A game revolution
Games and motivation
Get started with gamification
- Figure out what motivates your learners. There’s a lot of chatter about “motivational affordances” in gamification circles. This concept refers to the way a learner perceives value in a certain action because she expects it might satisfy a psychological need. For example, a learner might be compelled to continue earning points for correctly answering questions because it delivers a sense of competence. There are many motivational affordances available in gamification design—points, feedback, narrative storyline, clear goals, and achievement/badges are some of the most common—but the affordance needs to fit the audience and the course content. Whom are you designing for, and what do they need to learn? Not all strategies are universally effective.
- Invest heavily in good design. According to one prediction, 80% of gamification efforts will fail because of bad design. Despite the slot machine analogy given earlier, game design takes more nuance than simply creating a flashy, rewards-based experience. This doesn’t mean rushing out to hire game designers; as one blogger put it, “[game designers] start with a blank sheet of paper and they create… an experience whose sole purpose is to entertain. Gamification is not a game design problem… [it is] an ‘interaction design’ problem.” What you need is an expert (or a team of experts) who carries a balanced understanding of instructional design and learner motivation, who knows how to develop seamless ways to integrate game elements into already existing content. Experience with gamification elements is crucial, but so is a full understanding of the instructional design process.