which are perceived as fun and entertaining.

The addictive features of a game are often intriguing for students, especially children, and young adults. Their natural engagement in the education world will lead to applied learning combinations based on elements in education and games.

Some of the game-based elements used in education are:

  • Point scoring
  • Healthy competition with the peers
  • Teamwork and winnings
  • Driving engagement with a group

These factors help the students assimilate their work and provide the best knowledge of the subject matter. Hence, many schools are also making use of teaching applications, thus inducing gamification in the education sector.

Examples of gamification in education

As mentioned, schools are already making use of different methods and applications to induce fun-based learning via computers and tablets. However, many people confuse this with game-based learning. In game-based learning, the students create fun games about the subject and try to learn the subject in depth. However, in gamification, educators induce game-based elements in their teaching processes, which are purely based on the subject.

Some of the elements which can be used for gamification are:

  • Building social connections
  • Player controls
  • Mastery or leveling up from one level to another
  • Scaffolded learning to induce challenges at every level
  • The element of fun
  • Immediate feedback on tasks and homework
  • Narrative
  • Progress indicators like stars, points, badges, etc

gamification

A classroom that implements at least two of these elements in its education is called a gamified classroom. It is one of the best ways to enhance sustained engagement.

Educators can implement the following gamification techniques in their classrooms:

  • Giving points for meeting all the academic objectives and announcing the winner at the end of every week
  • Creating different playful barriers
  • Creating a healthy competitive environment in the classroom among peers
  • Providing immediate feedback on personalized performance
  • Giving stars and badges instead of points and marks
  • Giving levels to make the progress of the students.