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Tech.edu: A Hopkins Series on Education and Technology
Game On!: Gamification, Gameful Design, and the Rise of the Gamer Educator
The changing student body in American higher education demands a new approach to teaching, one that moves toward inclusive, hyperpersonalized learning environments that have much in common with games and social media. Kevin Bell's Game On! presents dynamic case studies of gamer educators and game-derived techniques to help instructors creatively formulate their own teaching strategies.
Breaking gamefully designed classes into their component parts, Bell analyzes what these classes are actually doing and explains why they work. He offers faculty a rubric to assess their own courses for their propensity to engage students, particularly those from low socioeconomic and high-risk populations. Bell explores how game design, pedagogy, and intrinsic motivators can level the playing field to produce rigorous learning environments that are as addictive to all participants as the latest apps and social media systems. He also discusses best practices, lays out the broader context of computer-mediated teaching and learning, and considers the challenges and opportunities that gamification presents.
Instructors would do well to consider the key tenets of successful games if they are to engage and graduate the coming generations of learners. Bell's careful analysis of the theories behind gamification, cognitive science, and instructional design will help them to do just that.
Breaking gamefully designed classes into their component parts, Bell analyzes what these classes are actually doing and explains why they work. He offers faculty a rubric to assess their own courses for their propensity to engage students, particularly those from low socioeconomic and high-risk populations. Bell explores how game design, pedagogy, and intrinsic motivators can level the playing field to produce rigorous learning environments that are as addictive to all participants as the latest apps and social media systems. He also discusses best practices, lays out the broader context of computer-mediated teaching and learning, and considers the challenges and opportunities that gamification presents.
Instructors would do well to consider the key tenets of successful games if they are to engage and graduate the coming generations of learners. Bell's careful analysis of the theories behind gamification, cognitive science, and instructional design will help them to do just that.
- GenresEducation
216 pages, Hardcover
Published December 15, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 12, 2022
I have read this book to refresh my knowledge of gamification and to see if there is anything new since I left it. The conclusion is that not much has changed. Though gamification seems to have potential, a breakthrough has never been truly achieved. Yes, the FIRE project mentioned at the end of the book seems to be the only true exception, but I think that also has to do with other elements than gamification only.
Right from the beginning, Bell starts with the idea that if gamification does not show any true benefits, it can´t do any harm either. This is not true. Gamification has the tendency of redirecting the focus of students from the content to game elements. Yes, you might achieve more engagement, but that does not guarantee a better understanding of the content.
The main problem most gamification promoters have, is that they put PBLs (Points, Badges, and Leaderboards) together with ideas such as working in groups, having clear goals, etc. However, there lies a big problem. PBL are connected behaviorism, an external manipulation to get people through tiresome chores. All the other elements seem more to be more connected constructivism.
The reason that FIRE and "Threat of Terrorism" worked so well has more to do with constructivism than the PBLs. True, there is a place in education for behaviorism, but if you don´t separate the two you always hitting your head against a wall.
The problem with gamification in education is that its proclaimers have a narrow view on education. Gamification can be a benefit for classes and online education, but it can´t be the whole story. Gamification needs the separated from gameful design; PBLs must be treated differently than the rest, otherwise educators will get lost in the jungle of what truly motivated gamers to keep playing.
Right from the beginning, Bell starts with the idea that if gamification does not show any true benefits, it can´t do any harm either. This is not true. Gamification has the tendency of redirecting the focus of students from the content to game elements. Yes, you might achieve more engagement, but that does not guarantee a better understanding of the content.
The main problem most gamification promoters have, is that they put PBLs (Points, Badges, and Leaderboards) together with ideas such as working in groups, having clear goals, etc. However, there lies a big problem. PBL are connected behaviorism, an external manipulation to get people through tiresome chores. All the other elements seem more to be more connected constructivism.
The reason that FIRE and "Threat of Terrorism" worked so well has more to do with constructivism than the PBLs. True, there is a place in education for behaviorism, but if you don´t separate the two you always hitting your head against a wall.
