Gamifi…what?
Gamification is the emerging of elements from gaming, such as earning experience, being rewarded, competition, status and socialisation, to something that may be seen as mundane in comparison, like studying.
This can also include making tasks feel more like a game, through the use of narration, visual prompts or tangible rewards for attaining mastery in a given skill, e.g. a certificate for completing a degree.
Gamifi….why?
There are lots of documented benefits of gamification, including increased:
- Engagement
- Motivation
- Inspiration
- Results in learning, social skills, critical thinking and health outcomes
Basically, the more fun something appears to be, the higher chance there is that people will stick to it and reap the rewards.
Gamifi…how?
If you’re keen to get your game on to boost your study motivation, there are a few simple ways you can do so.
Things like keeping track of your progress in a reading, essay or module with a progress bar or treating each module as a level to ‘unlock’ when you have mastered the previous one are two such ways.
You could even have real-life rewards for winning boss battles, that is, completing a major task or assignment.
Add a little friendly competition by getting your classmates involved with a points system and leader-board for group assessment scores and you’ll be gaming your way through your degree in no time.
To really up the ante, you could even add in consequences for failing to meet a deadline or grade threshold, apart from ‘failing the level,’ you may lose leader-board ranking (hello GPA) or have some other kind of penalty to begin the next ‘quest’ with.
Randomise rewards, punishments or group selection by rolling dice to add some game-y flair.
Gamifi…where?
Levelling up your study can be as simple as a progress bar in a bullet journal or as complex as creating an avatar with stats, gear and experience points.
You could even gather your study buddies for a Dungeons and Dragons inspired role-playing session to track progress towards your characters’ quests once a week.
There are digital solutions that may make this process easier for you, such as Class Dojo, Habitica and World of Chorecraft.
You can learn more about gamification on LinkedIn Learning too, which by the way is free for Charles Sturt students.
Bonus points if you use these methods at home to gamify chores and routines with your spouse, kids or roomies!
