Gamification Dynamics

Race and Escape

Effective gamification requires understanding the dynamics that underlie games. To
help with that understanding, I've created a worksheet you can use to follow along as
we discuss various game dynamics in this section. You'll find the worksheet title
Dynamics in the Exercise Files for this course. Importantly, I'd like you to think about
games that you've played orexperiences that you've had, then corporate these
dynamics.
And then consider how applying those dynamics to the learning that you are creating
can make it more gamelike and more engaging. This thought process will help you with
your game thinking and make you a better developer of gamification for learning and
instruction.There are many formats that can be used for gamifying learning
experiences. Understanding the right format will help you design the right
experience. One such format is that of a simple race. The racing format involves one
or more individuals competing to cross some type of finish line or competing to be the
first person to complete a task or a mission.
This can be a traditional racing game, where one car is racing against another. Or it can
be a game where two players are racing from one end of the game board to the
other. Other examples of the racing format would be Mario Kart or Gran Turismo or
even a game like Chutes and Ladders, where the objective of the game is to reach the
endpoint before your opponent. In a gamification experience or racing format would be
when learners are racing others to complete a task or to learn certain information.
Usually in this format, a learner doesn't cross a finish line. More often, they rise to the
top of a leaderboard or are recognized for accomplishing a task first. The variation of
the racing format is the escape format. In this format, learners or players are moving
away from a threat or a danger rather than toward a finish line or completion. Games
that involve escape include running with the bulls, the Spanish tradition where hundreds
of people attempt to avoid beinggouged by bulls running through the streets.
Admittedly, it's a pretty high stake example. An example that's a little tamer is the board
game Forbidden Island. Forbidden Island is a cooperative game, where players attempt
to get off of an island that's sinking. In order to escape the island, the players must work
together to firstgather treasures and then they must cooperate to find a helicopter to
escape. In a gamification example, it may be that players need to complete a certain
number of learning activities before they're eaten by zombies. The players who are able
to escape, would end up on a leader board or as one zombie themed experienced
called it, the living board.
For example, in the game Typing of the Dead, the player must type in words quickly and
correctly in order to escape a zombie attack. When thinking about using a racing format
or an escape format for your gamification effort, you want to ensure that you match the
type oflearning that needs to occur with the right type of gamification format. For
example, if a learner needs to recall information quickly, a racing game provides a good
format. If the learner is usually in a stressful situation and he or she needs to act quickly
to avoid problems or complications, an escape format would help to reinforce the
transferability of that knowledge from the gamified learning environment to the actual
environment.
As you are implementing gamification within your learning environment, consider the
following when creating a racing or escape game. Clearly define if the learners are
escaping from a condition or racing to a finish line or endpoint. Establish clear rules, so
the learners know what is allowable during the race to the finish or while escaping and
what is not allowed during the process. Decide if there are incremental winners in the
racing format. For example, can someone win for the day? You know, make it to the
finish line on the first day or is it one large overall race? It's better to have smaller,
incremental races than one large race.
Racing or escaping can both be powerful motivational formats for your gamified learning
event.

Gamification is an underutilized element in instructional design, but it's crucial to engaging

today's learners and enabling content mastery. In this course, professor, instructional game
designer, and author Karl Kapp lays the foundations of the theory, provides examples of
gamification in three real-world learning scenarios, and breaks down the dynamics of
gamification (aka what makes games fun!): escape, collection, discovery, pattern
recognition, and other risk/reward activities. Plus, learn to put the different elements of
gamification—from setting goals to providing multidimensional feedback and leveling up—to
work for your classroom. If you don't have experience gaming, don't worry. Professor Kapp
focuses on gamification as a design sensibility, making the principles clear to gamers and
nongamers alike.
Topics include:
 Exploring games, gamification, and simulations
 Content gamification vs. structural gamification
 Seeing gamification in action
 Scaffolding
 Capitalizing on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
 Collecting, acquiring, and allocating resources
 Constructing and creating
 Setting up rules
 Providing feedback
 Telling a story
 Thinking like a game designer

Collecting, acquiring, and allocating resources

Collecting, acquiring, and allocating resources are all variations of a game dynamic that
can be used in the gamification of learning. The collecting dynamic is one where the
player attempts to collect pieces, cards or other items during the gamification
experience. The person who collects the most wins. An example of this type of game is
Trivial Pursuit. In that game, the player answers questions based on the color their
piece landed on after they roll the dice. The player who answers a question of each
color and collects all the necessary pie pieces wins the game.
A variation of the collect to win format is the collect to gain an advantage format. In a
game like Pokemon, the player who collects the most cards has an advantage, because
they're able to play more diverse cards against an opponent. In a gamified learning
example, a learner may need to collect facts, concepts or other pieces of knowledge to
win. The collecting of the pieces of knowledge over time propels the person to the
position of winner. Sometimes a treasure hunt format is used where the learner must
collect treasure or information at various stops or locations.
Resource or territory acquisition is similar to collecting. But involves both acquiring
and taking items from others through various game play mechanisms. Examples of
these types of games include Risk, where players compete to take over the world by
acquiring different countries.Monopoly's also a game where the player attempts to
acquire properties. Many war games are some type of territory acquisition. Allocating
resources, on the other hand, is when a player has a limited amount of resources and
must carefully consider the use of those resources to win the game.
An example of this would be the Settlers of Catan game, where players collect
resources based on the location of their cities. Once resources are collected, they can
be allocated forthe purchase of roads, cities, and other required elements to help win
the game. The entire game is based off the careful allocation of finite resources. In a
gamification example, a player can be allocated a certain amount of resources that must
be turned in to receive a reward.The resources could be information or course content
to be learned, each learner would receive an inadequate amount of resources or course
content in the beginning.
The learners would then need to negotiate with other learners to obtain all the
information required. Usually information is parsed by categories. So they need to
obtain some information within each of the pre defined categories. The learner must
decide what resources can be traded, and what resources should be collected. As you
are implementing gamification within your learning environment, consider the following
when using the concepts of collecting, acquiring, and allocating resources. Often, a
gamification experience will contain a combination of collecting, resource acquisition,
and resource allocation.
Keep the rules as simple as possible to help avoid confusion and to clarify what can be
traded, acquired, or collected. In resource allocation games, it is important to ensure the
right number of resources is available. If you have too many or too few of a particular
resource, the learners may not be able to gather all the resources, and therefore, might
not learn all the content. So when considering how to create the right game dynamic
for your gamification effort, keep in mind the much used collecting, acquiring, and
allocation dynamic.

