The Place of Gamification in the Educational Context

Introduction

In the new millennium, there has been a remarkable boom in the use of badges, leaderboards, challenges, and other game elements in various software, applications and websites. Digital games are inherently fun and motivating to play without outside pressure. Increasing the performance, efficiency, motivation, and involvement of students in learning can allegedly be achieved through gamification, which uses elements from digital games (such as game mechanics and dynamics) in non-game applications. In connection with thinking about game mechanics in a non-game context, we are talking about so-called “gamifying.”

Therefore, the experience of gamification in our lives is not new. It stems from the spread of offline and online games. People of all ages around the world spend hours playing games without being forced to do so. This concept seems to be permeating economic, political and social contexts due to the growing popularity of digital games among the general public.

Users’ satisfaction depends on their good experience. Research on users of gamified learning environments focuses on understanding their behavior, needs, and motivation through interviews, analysis of surveys, and other methods of feedback. Studies of the motivational potential of educational game principles are still somewhat limited by the development of learning management systems. However, it is necessary to start gaining insight to the preferences and needs of key actors in the learning process, in order to contribute to the development of good gamification practices in education.

Tulloch (2014) argues that gamification is a product of a neglected history of pedagogical improvement, a history of training that is effective but largely ignored, namely the game process that teaches players how to play (so-called tutorial). The author questions the evolving concept of gamification - he does not conceptualize it as a simple set of techniques and mechanics, but as a pedagogical heritage and an alternative framework for training and shaping the participant's behavior, which at the core contains concepts of fun and engagement.

This contribution highlights a shift in the educational paradigm from an instructive (i.e., linear and passive) concept to teaching based on game principles. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broader awareness of gamification and the possibilities of its use (not only) in schools. The text includes examples that inspire to work with educational game principles in class. The introduction deals with the educational potential of game principles in learning from the perspective of actors in the educational process. It explores how digital games can enter teaching and learning in school, whether educational game principles are compatible with the logic of the dominant educational paradigm, and what their advantages and disadvantages are. Studies on learning with game elements will help to grasp their possible benefits and pitfalls in education. Based on the discussion of the findings, the author recommends to teachers, organizations, and developers of gamified learning environments how they could improve their teaching design in accordance with students’ needs and different learning styles.

Insight on gamification in education offers recommendations on how to use game elements in different contexts (e.g., in the classroom, during an excursion or on social media) (Morschheuser et al., 2018; Robson et al., 2015; Toda et al., 2019). The author will also mention examples of good practice and teaching experience simulating the professional training of graduates. After all, Conrad and Tucker (2019) pointed out that the type of player correlates with the performance of individuals in gamified applications, and that the rewards do not guarantee an increase in performance or motivation when playing games. According to the author, adapting gamification based on player types is the first step to personalizing learning.