When I read "Gamifying Education", the above video is where my mind went(I spend too much time on the internet). Anyway,I may be biased(being a gamer and all) in saying that it's brilliant, but I also feel I'm justified in my thinking.
I've read tons of things about how those simple games such a bejeweled or, dare I say, Farmville, suck you into their worlds. They revolve around the feeling of accomplishment that comes with doing something cool. That transfers into real life. If a middle school student or college student feels like they really achieved something, it leads to a want for more. Simply the idea of using the Wikipedia game is brilliant. I've spent hours on Wikipedia jumping from link to link. I think my best was Fable II(the game) to Abraham Lincoln(the president).
ANYWHO, my main point is that gamifying education is a good idea. The idea of using games in education has been around for years(I used to play math blasters for fun, can you imagine?) but turning the class into a game is better. It gives kids the motivation to improve themselves and work as a group, which is an excellent idea. Groups are nice, right? Now, I leave you with some Vsauce. And yes, the video does have some relevance.
The Pokemon “Student vs. Homework” video is a great popular culture interpretation of what can happen with students. I’m not sure if I agree with Bejewled or Farmville “sucking” people into their world based on the feeling of accomplishment – I was terribly bored with Bejewled after seeing the same type of gameplay over and over again, and I never understood the point of Farmville; however, I do agree the feeling of accomplishment can be transferred to academics and doing so would encourage learning in a different way. The Wikipedia game is wonderful! By the way, Vsauce is amazing; I’m kind of surprised I didn’t know about the channel before, though it looks like his type of videos have (slightly) changed over the years, so maybe that would explain it. Anyway, thanks for the Vsauce link.
ReplyDeleteI agree on Bejeweled. Absolutely boring, but it is true. If I can find the article...... not exactly the article, but the same idea: http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/16-11/pl_games
DeleteIn short, it was compared to bubble wrap in that, when you pop it, it's instant gratification. If you've ever seen somebody play the more recent versions, when you get a combo or something like that, in makes all these whirly ding sounds and words pop up saying "Excellent" and "Awesome". On the topic of Farmville, I don't understand it either. I was addicted to it for an entire school year, then I just stopped.
That’s an interesting article (Thanks for the link!), and after reading it I suppose I can understand the idea of instant gratification, especially when it’s compared to bubble wrap – I love bubble wrap… sometimes. And I do know what you’re talking about when you refer to the “excellent” or “awesome” phrases which pop up when someone gets a combo when playing a newer version of Bejewled.
ReplyDeleteHm, that’s different. Did you simply lose interest in Farmville or did you get distracted from it (if you don't mind me asking)?
Sorry, I meant to hit "reply" to your comment. D:
DeleteI don't mind you asking at all. I guess after a couple of months, it became more of a chore than anything. It lost that "fun" factor that made it worth something.
DeleteI can understand how a game loses its “fun” factor – it happens quite a lot and with various types of games. A good example, I think, would be the Sims games. For me personally, I have to take breaks after long amounts of gameplay because it becomes too monotonous, but I always go back and play Sims again.
ReplyDelete