Solving a Mystery A common and popular format for many games is the element of
mystery. In this format, the player must discover the clues to solve a mystery or must
explore a strange place to find items they need for success. And example of a game
using mystery is the board game Clue.In the game, the player must solve the mystery of
a murder. The player goes from room to room on a game board. Collecting evidence to
make the final proclamation of who actually committed the murder.
The entire premise of the game is to solve the mystery. An electronic version of solving
a mystery is evident in the game, L.A. Noire. The video game is set in Los Angeles in
1947. In the game, the player must solve a number of cases by scanning crime scenes
for clues, following up on leads and even interrogating suspects. The more the case is
solved, the more the video game content is revealed. A discovery game is similar to a
mystery game format.
Using the same convention of the player needing to learn certain information to solve a
puzzle or to learn a certain outcome. In the mid 1990s, the popular discovery based
game Myst was released. Myst puts the player in the role of a stranger on an island who
seeseverything through a first person perspective. The player must then find clues to
reveal the story of the island. The game has several endings depending on the course
of action the player takes. The allure of mystery and discovery games is that humans
don't like open loops.
They want to have information presented in a nice, neat pattern. Question asked and
question answered. A mystery creates an unknown situation, drawing in the learner
andencouraging them to make the unknown, known. So learners become motivated
andengaged, because they don't want to have an open loop. In a gamification learning
example,a learner may need to solve clues to learn new content. The clues may contain
information that when taken together, provide a new learning opportunity.
The learner continues through the gamification event, because he or she wants to find
all the pieces, to close the loop, to solve the mystery. There are several ways to create
mystery within a gamified environment. Start with questions. Often, in a learning
environment.Instruction starts with the learning objective, such as you will learn three
effective leadership traits. Unfortunately, a learning objective is a closed loop and does
not pull the learner in. A better method is to start with a question, such as do you know
the top three leadership traits?This is an open loop, the learner now wants to discover if
he or she knows what the top three traits are.
The question creates an open loop the learner needs to close. Another technique is to
provide incomplete information. The learner encounters some of the content needed
forsuccess, but not all the content. The learner can then discover the necessary
information, by searching in specific locations. Going on certain quests, where
information is revealed or by collaborating with other learners. As you are implementing
gamification within your learning environment, consider the following when using the
format of mystery and discovery.
Use questions to drive the learner through the content. Make it clear that the answers or
information the learner's seeking can be found within the content if they know where to
look.Space the clues and information out proportionately, so that the learner is
discovering clues or information at fairly regular intervals. Too long or too short a time
between discovering clues can be boring or frustrating for the learner. Good spacing is
important. The idea of solving a mystery or discovering new information is good for any
job or task, where the learner will have to do some type of investigation to find the root
of a problem or to make decisions based on what they discovered.
Strategy
Strategy games are a popular type of game that requires players to outwit
and outmaneuver fellow players through careful decision making, planning several
moves ahead and attempting to predict outcomes. Perhaps one of the best known
strategy games is chess. Chess is a strategy game where two players move pieces with
several different capabilities around the board in an attempt to checkmate their
opponent. The strategy of chess requires taking into account many different factors
such as the position of your own king, the position of the opponent's king, the number of
pawns remaining on each side, what other pieces are available, diagonal trajectories
toward opponent's pieces and open spaces, just to name a few.
Another popular strategy board game is Stratego. In this game two players establish an
abstracted battlefield with Marshalls, Miners, Bombs, Colonels, Scouts, and other
military positions. The goal of the game is to capture your opponent's flag, which is
hidden on the opponent's side of the board. The game requires a defensive strategy,
which involves determining where the opponent has hidden their flag, and an offensive
strategy to hide your own flag.
The game also includes the concepts of incomplete information and discovery. When a
player attacks an opponents piece, he or she discovers the value of that piece which
can help determine future moves. One of the best known computer strategy games is
Sid Meier's Civilization series. The game includes the concepts of strategic thinking
in terms of the activities of the player which revolve around exploring, expanding,
exploiting, and exterminating opponents.
The game offers multiple paths to victory, including diplomacy, culture, economic, and
military victory, among others. The idea is to strategize a method of conquering the
world. In a gamification learning example, a learner may need to strategize to
successfully complete the gamification experience. For example, a situation might be
engineered where the learner needs to make a series of difficult decisions based on an
economic strategy, a marketingstrategy or combination of the strategies, and through
the learning process, decides what tradeoffs are acceptable and what tradeoffs are not
acceptable.
You can even engineer something like the no-win situation from the original Star Trek
series, the Kobayashi Maru. The Kobayashi Maru is a test to see how a starship captain
reacts to a difficult situation. The test involves a situation where a spaceship, The
Kobayashi Maru, has traveled into a forbidden zone, the Klingon neutral zone. And any
starship attempting a rescue would be in violation of a peace treaty and be attacked.
But if the starship captain does nothing, all the people on the Kobayashi Maru will
die. The test is the decision. Let the crew of the ship die, or risk intergalactic war. As
you are implementing gamification within your learning environment consider the
following when creating a strategy-based gamification event. Include trade-offs
and force the learner to make decisions based on those trade-offs. Establish situations
where the learner has to predict the outcome.
Reward learners for correctly determining an opponent's next move or decision. Reveal
information a little at a time to influence and shape a player's strategic decision-
making.Provide knowledge or information that can help the learners manage complexity
and the relationship among variables. Reward learners for developing a solution that
was not previously considered as a winning outcome. Thinking strategically is a
valuable skill, and one that can be implemented effectively in a gamified learning event
Constructing and Creating

Utilizing resources to build or create something new or unique requires thinking

creatively and the ability to plan several steps ahead. These attributes are all used in
games that involve construction or creation. There are several game examples that use
the concept of construction for gameplay. One is the classic board game, Mousetrap. In
that game, players first work together to build an overly complex and complicated
mousetrap by landing on build spaces and creating part of the trap.
Once the trap has been completed, if a player lands on a turn the crank space and an
opposing player is on the cheese wheel space, the player turns the crank to start the
operation of the mousetrap. And if the trap is set up correctly, the opposing player's
mouse gets caught in the cage and is out of the game. A video game example is
Minecraft. In this electronic game, players are able to build all types of things out
of textured cubes in a 3-D world.
The core gameplay revolves around placing and breaking blocks. Blocks can be
arranged on a grid and represent different materials like ores, dirt, stone, tree trunks
and even water.Players gather materials and place them in a pattern of their
choice. The open world aspect of Minecraft allows a player to create virtually anything
they can imagine. Players have built stadiums, buildings, vehicles, artwork and many
other wonderful creations.
Another example of a construction game is RollerCoaster Tycoon. In this electronic
game, the player's task is to build and maintain a successful amusement park. To
achieve success, the player has the ability to place rides in the park such as merry-go-
rounds and Ferris wheels, as well as other rides. The player also has the ability to build
roller coasters. The roller coaster can be custom-built by the player. The player can
choose the type of track, the curve of the track and other elements to create the roller
coaster they desire.
The coasters can be mild or wild, depending on how the player decides to string
together the track for the coaster. A virtual 3-D world version of a construction game is
Second Life. In Second Life, players are provided with land and a toolkit to build their
own structures, vehicles and even clothes based on building blocks they call
prims. Prims are short for the term primitives, which are basic geometric shapes. In
learning examples, building structures can be used to teach mathematics or geometrical
concepts.
Instructors have even had students write essays or stories about the creations they've
developed in Minecraft. And gamification examples provide the learner with an
opportunity to earn elements to build something of interest to the learner, such as a
building or a vehicle.Earning items to place on one's property can be an engaging
process, as well as deciding what building blocks to put into place and how to craft the
desired item being constructed. As you're implementing gamification within your
learning environment, consider the following when thinking about building or
constructing.
Provide opportunities for learners to share their creations in a public space so they can
show off what they've created. Provide simple and specific instructions for basic
building. Allow flexibility in what can be built. Provide plenty of time for the building
process. If the time allocated is too short, learners will feel like they can never complete
the structure they're trying to build. Building and constructing is an engaging
process. People like to view and show off items they've created.
Adding the construction dimension to gamification can be motivating as learners work to
create unique structures.
Pattern Recognition

Many games involve creating, identifying or predicting a pattern. This is a common

element in many basic and electronic games. It is also an important element for many
professional and academic skills. Pattern recognition is the ability to recognize order in
chaos or to see relationships in disjointed information. Patterns can be found in
concepts, ideas, series of words, symbols, numbers and images. They can also be
found in behavior, economics and historical events.
In every discipline, patterns are crucial for predicting the future, estimating the right
course of action and determining diagnostic steps. Engineers use patterns to create
objects.Psychologists use patterns to help patients. Lawyers use patterns to help settle
cases andresearchers use patterns to fight disease. A simple example of pattern
recognition is Tic-Tac-Toe. In the game, the player attempts to align three Xs or three
Os before an opponent can do the same.
This process requires the player to both focus on the pattern he or she is creating, as
well as focusing on the pattern of the opposing player. In Tic-Tac-Toe if both players are
adept at pattern recognition, the game ends in a stalemate. The same concept has
been carried into electronic games like the popular Candy Crush. In the Candy Crush
game, the goal is to find patterns and align different candies. When the candy is
aligned, it disappears and the candies around fall into place.
A similar concept is using Tetris, where the players work quickly to align shapes to
create solid lines across the game screen. When a solid line is accomplished, the line
disappears and the pieces move closer to the bottom. Another non-electronic version of
pattern matching is Connect Four, where a player attempts to connect checker pieces
on a vertical game board. The player who connects four first, wins the game. An
example of pattern recognition in gamification might be to teach a salesperson to
recognize customer buying patterns.
The learner might be rewarded for identifying statements that support a certain buying
pattern. In teaching history, a learner might be asked to identify the pattern of behavior
of a certain country or a group of countries that led to armed conflict. Adding pattern
identification and creation in the gamified learning events, provides challenge to
learners and is motivational as the learners work to identify what makes a pattern. As
you are implementing gamification within your learning environment, consider the
following when thinking about pattern recognition.
Start with simple patterns and then work toward more complex patterns. Start with more
tangible patterns and then work toward more abstract patterns. Provide multiple
opportunities to recognize a pattern. For more knowledgeable learners, patterns can be
more obscure. For learners who are newer with the subject matter, keep the patterns
more basic. Pattern recognition provides a challenge and an opportunity to engage
learners, as they work to see what patterns emerge from the information or data
provided to them.
Elements of Gamification

Goals, Rules and Objectives

Effective gamification requires understanding game elements. To help with that
understanding, I've created a worksheet you can use to follow along as we discuss
various game elements in this section. You'll find the worksheet titled Elements in the
exercise files for this course. Applying elements carefully is what separates good
gamification from poorly done gamification. An important part of gamification of learning
and instruction is to establishclear goals, the introduction of a goal as purpose, focus
and measurable outcomes.
A goal provides a method of measuring the quality of gamified interactions. In many
gamified learning environments, goals are clear and visible, both figuratively and
literally. Visually understanding how far you are from a goal provides
incentive, feedback and an indication of progress, as well as a measurement against
others. Hey, I scored 21,001 in that game. That's one better than you. The goal is the
primary device for determining level of effort, strategies, moves, and ultimately, who
wins.
The goal sustains the game and keeps the players moving forward. A goal gives a
player the freedom and autonomy to pursue it using different approaches and
methods. Knowing the goal, one can apply different techniques to achieve the goal. It
seems counterintuitive, but clear goals like retrieve the treasure by answering the
questions provides the player with choices. You can go directly to the treasure chest
and fight the dragon guarding it or you can go through the forest and collect the
necessary weaponry to beat the dragon.
Or you can build a flying machine and pass the dragon altogether, answer the questions
and collect the treasure. But goals have to be well structured and sequenced to have
meaning and to motivate players to achieve those goals. In instructional terms, you
have to create a terminal goal and support that goal with a series of enabling
objectives. These objectives serve as small, incremental steps that allow a player to
move from one accomplishment to the next.
Having sub-goals which lead to a larger goal are an important part of providing
sustained engagement. To help ensure that goals are obtained fairly, within the proper
parameters, rules are established. At its simplest form, gamification is a set of defined
rules. These are rules indicating the maximum number of points that can be
earned, rules describing how to score points, rules indicating what is allowable and what
is not allowable.
These are operational rules. The operational rules describe how the gamification
experience works. When you learn that collecting 2,000 tokens allows you to buy a
cooler snowboard, that's an operational rule. So is learning that you can't take your turn
until everyone else hastaken their turn. Working hand-in-hand with goals and rules in
the case of gamification forlearning an instruction is the idea of learning objectives. A
learning objective is what you want the learner to know or be able to do as a result of
the gamification experience.
It's important to keep in mind that you may have a gamification goal, a goal for the game
like find the treasure, and also have a learning goal like identify the six guidelines of
effective leadership. Both can exist in a gamified environment and be highly related to
one another, butthey're not the same thing. As you're implementing gamification within
your learning environment, consider the following when developing the goals, rules and
objectives. Make sure your goals are clear and explicit so that everyone knows what
they are.
Make the rules as simple as possible so the learner doesn't become confused. Learning
objectives and gamification goals do not need to be same. A gamification goal might be
to slay the dragon, while the learning goal is to learn how to properly read a map. Goals,
rules and objectives are important foundational elements of gamification and need to be
carefully considered as part of the overall gamification effort.
Conflict, Competition And Cooperation

