There is a growing academic interest in active methodologies related to games, that is gamification and game-based learning (GBL). However, the use of games for educational purposes is not a current trend, since, as discussed in the first section of the chapter, it was already recommended for centuries as an activity to develop certain skills from an early age. Next, gamification is explored in depth by analysing some of its most significant theoretical findings, well-known frameworks, as well as some current experiences in higher education. Similarly, the theory and practice of serious games and GBL are presented, and the chapter ends with the design of a digital escape room implemented with university students of educational degrees.
TopIntroduction
Play is generally appreciated in any society as one of the fundamental pillars for children's development, as it even stands as Article 31.1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1898 that is the right to play and to participate in recreational activities. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not explicitly mention play, not only is it an opportunity for leisure for any person regardless of age, but it is also one of the essential components of human nature.
In Huizinga's words, play is so important in the development of any society and of any person that the characterisation of the human species demanded a new designation alongside the well-known homo sapiens or homo faber. In such a way, Huizinga proposes the new concept of homo ludens, as a person who plays, since it is a function as necessary as manufacturing, in reference to homo faber (Carreras, 2017).
According to what has been explained so far, games are key tool for the development of any society and, therefore, of any person. Therefore, at this point, it is worth asking what play really is, approaching this question from a broad perspective and related to the conception that is being presented; since there are some reductionist definitions, such as that of the Royal Spanish Academy, which states “the action and effect of playing for entertainment”.
In order to answer the question from the perspective raised, it is necessary to resort to classical sources, as is the case of Huizinga (1972), who, through his thesis on the subject, points out that “play, in its formal aspect, is a free action executed as if and felt as situated outside of ordinary life, but which, in spite of everything, can completely absorb the player, and which, in spite of everything, can be a game of play, can be completely absorbed by the player, without any material interest or profit being gained from it, which is performed within a certain time and space, which takes place in an order subject to rules and which gives rise to associations that tend to surround themselves with mystery or to disguise themselves in order to stand out from the usual world” (p. 27).
Likewise, Caillois (1986) starts from Huizinga's conception to conclude that play can be defined as an activity that must fulfil six conditions: free (the player cannot feel obliged to participate), separate (specifying a space and time of play), uncertain (leaving room for invention so as not to predetermine the outcome), unproductive (when the game ends everything starts all over again), regulated (specific laws are established to regulate the game) and fictitious (the players are immersed for a time in a secondary reality or an unreality).
The different works cited coincide in the aspect that play is a changing action subject to variables such as culture and time. For this reason, the evolution of play has always been an object of study in anthropology (Giner-Abati, 2016) and numerous works have tried to synthesise the main changes over the years (Calvo-Hernando & Gómez-Gómez, 2018; Sáez & Monroy, 2010). Mainly, these cited texts even begin by situating the first games during the Palaeolithic and linking them to divinity and religious rituals. With the passage of time, around 4000 B.C., games began to become more complex and incorporated a space for strategy and for putting various skills into practice, for example, the first board games or javelin emerged. Around 3000 B.C., the first rattles or small animal dolls made of clay, wooden toys, bowling games, among others were developed in Egypt. Indeed, around 2000 B.C., other novelties arose, which are still latent today. For example, in India marble games were created, or the Mayas and Aztecs created fields and rules for playing with balls. However, it was not until classical antiquity that education and the power of play began to be linked, as Plato (427 B.C.) and Aristotle (384 B.C.), for example, reflected on the possibilities of these play activities for personal development. Thus, parents were encouraged to use toys with their children to stimulate their minds and improve their future predisposition to learning.