WHAT IS GAMIFICATION?

Gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals. Gamification taps into the basic desires and needs of the users impulses which revolve around the idea of status and achievement.

According to Attali and Arieli, gamification is when game design elements (e.g. leader boards, points, and badges) are used in non-game contexts to promote user engagement.

Gamification isn't  just about playing games; It's also about making sure the students are motivated to complete the tasks. Students need the feeling of accomplishment and success of striving against a challenge. (Villagrasa, Fonseca, Redondo, Duran,2014)

Students desire e-learning technologies for three reasons.

1- They want to be connected to one another.

2- They want to be entertained through games, movies and music.

3- They want to present themselves  and their work.

'Games expose players to deeply engaging, visually dynamic, rapidly paced, and highly gratifying pictorial experiences that make almost any sort of conventional schoolwork seem boring by comparison.'

It looks like games used for learning are far more engaging than traditional teaching methods that they can replace the traditional methods.

Gamification is important for schools and teachers to take a serious look at using games to teach students in order to keep them engaged and taking the challenges that come along with it.

Furthermore, it is important to appy it on the learning process for some different aims and objectives.

To sum up, if we regard gamification as a learning process, it will be clear that it facilitates this process.


WIKI. Gamification [en línea]. [Fecha de consulta: 5 de diciembre de 2016]. Disponible en internet:
https://badgeville.com/wiki/Gamification