{"id":1934,"date":"2018-03-05T17:35:15","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T17:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studypug.com\/blog\/?p=1934"},"modified":"2024-08-08T19:53:08","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T19:53:08","slug":"hunger-games-the-pursuit-of-gamification-in-math-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.studypug.com\/hunger-games-the-pursuit-of-gamification-in-math-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Hunger Games : The pursuit of gamification in math education"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gamification techniques, Photo Credits: Samuel Mann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is Gamification?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Gamification \u2013 a relatively new word that any version of Microsoft Word 2011 and below will have trouble identifying it as a legitimate. A novel product of the 21<\/span>st<\/span> century, the term gamification was unheard of until a little less than a decade ago. Not until later in 2011 was the term officially placed in the Oxford dictionary that now describes gamification as <\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/i>The application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/a> More simply put, one could describe gamification as the process of incorporating gaming elements into anything outside the realm of gaming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the inception of gamification, its popularity has soared heights and won the hearts of numerous professions and industries, from the likes of healthcare services, to the food and beverage industry, to human resources and recruiting practices. According to statistics, by 2018, the global gamification market is expected to reach a net value worth of $5.5 billion dollars (Markets and Markets). The United States alone will claim $2 billion of this total (M2 Research), which is not surprising given that they are the number one, leading market in gamification. <\/span>As an incredibly lucrative market, its not hard to believe its reach, <\/span>more evidently so in academia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The draw however is not just monetary gain as demand from learners is also striking: 80% of students claim that their productivity would increase if their university\/learning institute were gamified (<\/span>TalentLMS<\/span><\/a>). With such a strong backing and an inevitably increasing trend, how can academic institutions follow suit? Should they follow suit?<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the difference between gaming and Gamification?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Worlds collide: Academia and Gaming. Photo Credits from left to right, Nick Youngsen, Jurgen Appelo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even in all its glory, success, and popularity among the masses, gamification is still considered dangerously attractive to many. Parental and academic concerns are largely based on the struggle to identify the boundaries between gaming and gamification. How do we separate the two? Or do we accept that there will be instances where lines be blurred? If we are able to do so, can there be a way to ensure the same learning outcome sand objectives are still aligned and met?<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaming is simply defined as the act of playing games: games however now come in various forms, sizes, shapes, and platforms – from board games, to toy games (e.g. Kendama, yo-yo), to console games, PC games and so forth. In this modern age, more often than not, people associate gaming with electronic gaming \u2013 so playing Mario on your Nintendo Switch or League of Legends on your computer etc. What connects all these gaming variants is the fundamental objective on which they all created with from the beginning: \u201cHow do I win?\u201d While there are many elements of gaming that drives players such as reward, competition, progress and comradery; winning is the biggest lure and stressed the most. However, the truth about gaming is that the best games are those that stimulate learning and incorporate it subtly yet intentionally. This is where the lines begin to blur between the two, but also where the goal of presenting a learning and challenging environment converge.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you might recall \u2013 gamification is the process of incorporating traditional gaming elements into a <\/span>non-game framework<\/i><\/b>. Here the differentiation between the two appears to be more stark – academia inherently classifies under the non-gaming context. With gamification the goal is not a complete upheaval or transformation of how\/what we learn at our academic institutions. \u00a0It is the addition of the bells and whistles (found in any good game) that targets a very human but vital part of us required for effective learning \u2013 our motivation. Yu-kai Chou breaks this idea of motivation further for us by identifying the different facets that drive the average Joe\/Joan:<\/span><\/p>\n

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8 core drivers innately in us that gamification appeals to. Picture Credits: Yu-kai Chou.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some general examples of gamification in the classroom include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n