The Gamification Of Education Page 196 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 40, 2013 ABSTRACT The concept of gamification was first introduced in the literature in 2008 has increasingly been a topic for published books, blogs, and numerous articles in journals and other media outlets. Drawing on the author’s personal experience and published research this paper is intended to establish a definition of gamification that can be generally accepted, explain the popularity of the concept in terms of those elements that support effective learning, and make a case that those of us that have been involved with simulation are long time gamifiers. INTRODUCTION This is a playful paper. While it is intended to meet the standards of academic research by grounding my thoughts in theory and properly citing the work of others, it is written in my voice and is a synthesis of a lifetime of teaching and learning. My hope is the reader will be engaged, stimulated, and maybe even inspired to join the movement to “gamify” their courses, their personal learning, their careers, and maybe even their lives! First, I will define “Gamification” and visualize it with a model. It should be noted that while all games are played, not all play is gaming. Next, drawing on the work of other scholars, I will identify the known benefits of play and games. Then I will explore the association simulation as a teaching and learning tool has to Gamification. The paper concludes with an invitation to professors, employers, and students to gamify your courses, work places, education, and careers. Earlier in my career I had the good fortune of working with a Fortune 100 firm as a developer and facilitator of training and development activities. The centerpiece of my offerings was the use of simulations that I customized for various work groups and business units. I referred to these Sims as games. One day a senior executive took me to the side and informed me that we were doing important work and “simulation” was a more appropriate term than “game”. Thus, my “games” became “simulations”. Due to the research I encountered preparing this piece; my “simulations” will once again become “games”. WHAT IS A GAME? Jesper Juul (2001) includes five essentials present in a game: (1) rules, (2) variable quantifiable outcomes, (3) valued outcomes, (4) player attachment to outcomes and (5) effort. Other features that are frequently found in games include challenge, player control or influence, fantasy (no real life consequences), role playing, competition, mystery, adaptation to changing skill levels, assessment, progress, sensory stimuli, and immediate feedback. Scott Eberle, Vice President for Interpretation and Play at the Strong Museum, and a nationally recognized expert, describes play as a six-step process consisting of anticipation, surprise, understanding, strength, and poise. Game researcher Jane McGonigal argues that a game consists of goals, rules, feedback, challenge, valued outcomes, and is played voluntarily. In synthesizing these definitions, I have constructed he diagram (figure 1) below to illustrate my definition. First, a game is played by choice because it is fun! A game has well defined goals (capture your opponents King). The game is governed by rules and instructions that players abide by. Player take actions – again, think of a chess move, or buying Boardwalk. The game ends definitively with winning or losing. I have added two other essential elements to strategy games such as chess, monopoly, and business simulation games. Your actions are affected by other player actions, and sometimes by random events such as the roll of a dice or acquiring a chance card (Monopoly tm). In anticipating your opponent’s actions and the games random events, we develop strategies that increase our chances of winning. Humans of all ages and cultures like playing games. We have always played games and likely always will. The historian Herodotus wrote about game playing in the ancient world. (McGonigal, 2011) WHAT IS GAMIFICATION? The first documented use of the term “gamification” was in 2008 (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, & Nacke 2011) and was defined simply as using game design elements in non-game contexts. Since 2008, gamification as a concept has been broadened and defined by others as follows.  The process of using game thinking and game mechanics to solve problems. ((Deterding, et. el, 2011)  The use of game mechanics, dynamics, and frameworks to promote desired behaviors. (Lee, & Hammer 2011)  The trend of employing game mechanics to non-game environments such as innovation, marketing, training, employee performance, health, and social change. (The Gartner Group)  Gamification is using game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to engage people, motivate action, promote learning and solve problems. (Kapp, 2012). The Gamification Of Education Craig Miller Normandale Community College Craig.miller@normandale.edu mailto:Craig.miller@normandale.edu Page 197 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 40, 2013 The Gartner Group is a national organization that tracks technology trends. Since the term gamification first appeared as an internet search in 2008 the number of searches on the term has grown exponentially and now is the object of more than 1,000,000 searches per month. BENEFITS OF GAMIFICATION Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote about a state he described as “flow” in his 1990 book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). During flow, people typically experience gratification, immersion in the experience, are at peak creativity and performance. Games induce a state of flow which is an ideal learning state. Game researcher and scholar Jane McGonigal in her 2011 book Reality is broken: why games make us better and how they can change the world captures game players sentiments that they are “fully alive”,” engaged”, “have a sense of purpose”, “perform at maximum potential”, and “feel most creative” when playing – experiences they do not get at their jobs. (McGonigal, 2011) Stuart Brown, M.D. wrote a bestselling book he entitled Play, How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul in 2009 that has vaulted him to “guru status” in the world of corporate training and development where training activities seem to be held to greater accountability than the university. (Brown & Vaughan, 2009) Through a lifetime of studying, formal education, and experiences he makes a compelling case for play in all aspects of life, including learning. According to Brown, it is play that lies at the center of creativity and innovation. Benefits of Gamification are known to be physiological (McGonigal, 2011). Scientists have measured the increased release of the chemicals norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine in the brain that not only bring on “good feelings” make us more receptive to learning (Gutierrez, 2012). Neuroscientist Gregory Burns sees dopamine not as a reward necessarily, but a chemical that allows us to learn properly (Rackwitz, 2012). Brain researchers have proved that learning requires neural connections to be made in the brain to store information in memory and frequently learning comes from response to an actual event. The brain does not distinguish between actual and simulated events. Therefore, if we "learn" by simulating such conditions and demonstrating the skill, we form the neural connection in our brain. The proper response is then stored and when we do experience an actual event, our learned response will come into play. In a learning game, the outcomes are built around knowledge and skill sets and attitudes (Gutierrez, 2012). Many researchers comment about the association of gaming and problem solving skills such as the powers of deduction, spatial thinking (in addition to linear thinking), and evidence based decision making. (Kapp, 2012) Gaming allows one to exercise his/her imagination, to fantasize about aspirational roles (a roller coaster tycoon!) Below is my enhanced gamification model (figure 2). The benefits derived from gaming, as noted in the literature, are those attributes we champion as business teaches. It is also Figure 1 Page 198 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 40, 2013 important to note the importance of the feedback loop as simulation and games are frequently played in an iterative manner. Later, I will make a case that business simulation as a teaching pedagogy can produce those same effects. GAMIFICATION AND SIMULATION Is a business simulation a game? Are business teachers using simulation gamifiers? Should simulation be considered a gamification tool? I believe the answer is yes for several reasons. Stuart Brown identifies purposelessness, a voluntary activity, an inherent attraction, freedom from time, diminished consciousness of self, improvising, and a continuous desire to stay with an activity as the properties of play. Simulation does consist of many gaming elements and produces many of the beneficial outcomes of play. In a lengthy article in Simulation and Gaming, Wilson, Bedwell, Lazzara, Salas, Burk, & Estock, (2009) define a game as an artificially constructed competitive activity with specific goals, a set of rules, and constraints. A simulation game attempts to represent real phenomena including complex processes through algorithms. A similar definition is offered by Teach (1990) where players face a business related scenario, assume a decision maker’s role, make decisions that are acted upon by the game algorithms, and receive feedback in the form of an accounting report. Many benefits are associated with business simulation games. In keeping with current teaching trends, simulations are an intense active learning experience tapping into a basic human motivator – we like to win! (Wilson, et.al, 2009) Students are not describing knowledge but experiencing it. The goal orientation of business simulation games allow players to understand and set business goals (Seijts, 2004. Students will appreciate the clarity of specific and measureable goals as compared to ambiguity. When students know what needs to be done, they may not know how to do it – this is where the experimental nature of gaming and learning is beneficial. A sim game will allow a student to safely fail, affiliate with other students, and affirms hard work and performance in a more visceral manner than test scores. Students will need to practice and hopefully improve their powers of deduction, establish a credible hypothesis, conceptualize complex and abstract ideas, and improve their ability to process visual and spatial information. Business games are usually competitive. Most general enterprise simulations are competitive and designed to teach decision making and strategy. A competitive game is frequently referred to as a zero sum game. For every gain captured by one player there is a corresponding loss to be absorbed by the remaining players. The author of the book Figure 2 Page 199 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 40, 2013 Game Theory, Johnny Von Neumann (1944), classifies games as being competitive or cooperative and business simulations can fall into both categories. The Prisoner’s Dilemma is an iconic example of a cooperative game. Only when the two suspects collaborate and deny guilt will total returns be optimized (they both get off). An individual maximizes their personal expected value by confessing to a less serious crime and pointing the finger at the other prisoner. “Role play” exercises are used frequently in soft skills training such as team building and fall into the collaborative or cooperative category. In the current business environment of partnerships and integrated supply chains there is an opportunity for more cooperative simulation games. Finally, cases and simulations are frequently compared. The many elements of gaming discussed above sharply distinguish them. Most importantly, in a simulation game there is no ambiguity regarding the outcome. Feedback is delivered immediately in an authentic format – dollars earned, ROI’s achieved, and stock values derived. In summary, the learner is inside the simulation and playing whereas he or she is an observer when analyzing a case study. A CALL TO ACTION To Professors: Gamify your courses! Like it or not, traditional methods of teaching are out of favor. People are bored by lectures, textbooks, and the things called eLearning are passive electronic versions of more of the same. Those of us that teach must provide goal oriented and engaging tools. (Rahn, 2009) suggests that the importance of engagement in education is a function of the simulation and educational environment. He suggests engagement is evident when there is a competitive team spirit, discussion and debate within the team. Moreover, engagement is strengthened when students are presented with focused goals, challenging tasks, an authentic and compelling story, a degree of novelty, and a variety of interesting characters and roles. Students in simulation enhanced courses have identified goal setting, information processing, organization and interpersonal skills, sales forecasting, entrepreneurial skills, financial analysis, economic conceptualization, inventory management, mathematical modeling, hiring, training, motivation, enhanced creativity, communication skills, data analysis, strategic planning plus others as part of the learning experience (Wellington & Faria, 2006). A teacher can gamify his or her course – can a curriculum be gamified? That would be exciting! That would produce a distinctive competence and competitive advantage. To Employers: Gamify your work! In a recent survey, 55% of people would like to work for an organization that uses gaming as a productivity tool. (Kapp, 2012) Our primary economic issue is not unemployment. Consider the minor effects resulting from a very expansionary fiscal and monetary policy the past few years. Our problem is underemployment. Many of your workers are not being challenged and engaged to produce the level of work they want to, and you want them to. Notice the clever use of the term “level”. Is it possible in your company for your employees to “level up”? Gamification is also strongly linked to creativity and innovation. You say this is what you want in survey after survey. (Brown, 2009) To Students: Gamify your education! Have fun! Play hard! Learn much! Win! REFERENCES Brown, S. L., & Vaughan, C. C. (2009). Play: how it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. New York: Avery. Boller, S. (2012) Game Based Learning - Why Does it Work? A Learning Brief. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from //http://www.bottomlineperformance.com/ gamebasedlearning/ Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row. Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining Gamification. MindTrek, Sept 28-30, 8. Guiterrez, K. (2012). The 5 Decisive Components of Outstanding Learning Games. SHIFT eLearning Blog. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http:// info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/234495/The-5- Decisive-Components-of-Outstanding-Learning- Games Juul, J. (2001). Games Telling stories. The International Journal of Computer Game Research 1 (1), 1-12. Kapp, K. M. (2012). The gamification of learning and instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training and education. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer. Kearney, P., & Pivec, M. (2012.). Recursive Loops of Game-Based Learning: a Conceptual model. WWW.MajaPivec.com. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from www.majapivec.com/files/recursive%20loops% 20of%20gbl.pdf Lee, J., & Hammer, J. (2011). Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother? Academic Exchange Quarterly, 12(2), 1-5. McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin Press. Mosca, I. (2012). +10! Gamification and deGamification « G|A|M|E. G|A|M|E. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www.gamejournal.it/plus10_gamification- and-degamification/ Rackwitz, R. (2012). Why Gamification is more than just a trend | Engaginglab. Engaginglab/Gamification. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http:// engaginglab.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/why- gamification-is-more-than-just-a-trend/ Rahn, D. (2009). Enhancing Web-Based Simulations With Game Elements For Increased Engagement. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, 36, 303-311. Seijts, G., Latham, G., Tasa, K., & Latham, B. (2004). Goal Setting and Goal Orientation: An Integration of Two Different Yet Related Literatures. Academy of Management Journal, 47(2), 227-239. Teach, R. (1990). Designing Business Simulations. Guide to business gaming and experiential learning (pp. 93- Page 200 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 40, 2013 116). East Brunswick: Nichols/GP Pub. Vonn Neumann, J., & Morgenstern, O. (1944). Theory of games and economic behavior, 3rd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Wellington, W., & Faria, A. J. (2006). Validating Business Simulations: Do Simulations Exhibit Natural Market Structures?. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume, 33, 118-123. Wilson, k., Bedwell, W., Lazzara, E., Salas, E., Burke, C., Estock, J., et al. (2009). Relationships between Game Attributes and Learning Outcomes. Simulation and Gaming, 40(2), 217-265. Table of Contents Volume 40, 2013 Leo Investor SERIOUS PLAY: ON-LINE PEPULATOR SERIOUS PLAY:ON-LINE GAME "MANAGE-ART" The Game Within the Simulation Game the Research Method Concept and Project With Game Design Implementation Managing Human Resources Simulation Rising Stars: A Study of Creativity as Experiental Learning in County Government Why do Gen Y Students Study Abroad? The Relationship Between Individual Growth and the Intent to Study Abroad Our Favorite Assignment: The In-Basket Activity Mirror-Mirror: How Can We Better Understand Our Consumption Behavior? Reflective Thinking, Writing and Imagery as Tools to Better Understand Abstract Marketing Concepts Increasing Intuitive Decision Making Speed and Accuracy by Further Understanding Intuitive Decision Making Using Emotional Means Group Exams: Are they Relevant and Reliable as a learning Tool? Integrative Learning: Exploring Opportunities in Business Simulations Simulated Tabletop Exercise for Risk Management - Anti Bio-Terrorism Multi Scenario Simulated Tabletop Exercise Simulated Tabletop Exercise for Electric Power Saving Management in a Small Organization Merging the Case Method and Simulation in Management Education: Is it Possible? Experiential Learning in Accelerated Human Resource Management Courses Digital Game Building as Assessment: A Study of Secondary Students' Experience Using an Investment Fund Simulation Integrated with a Business Game Creating Simulation Conditions Based On Real World Data Simulation Games in Training New Management Methods A Summary Overview of Cultural Differences in Higher Education Innovations And Future Directions In Education: Case Review For Best Online Teaching Practices An Implicit Measure of Forecasting Accuracy Immediate Feedback and Assessment Technique (IF-AT) testing forms: An overview of the tool and uses Teaching Secondary Mathematics: Pre-service Teachers' Digital Game Design, Pedagogy and 21st Century Skills Follow The Leader II Business Simulations: From Punch Cards to Web-Based University Engagement: Good Neighbors Budget Allocation Exercise Customizing Business Simulations: An Exploration and a Hierarchy A Review of the Simulation Research in the Academy of Management Journal: Suggestions for Strengthening the Research Conducted by ABSEL Members ABSEL Reflections: 40 Years Of Excellence, Now Going Forward How Many Options do Multiple-Choice Questions Really Have? The Management/Accounting Simulation Now 100% Web-based Design, Server Side Programming, and Implementation A Large-Scale Game Test of Early-Determined Game Finishes Large-Scale Business Games for Assurance of Learning Purposes The Gamification Of Education OB Simulation: A Hands-On Demonstration Converting Simulations for the Online Environment: The New Ginseng Game Repositioning Brands with the Web-Based Product Positioning Map Graphics Package Implications of Regulatory Focus Theory for Simulation and Experiential Learning Riskware: A Game for Teaching Software Project Risk Management Teamwork for Decision-Making Through Games: The Case of On-Line "Manage-Art" Virtual Pepulator, a Model for Teaching Negotiation Small-Scale Business Games for Assurance of Learning Purposes Incorporating Intellectual Property Issues into a Business Simulation© Nationalization and Privatization in a Computer-Assisted Business Game An Investigation of the Relationship of Plan Quality, Forecast Accuracy and Earnings Performance Under Equal and Unequal Starting Positions in Marketing Positions in Marketing Simulations Measuring the Performance Ranking Curve in Marketing Simulation Games The Effectiveness of SDM Method in Business Simulation Game 40 years of Brazilian S&G - Analysis and Perspectives Accounting For Externalities: Harnessing The "Face-In-The-Mirror" Phenomenon The Role Of Simulations In Organizational Learning: Building Individual Absorptive Capacity Assessing Project Management as an Academic Learning Outcome (ALO) At the Inflection Point: Designing Army Assessments "Economics in Practice" A Simulation Game for High School Students Teaching the Basics of Economics and Entrepreneurship Fueling the Force: Exploring Leader Priorities Implementing Mental Models: Extending Insight and Whole Person Learning Using Business Simulations To Introduce Business Concepts