Gamification can involve conflict, competition, or cooperation. In many cases, a

combination of two or more of these elements. A conflict is a challenge provided by a
meaningful opponent.To win a challenge, the player must actively defeat the opponent
and see who'll be the last player standing. Conflict can also be between a player and
the environment. It could be that elements of the game attempt to thwart the player,
such as non-player characters shooting at the player or obstacles suddenly appearing.
With conflict, the idea is to become a winner while voiding a loss at the hands of the
opponent. In an educational setting, conflict is not the most productive means of
motivating learners. Other choices are better. One better choice is the concept of
competition.Competition occurs when the opponents are constrained from impeding
each other andinstead devote their entire effort to optimizing their own
performance. This is a more appropriate approach for motivation within a learning
environment.
A common example of competition occurs in racing games. Two players race to the
finish line and each tries to go as quickly as possible, but they don't interfere with the
other player.Winning is accomplished by being faster, cleverer, or more skilled than the
opponents, and not by inflicting harm on their opponent. When establishing a
competitive environment among learners, research indicates that keeping the group of
competitors small is better. If a person is placed on a leaderboard with an entire
school, they'll be less motivated.
But if they're on a leader board with a smaller group, such as one class or one
department, they're more likely to compete. This is called the N-effect. Keep the number
of competitors relatively small for optimum engagement. Use groups or sub groups,
within a learning situation, cooperation is often the type of gamification environment that
is most engaging and motivating for the majority of learners. Cooperation is the act of
working with others to achieve a positive outcome. This is the social aspect of games
and gamification that many players enjoy.
Having learners work together to achieve a learning goal or to compete against other
teams can be highly motivational, because individual learners feel that they are
contributing to the larger goal of helping their team. Working together and achieving a
goal is the winning state of cooperative play. The game Forbidden Island uses
cooperation as a strategy, where all the players of the game are working with each
other to gather treasure and get off an island before it sinks. While it's helpful to
consider the elements of conflict, competition, andcooperation separately, often, good
design includes a balance of two or more of these elements.
Educational gamification often includes competition among teams, but cooperation of
players within each team. As you are implementing gamification within your learning
environment,consider the following related to competition, cooperation, and
conflict. Competition andcooperation are the most effective from an instructional
perspective. When deciding on the number of learners competing against each
other, keep the numbers relatively small.Consider fostering cooperation among players
when designing a gamification experience.
Team competition helps learners develop a sense of motivation, because they don't
want to let their team down. They're working for the team and not just for themselves. A
basic design of any gamification effort starts with the consideration of how learners are
interacting with one another. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of competition,
cooperation, and conflict to determine the best design for your situation
Feedback

One feature of video games, boardgames and gamification have over traditional
learning environments is the frequency and intensity of feedback. Feedback in games
and gamification is almost constant. There's several types of feedback that can be
valuable in gamification. One type of feedback is conformational
feedback. Conformational feedback is designed to indicate the degree of rightness
or wrongness of a response, action or activity.Conformational feedback immediately
informs a learner if he or she did the right thing, the wrong thing or if they are
somewhere in the middle.
But it doesn't tell a learner how to correct the action. For example, if you're playing a
video game as a spy and you enter a door an alarm goes off. And bad guys instantly
become alert, you know you went in the wrong door. The feedback of the alarm is not
providing specific instructions. It doesn't indicate you should do x instead of y. Instead,
the player suffers or rejoices in the consequences of the actions taken. And then they
can decide what to do based on that feedback. Another form of feedback provides
guidance.
This type of feedback guides the learner toward the instructional outcome. It's called
corrective feedback. If the learner did the wrong thing, he or she will be prompted,
guided or pointed to a more appropriate action or activity. In the case of corrective
feedback, when you open a door and the alarm went off, the game might flash a
message. The alarm will alert the guards. Next time, look for an open
window. Explanatory feedback is corrective. But in addition to providing the correct
answer, explanatory feedback also includes relevant information about why an answer
is incorrect.
Explanatory feedback explains the right the answer. It provides a detailed explanation to
the learner. With explanatory feedback upon opening the door and sounding the alarm,
you might receive the same message as before. The alarm will alert guards. Next time,
look for an open window you might have passed on the way to the door. But in addition,
you'll also receive the information. That often doors within military facilities are
alarmed. Always look on the outside of the door for a possible indication that it has an
alarm, such as a warning label, trip wire or nearby alarm bell.
Another form of feedback is diagnostic. Diagnostic feedback attempts to diagnose why
an incorrect response was chosen. It attempts to correct common misperceptions or
ideas. With diagnostic feedback in our spy adventure, the game might inform the learner
that yes, doors seem like a natural option of entry into a building. However, not all doors
are good entry points into buildings and some are alarmed. The feedback would
continue and tell the learner that in this case, you failed to observe the signs indicating
the door was alarmed.
The signs you should have looked out for was small warning labels and a nearby alarm
bell.Feedback can also be natural or artificial. Natural feedback is when the learner
receives the same type of feedback, he or she would in the natural world. Artificial
feedback is when the learner receives feedback in the form of text or an explanation
that would not occur in the real world. Like flashing text above a door saying, do not
enter. As you're implementing gamification within your learning environment, consider
the following when designing feedback.
Choose the feedback carefully, by deciding how much feedback is required to move the
learner toward the learning goal. Determine if a combination of one or more types of
feedback is required. Often, it's a good idea to include a mix of feedback through the
experience. Not all feedback requires a rich explanation. Sometimes, conformational
feedback is enough. Choose a combination of natural and artificial feedback. Feedback
is an important element in gamification.
Consider the different types of feedback and which are best for the instruction you are
providing.
Rewards and Achievements