The problem with gamification in education is that its proclaimers have a narrow view on education. Gamification can be a benefit for classes and online education, but it can´t be the whole story. Gamification needs the separated from gameful design; PBLs must be treated differently than the rest, otherwise educators will get lost in the jungle of what truly motivated gamers to keep playing.
August 16, 2026
This was also a fantastic book on gamification and I like how it did two things I needed after having read McGonigal's book, namely cognitive background and added depth.
Kevin Bell spends some time in advance and then during his deliberations on the context from which a rise in gamification and its perceived necessity originates. He tells us why it is worth exploring incorporating games in (higher) education now more than ever and why it works. There is a lot of evidence from a plethora of sources, including that previous work by McGonigal I'd just read the day before. It really does prove that there is something to gamifying your classes that should not be ignored.
After briefly outlining what makes games games and how gamification can be implemented, Bell gives many good tips and ideas, some of which improve on pre-existing works and add depth. In particular I liked the idea of prioritising effort over success, using flashy momentary rewards and badges to show students their progress constantly or at least regularly, increasing competitiveness through both co-operation and (PvP/PvE) leaderboards, having easy and early wins be followed by an increased difficulty, and using 'gamespeak' like boss levels and quests instead of diagnostic tests and objectives.
Sadly, the types of games and narrative structures that Bell refers to seem like a lot of effort, especially for the average educator. There are games that take the forms of fairy tales, D&D adventures, the hero's journey, etc., but setting them up - typically online - with leaderboards and tracking mechanisms seems incredibly labour-intensive and perhaps even overly complex for many teachers out there. Regarding the narratives, however, one might easily still come up with context/hooks/lore, characters, stages and levels, and many more game related terms, all of which do not necessarily require you to be an IT savant.
In spite of all this, I found more than enough ideas, tips and improvements that I am going to use when designing my own classes and series of lessons.
It gets three stars instead of four (or more), because in spite of its relative brevity there was a lot of material in this book that felt unnecessarily convoluted and expansive, taking away from some of its strongest and most practical sections for educators. For the average teacher, many of the examples used are too high tech and time-sensitive and labour-intense.
Kevin Bell spends some time in advance and then during his deliberations on the context from which a rise in gamification and its perceived necessity originates. He tells us why it is worth exploring incorporating games in (higher) education now more than ever and why it works. There is a lot of evidence from a plethora of sources, including that previous work by McGonigal I'd just read the day before. It really does prove that there is something to gamifying your classes that should not be ignored.
After briefly outlining what makes games games and how gamification can be implemented, Bell gives many good tips and ideas, some of which improve on pre-existing works and add depth. In particular I liked the idea of prioritising effort over success, using flashy momentary rewards and badges to show students their progress constantly or at least regularly, increasing competitiveness through both co-operation and (PvP/PvE) leaderboards, having easy and early wins be followed by an increased difficulty, and using 'gamespeak' like boss levels and quests instead of diagnostic tests and objectives.
Sadly, the types of games and narrative structures that Bell refers to seem like a lot of effort, especially for the average educator. There are games that take the forms of fairy tales, D&D adventures, the hero's journey, etc., but setting them up - typically online - with leaderboards and tracking mechanisms seems incredibly labour-intensive and perhaps even overly complex for many teachers out there. Regarding the narratives, however, one might easily still come up with context/hooks/lore, characters, stages and levels, and many more game related terms, all of which do not necessarily require you to be an IT savant.
In spite of all this, I found more than enough ideas, tips and improvements that I am going to use when designing my own classes and series of lessons.
It gets three stars instead of four (or more), because in spite of its relative brevity there was a lot of material in this book that felt unnecessarily convoluted and expansive, taking away from some of its strongest and most practical sections for educators. For the average teacher, many of the examples used are too high tech and time-sensitive and labour-intense.
January 31, 2019
I like practical examples and question related to whether or not invest in this new "technology".
Allow the reflection to move forward better informed.
Allow the reflection to move forward better informed.
November 2, 2023
"Game On!" provides a comprehensive exploration of gamification's impact on education. Deterding offers insightful analysis, linking game design principles with effective teaching strategies. The book delves into the growing role of gamer educators, making it an essential read for those interested in innovative learning approaches and the evolving classroom landscape.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews