According to a post in http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/07/teachers-quick-guide-on-use-of-games-in.html "Regardless of the negative features associated with gaming such as frivolity, violence and mindlessness, games do have a growing potential in education. Just to make it clear, when I say games I refer to all kinds of games ( simulations, virtual world games , online games, computer games, puzzel games and many more ). Several studies have proved that some characteristics of games have a positive role in learning settings to the point that an entire new model of learning has seen the light under the name Digital Game-based Learning ( GBL )."
Since there are so many games how can you ,as a teacher and educator, decide upon the games to use in your classroom or for educational purposes , in other words, what makes a learning game ?
According to Malone and Lepper ( 1987 ) there is a list of characterstics that really make a learning game. I am including this list and hoping that everyone of you would always check it before selecting a game to integrate in your instruction. Make it as a checklist for learning games selections.
Here are the four characteristics :
1- Challenge
Challenge is created by having clear, fixed goals that are relevant for the learner.Uncertain outcomes provide challenge by offering variable difficulty levels, hidden information, and randomness. Feedback on performance should be frequent, unambiguous, and supportive. Lastly, the activity should promote feelings of competence for the person involved.
2- Curiosity
Curiosity exists in two different forms: sensory curiosity and cognitive curiosity. Audio and visual effects, particularly, in computer games may enhance sensory curiosity. When learners are surprised or intrigued by paradoxes, or incompleteness, it arouses cognitive curiosity.
3- Control
Control is experienced as feelings of self-determination and control on the part of the learner. The ingredients of contingency, choice, and power contribute to the control feature of the learning experience. When the individuals face choices that produce powerful effect, it increases their sense of personal control.
4- Fantasy
Fantasy encompasses both the emotions and thinking process of the learner. Fantasies should appeal not only to the emotional needs of learners, but should provide relevant metaphors or analogies. Lastly, fantasies should have an integral relationship to the material covered.
However, Gamification is not necessarily a game. A game is something that you can lose at. Games are also inherently and intrinsically rewarding( examples includes chess , role playing games..etc) there are also extrinsic rewards that are offered through games .
Gamification is a little bit different. gamification role is to find these intrinsic rewards in an activity and also offer you those extrinsic rewards for doing them, an example of that would be fitness. Fitness is intrinsically rewarding but a lot of people have problems getting motivated to do it, so the goal of gamification is to help people get motivated
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