One decision designers of gamefication have to consider is the earning of rewards by

players, and when to recognize player achievements. Achievements and rewards
contribute to the engagement and motivation of learners. Understanding how reward
structures work and how to integrate these structures into gamefication efforts is
important. Rewards and achievements have a role to play as an integral part of
gamification. However, it's important to not let rewards and achievements become the
sole focus of the gamification effort.
One common question is, should the learner be rewarded for completing an activity? Or
should the learner be rewarded for how well they've completed an activity? A
completion achievement is awarded to a learner for simply completing a task. It doesn't
measure the quality of the completion or how well it was completed. It only measures
whether or not the learner completed the task. It may or may not require skill to earn the
completion achievement. For example, sometimes a learner's given points just
for logging into a system or the computer.
If the learner already knows how to log in, and he or she is not being taught
that particular skill, then the act of logging in is a completion achievement. A Completion
Achievement is valuable in that it tells a learner a task has been finished, but not how
well the learner did in completing the task. No valuation of the skill is needed to
complete the task. On the other hand a measurement achievement is given to the
learner for completing a task to a certain degree. The measurement can be against
another learner's performance, the learner's own performance, or some standard set by
game designers.
An example of this would be the star rating used in Angry Birds, which gives the player
a number of stars based on how well they beat a level. A measurement achievement
can be likened to feedback because it's evaluative in nature, and informs the learner
how well he or she is doing. The literature regarding the use of feedback in training
and education indicates that feedback in the form of measurement achievements is
beneficial to learners because it allows them to reflect on their own performance in
relation to goals they set for themselves.
This reflection increases the learner's perception of their competence, which in turn
increases their motivation. The overuse of achievements can create an artificial ceiling
for performance.Once learners have earned a reward or a specific achievement, they
are unlikely to continue on with the task that they were persuaded to do. For
gamification developers, this translates into the replay value of their game. Also, using
too many rewards makes learners less likely to take risks, as they don't want to hurt
their chances of being rewarded.
This is especially relevant to achievements used in environments where learners should
be encouraged to engage in creative and experimental play. When using achievements
and awards in gamification the best practices include. Using measurement
achievements instead of completion achievements to increase intrinsic motivation
through feedback. Don't provide too many rewards. It can actually demotivate the
learner in terms of exploring the gamification environment. Consider using rewards and
achievements as a method of encouraging replayability.
It is generally better to link activities within the game to rewards than to have random
rewards.When implemented properly rewards and achievements can have a powerful
effect on motivating learners.
Points, Badges and Leaderboards

While there's more to gamification than points, badges, and leaderboards such as
storytelling, feedback loops, and mystery. Those elements are important for helping to
motivate and engage learners. Points help a player identify how far she's progressed
through a gamification experience. Points can be used for a variety of purposes within
gamification. They can be used to reward progress and correct answers. They can be a
way of achieving social status by displaying them to others, and in some cases, they
can be used to unlock content andeven spend as currency to obtain virtual or even
physical goods.
The accumulation of points is often displayed in a leaderboard. A leaderboard is a list of
top scorers in a game. So whoever played the game, could see all the players names or
initials and scores. Its a simple device but can be a powerful motivator to play again and
again.Leaderboard provide players a chance to socially interact in discussions around
the game and around the high scores. It also provides bragging rights and social capital
to the individuals who achieved the high scores.
When designing a leaderboard for gamification, there are a number of considerations
for creating the most effective leaderboard. If the organization is large, having an
unedited list ofeveryone in the organization in order from best score to worst, may not
be as motivating as you had hoped. For example, if you like to run and run on the
weekends, as a weekend warrior, being on the list with the world's fastest man would
not be motivational. In fact, it might be de-motivational because there's no way an
average person could catch the world's fastest man.
However, being on a leaderboard with a group of friends might be highly motivational,
because those are people you are able to compete against. In addition to
leaderboards,games also provide players with instant reward in the form of
badges. Badges are typically awarded for nonlinear accomplishments within a
game. This can be a scoring streak, or it can be for collecting items within the game
that aren't essential to winning, but a side mission or an extra adventure in the game.
Badges can encourage players to explore the game environment. There are two views
on badges. One is to make them as easy to get as possible early in the game,
so players are hooked and want to continue playing. The other school of thought is to
avoid easy badges that are not related to activities that are rewarding in and of
themselves. However in general, it is better to link activities within the game to a reward
than to have random rewards. Giving a few badges early is okay, but too many and they
become meaningless.
As you are implementing gamification within your learning environment, consider the
following when integrating points badges and leaderboards. Allow learners to choose
their own friends to place on a personalized leaderboard. Structure the leaderboard by
territory ordepartment to allow individual contributions to a larger goal. Don't overwhelm
your learners with complicated point systems, keep it simple. Provide points for
everything you want to manage. For example, if you need to manage correct answers
and speed, give points forboth, so one doesn't overshadow the other.
Aim for balance. Use points as currency to give learners more autonomy over how
they'rerewarded for their efforts. Making earned achievements viewable to other
learners is a powerful incentive. Let learners display a few achievements that they're
proud of to increase motivation. Badges are good for showing non-linear progress
through content. Levels are good for showing linear progress. Points badges and
leaderboards can play key roles within gamification if they're applied carefully and
thoughtfully to the learning process.
Levels

