[Paraskevas Lazaridis]

The gamification of learning can help teachers to create educational but also entertaining and exciting content. It’s not meant to turn work into a game, but it does play on the psychology that drives human engagement. The interactivity, role-play and competitive elements and a different angle to education which if done well makes learning simply fun.

Learning becomes addictive. When rewards are added through gamification they can be very satisfying and extremely motivating. The brains wants to reward the student back and so it releases dopamine to the body, creating a euphoric feeling everytime there is a win or achievement. This also creates a stronger retention of knowledge.

Another key benefit is real-time feedback. Gamification helps students hit meaningful targets, measure their learning and get feedback from teachers as the goals of a project are achieved. This allows for more efficient improvement since students are aware of what they need to do better and improve their skills.

If PBL is added students can work on projects that translate theoritical knowledge they’ve learned into real-world applications. Applying knowledge to practical scenarios creates a very effective way of learning. Learners are able to get a first-hand look at how their choices within the project result in consequences or rewards.

Many students are motivated by competition. Gamification provides opportunities for competition with others for high scores, desires of status, unlocking special achievemnts, rewards and leader-board rankings.

Learners in gamified learning programs can work towards group goals by cooperating with a team within a competitive environment. This encourages the sharing of ideas, debate, critical thinking and strategic thought processes.

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