Playing a game that is too difficult is not fun. Playing a game that's too easy is not fun
either.Therefore, the quandary for gamification is to create an experience that is not too
hard or too easy. But when developing for a broad audience with unknown skill sets, the
task becomes even more daunting. How do you create a gamification experience that
appropriately challenges players at multiple levels of expertise and experience? The
answer is to create a solution that is both easy and hard through the use of different
levels of entry.
By providing an easy, intermediate and difficult level of the same game, more players
are able to enjoy and partake in the game play. It's easiest to create the hardest level
first. Then move on to creating the novice level and then the middle level. Otherwise, it's
hard to judge the proper degree of difficulty for the middle level where the majority of
players spend their time.Start by creating an extremely difficult level, designed for more
experienced players with faster bad guys, more challenging puzzles and less time to
complete the levels.
Then move on to creating the novice level. Where everything is slower, help bubbles
pop-up on the screen and provide guidance and challenges are more manageable. This
level appeals to novices who are just trying to learn how the game works and who need
simple challenges and basic assistance as they play the game. The third level created
is usually the intermediate level, which is aimed at the middle level of difficulty providing
the gamespace where most players will play. The three levels also increase the re-
playability of the gamification effort.
Once someone defeats the game at the easy level, he or she may challenge
himself with the hardest level and see how they'll do under those difficult
circumstances. This concept of creating three different game play levels can be easily
transferred to the creation of gamification. When creating a gamification event, consider
designing three levels of interaction. You can easily develop intermediate and hard
levels, which can be effective forcatching the attention of a wide audience.
Designing three levels makes it more accessible to learners and may encourage them
to replay the experience. Another three level approach is to create a demonstration
practice and test mode with each level providing different information and a different
challenge. If you're creating a game to teach one how to use a piece of equipment
or how to conduct an interview, you might want to create one level where the learner
watches a demonstration of the proper procedure and technique. This provides the
learner with knowledge and information.
In essence, the first level provides the instruction and teaching needed to perform the
task.This level would be for someone who was a complete novice. The next level would
be the practice level, where the learner is given guidance and feedback on, whether or
not he or she is performing the right task. This mode might provide arrows, hints,
instructions, highlights andadvice to the learner as he or she follows the procedure. This
level would give enough help to guide the learner toward achieving the goal.
Finally, create a test or free play mode where the learners are not given any
guidance. They just have to play the game independently and are either successful or
not. This would be the level of the most difficulty. But it would also be a chance for the
learners to apply what they're learning directly to the task at hand in a similar
environment to what they would actually be doing on the job or in the classroom. As you
are considering levels of difficulties within yourgamification effort, keep in mind the
following.
Create a beginner, intermediate and advanced level. Allow the learner to choose what
level to use to enter the game. Consider designing a free play level to allow
exploration. Start the gamification effort with a tutorial level. So learners can use the
experience to learn what they should be doing. Providing different entry levels
accommodates the different abilities andexperiences of a group of learners. Ensuring
that your effort has wide appeal to the intended audience.
Story Telling

While not all games have a story behind them, story telling can play an important role in
gamification. Stories have been used for centuries to pass information from one person
toanother, and to guide behavior and thinking. The combination of a video game and
story telling provides an interactive story which engages and moves the player
forward. Well designed educational games blend a task related story with interactive
game elements to help the learner learn the desired behaviors, actions and thinking
patterns that support the desired outcome within a particular context.
Games can provide a visual and narrative context for player performance. A game
provides a place for the player to practice activities as they directly relate to the
narrative of his or her job or academic learning goals. Adding game elements and
involving the learner in the story can make the learning even more powerful and
memorable. A well crafted game based story focused on helping the learner to solve
problems, educates learners, and is easily recalled when the actual situation arises.
Storytelling within an instructional game allows learners a vicarious experience through
the story which they can apply to the work situation or learning environment. The
elements that make this possible are Characters, Plot, something happens, Tension
and Resolution. Adding these elements together creates an effective story
to accompany the elements of the game.Story elements are not only engaging but they
guide the learner through the game as he or she attempts to fulfill the story elements
and obtain the goal of the game.
A story within a video game typically unfolds with a character encountering a problem or
a situation. The problem builds tension in the story as the character may not know what
to do orhow to react or worse, may do the wrong thing. Then, a solution is offered in the
form of a colleague, a moment of inspiration or an idea, or even reading an important
piece of information. And then the results are presented in a positive manner. This
simple structure can be used for game-based story scenarios to help learners
understand what they must do to be successful in their environment.
It's as if a wise mentor, faculty member, or co-worker is telling them the best method to
deal with the situation. When interweaving a story in your gamified learning keep in
mind the following. Make the characters in the story similar to the learner so learners
can relate. Create a clear beginning, middle, and end of the story. Provide enough detail
to allow the learner to become immersed, but you don't need to provide elaborate
details. Learners can read between the lines to help fill in the story.
Generally, instructional stories used for learning should end happily and on a positive
note.Stories are an integral part of many games and can play an important part in
helping to provide the context for learning.
Failure and Replayability

The do-over in board games or card games and the replay button in video games is an
important element that is often overlooked in learning situations. In gamification in
games, try again is not a bad thing. In many educational and learning situations, it's
framed as a bad thing. The replay button or do-over gives the player permission to
fail. And in games, failure is an option and as a good one. Allowing a player to fail with
minimal consequences, encourages exploration, curiosity and discovery based learning.
Knowing that you can always restart the game provides a sense of freedom. And
players take advantage of that freedom, by placing their character into danger to see
what will happen. By using a tactic like running out into the open to learn where the
enemies are hiding or even spending too much on one resource and not enough on
another to determine the consequences. Games provide the opportunity to explore a set
of rules. To test hypotheses and to remember which approaches were successful and
which ones failed.
This process can also lead to effective learning. In games and gamification unlike many
other activities, exploring failure and what failure means is a valued approach. Players
enjoy failures in a game or at least use them to progress. The idea of failure is part of
the game ethos. No one expects to successfully navigate and win a game the first time
he or she plays it. In fact, people expect to fail and often look forward to the lessons
learned during the failure process.
In fact, failure adds an additional level of content to the game or gamification. Because it
makes a player reconsider his or her approach to mastering content or winning the
game.The necessity to approach the game differently than originally planned, adds to
the game and expands the playability of the game. This is because often two or more
approaches are viable to successfully navigate in the game. And the player, once made
aware of a failed approach is free to explore multiple options for success.
Many games and gamification events have mechanisms built-in for overcoming
repeated failure. Often, these games provide an option to temporarily level down to an
easier level. To complete a mission or provide progressively more prescriptive hints
or corrective feedback after repeated attempts by a player. These mechanisms are put
into place because game designers know that if a player cannot overcome failure, he
or she will eventually quit the game and never return. Failure is only an option up to a
point, then progress needs to be aided by the game itself.
This can be in the form of a lifeline, corrective or diagnostic feedback or even a
highlighted arrow pointing the player in the right direction. Finally, it should be noted that
winning without failure or a do-over is often a dissatisfying experience. Struggle leads to
triumph. Without struggle, there is no triumph for the learner. For a learner to feel a
sense of accomplishment, he or she must feel that the difficulty was over come and that
knowledge was earned.
Failing several times before success, instills the feeling of accomplishments once a
winning state is achieved. The act of failing multiple times, makes the act of winning
more pleasurable.As you are implementing gamification within your learning
environment, include many options for do-overs or replayability. Let the learner know at
the beginning of the gamification eventthat they will receive multiple chances for
success. This can be in the form of starting with multiple lives or even multiple chances.
Don't make failure permanent. If a learner makes a mistake or gives the wrong answer,
provide another opportunity to change the outcome. Provide multiple paths to
success. Don't just have one way to achieve victory. Encourage exploration and failure
by designing replayability into your gamification event from the beginning.
Scoring

Scoring is a large part of gamification. It can help determine the success or failure of
your effort. Therefore, designers must carefully consider the formulas and approach
they take for scoring learners. Without scoring, it's difficult for learners to judge their own
performance and progress within a gamified event. So here are four things you should
consider when it comes to scoring. First, make scoring and winning transparent. Avoid
complicated algorithms or formulas.
The learner should be able to link, directly, their actions and activities to a score. So
they need to know what they need to do, to be successful. Make sure to determine what
happens in various scoring scenarios ahead of time. Run scenarios to see what
happens. If a learner gets every question wrong or every question right, or skips every
question. Yes, it might seem like a scenario will never happen, but if you could imagine
it, the learners will do it. You want to know of any potential problems ahead of time, not
during the process.
Second, use scoring to drive behavior. The score in gamification should indicate what is
valued. Learners will strive to do whatever activity leads to scoring. So if you want
learners to value an activity and perform a certain behavior, link that behavior to the
score. Third, consider more than one dimension for scoring. Having more than one
dimension for scoring, allows you to measure multiple behaviors or skills of the
learner. It is often times hard to capture all the information you need in just one type of
score.
Having a score, for example, for accuracy and speed, will ensure that one skill will not
be sacrificed for another. Multiple score or inputs into scores, help ensure that activities
of the learner are balanced. Fourth, tie the score to learning improvements, not just
game activities.A common mistake many people make when creating a gamified learner
experience, is neglecting to tie a score to learning outcomes. Too often a novice
designer will link a game activity with a score, rather than a learning activity.
Make sure that what is rewarded, and how the learner earns points in the experience, is
something tied to learning, such as making the correct decision or answering a question
correctly. Don't tie the score to something not learning-related, like rolling a ten on a pair
of dice. Scoring is a critical part of gamification. Keeping these concepts in mind will
help you create the right scoring structure for your gamified instruction
Implementing Gamification

Thinking Like a Game Designer

An important aspect of creating a gamified learning experience is to think like a game

designer. Game designers create worlds to entertain people, drawing on story, design
and character. When we create gamified content, we're creating a world to teach people
using similar techniques. Here are a few ideas for thinking like a game designer. These
ideas will help you to create engaging and motivating instruction using the concepts
from game designers.
Start the instruction with action. Good games start with action. When designing
learning,follow the same format, don't start with a list of objectives. Start with a learner
making a decision. Moving from point a to point b or selecting a plan of action. Involve
the learner immediately in the learning process. Don't have them read content for the
first ten screens.Have them make decisions and take action. Create a sense of
mystery within the instruction.In essence mystery is the what happened and why
element in learning.
For example not knowing the location of a hidden key to open a door or not knowing
where to find information about a companies safety policy. Mystery arouses curiosity
within the learner, and can motivate the learner to fill in gaps and locate discrepancies
in information.Learners are motivated to learn when they don't know they don't know
everything. Think of titles like The Mystery Of The Perplexed Scientist or The Case Of
The Incomplete Equation or The Missing Piece Of History or even The Elusive Sales
Close.
Use mystery to draw in the learner, and encourage her to explore content from several
angles. Learners need to be challenged. Humans enjoy overcoming challenges, it
runs in our DNA. Game makers have leveraged this by challenging players at every
opportunity, from the beginning of the game until the end. Learning modules need to
start with a challenge. For too long, E-learning modules have spoon fed learners with
easy objectives, step by step instructions and ridiculous multiple choice questions.
Stop the madness, start the learning with the challenge, something that is difficult that
requires deep thinking and cannot be achieved by guessing. Put the learner at mock
risk. In a game, a player could be required to start over or lose all the gold coins
collected because of a wrong move. The player has something to risk when taking an
action or making a decision. Learning needs to be the same. Force a question run in
which the learner must get five questions in a row right.
If they miss one they get an additional five questions. If they get them all right they're
done.Have the learner be required to start over if he makes an incorrect decision. Set a
limit on the number of attempts before the learner has to start over. Be clever and think
of ways that learners can be at mock risk. Make the outcome uncertain. Closely related
to risk is putting the learner in a situation in which they can't predict the
outcome. In a learning module, the outcome is more certain.
I'll tab through these screens, encounter a multiple-choice question, get 85% correct on
the quiz, and pass the course. Predictable, instead, add an element of chance into the
learning process. Have the learner bet on the confidence of an answer, or give him a
50/50 opportunity to get an easy or a hard question. Uncertainty adds suspense
and intrigue, it focuses the learners attention on the task at hand. Provide
opportunities for the learner to demonstrate mastery of content.
One thing games allow a player to do is demonstrate mastery. In many learning designs
the only chance to show any mastery is to answer quiz questions at the end of a
module. Instead, give learners a chance to apply their newly learned content. Give a
learner a series of difficult problems and once they solve one problem give them a
visible reward like a badge and have them move on to the next difficult
problem. Increasing the difficulty level until the final boss problem.
Thinking like a game designer is a good way to start thinking about making instruction
more game like and exciting.
Part II

When it comes to making your instruction more game-like and exciting, here are even
more ideas of how you can gamify your instruction by thinking like a game
designer. Show visible signs of progress. Games let you see how you're doing. When
playing Pac Man, you know how far along you are by observing how many dots are left
on your screen. Throughout the module, give learners visible signs of moving through
the content. Provide clear evidence that progress has been made. Don't leave progress
reports until the end.
Include them often within the instruction. Games provide progress bars, levels and coins
to collect, all items indicating the player's closer to the end goal. You can even have a
non-player character appear and provide a status report to the learner. Integrate
emotion into the learning. Somehow, in recent years, we've managed to divorce
instructional content from emotional context. We create sterilized bulleted lists of dos
and don'ts. We assume people make decisions about adhering to policy based
on rational algorithms and not normal human emotions.
We have stripped learning modules of humanity and replaced it with policy, terminology
and models. Games do the exact opposite. Games fill the player with emotions ranging
from frustration to elation, from sadness to anger to enthusiastic happiness. They bring
out the human in us. Games are not afraid of human emotion. Games embrace and
encourage emotion. It would be a breath of fresh air if our learning modules borrowed
from games andput the critical element of emotion back into learning.
Immerse the learner in a story. A particular powerful way to motivate individuals is to
give actions and ideas, meaning, by framing them in an appropriate context. Explain
why the learners are earning points, who they're trying to save, and why they're
searching for a treasure. Remember, gamification works well when it is within a
context. Create a reason why learners should interact with the content that
you've created and a great way to create reason is to create a story.
Don't be afraid of fantasy. Game developers create elaborate fantasy worlds to draw
in players and to place them outside their comfort zones. Even when an area is realistic,
like a battlefield, there are often elements that are made up or are pure fantasy. There
are several valid and research-based reasons for including fantasy as a key element in
a design of games to help people learn. Cognitively, a fantasy can help a learner apply
old knowledge tounderstand new things.
The learner can take what they know about a subject, like negotiation, and apply their
skills in a new setting within a game to see how those skills work in different
contexts. This allows for the safe testing of a skill and the reinforcement of that
skill. If the learner is applying the same cognitive schema within a fantasy-based game
that they would within the actual setting, the skills they are learning or reinforcing
are indeed transferred. Another cognitive advantage of fantasy is that it provokes
vivid images related to the material being learned, which improves recall of the
material.
The learner will remember the content more effectively if they remember the fantasy
elements that you've created around it. Additionally, from an emotional perspective, a
fantasy-based game can allow a person to connect with the learning experiences
and not bring in with it real-world concerns or fears. They don't bring any previous
baggage or concerns with them to the instructional event and they have a more open
mind. Thinking like a game designer and adding elements to your instructional
design borrowed from game designers will help you create instruction that impacts
learners and keeps them fully engaged in the learning process.
Gamification in the Classroom

One question I'm often asked is, can gamification be done in the classroom? The
answer is a resounding yes. The techniques and application of gamification can
be integrated into the classroom using several methods from low to high tech. One
simple low tech gamification technique is to create a bingo card and instead of having
numbers of the card, have questions that will be covered during the
instruction. Learners can then listen to the instruction and yell bingo when they have
completed the appropriate number of spaces on the bingo card by answering the
questions.
The answers are verified, and if they get them all right, they win. If not, the game
continues.Another effective low tech method of bringing gamefication into the
physical classroom experience is to have learners create a paper based game
themselves. This technique provides a rich opportunity for the learners to really think
about the content they are learning and to decide how to help others learn the
content. All the instructor needs is some flip chart paper, markers, game pieces,
dice, spinners, and other game-related elements and the content.
The learners can then be divided into groups and begin the creation process. Then after
the game is created, have a learner switch with other teams, and play the other team's
game, reinforcing the knowledge they are learning. Getting a little more technology
focused, there are several companies that make games based on common game
shows. It is even possible to search the Internet and find PowerPoint versions of those
games. Another technique using technology is the incorporation of an audience
response system into the classroom.
An audience response system or ARS, is a combination of hardware and software
that allow a learner to respond in real time, to a question posed by an
instructor. Sometimes the response system requires a special responding device
but more often than not, it only requires a user's cell phone or a tablet
computer. Regardless of the method of responding, the results of all the audience
members are then displayed on the screen in front of the classroom in real time, sothe
entire group can see the aggregated answers.
This can be handy for playing a number of games. In fact, some audience response
systems even have games built into the product. So classroom gamification is not only
possible, it's an effective and great technique for motivating learners. These are just a
few of the many ideas.Use your imagination and the content from this course to
integrate gamification into your own classroom.
Gamification in E-Learning
Gamification in e-learning is possible through many different methods. There are both
technology tools and design considerations that can be implemented to gamify learning
and instruction. The first thing that needs to be done when considering the gamification
of e-learning is to clarify the learning objective and desired outcome. This is no different
from the design of any other type of learning. Next, consider what elements will facilitate
the learning outcome. Does the outcome require the use of structural gamification
or content gamification?Do you need to have a story to encompass your instructional
message or do you want to provide points for viewing certain materials that you've
curated.
If you are using structural gamification, chances are you're going to want to use some
off-the-shelf gamification platform that allows you to insert content, assign point values,
and create an easy method for quizzing learners on their knowledge of the
topic. Consider the following when looking for an e-learning gamification platform. Look
for a system that allows you to control how many points are available for each activity,
that allows you to assign points based on performance, not just completion.
Look for a system that allows you to view a leaderboard by individual or by group or
department. Also look for a system that allows for the examination of the answers by the
learners so you can see how many learners got a question right, how many got it wrong,
and what the answer percentages were. This insight gives the instructor knowledge
about whether or not the learners are actually learning the material and the content
being presented. Look for a system that allows multiple types of content to be uploaded
so a variety of content can be made available to the learners.
There are many commercial platforms that just focus on gamification and many learning
management systems have begun to add game elements to their systems. The
important thing to remember is that you must carefully determine when gamification
makes sense and when it is unnecessary. Gamifying all e-learning experiences for a
learner will result in a loss of the overall effectiveness of gamification. The caution with
many off-the-shelf structural gamification systems is that they can be so easy to add
points, badges and leaderboards that the designer of the e-learning might lose sight of
the purpose for gamification and overdo it.
Think through a design and plan the desired outcomes before embarking on structural
gamification. Don't ignore or dismiss it, but just be cautious. Content gamification is
typically not available off--the-shelf. Often, it requires the design of the learning to
be done regardless of underlying technology, usually some type of authoring tool. The
designer needs to be aware of the technological limitations so she doesn't design
content gamification solution that is beyond the technology's capabilities.
Content gamification of e-learning involves crafting the e-learning module using
techniques such as storytelling, challenges, characters and action. It's possible with an
e-learning design to use a combination of both structural and content
gamification. These two methods can be used in conjunction to provide motivation
to the learners and to present the instruction in an interesting and engaging manner.