Learning from Games – Games Beyond Stereotypes #02 Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes

Hi there!

In his best-selling learning book “The Gamification of Learning and Instruction”, Professor Karl M. Kapp discusses the 12 game elements that make a game motivational, exciting, and sometimes irresistible. I remember the day we discussed these with our learning design team. Many of us had an opinion that these can be used most likely in hardcore video games that are developed using numerous resources and with high budgets.

Even though Karl suggested that these elements need to be used meaningfully, we usually tend to go with the ones that can be implemented without much effort. For example, time is the most widely used game element in gamification of learning today.  I come across many courses today where the regular screens such as assessments are accompanied by a timer on the top and hence, termed as gamified assessments. I really cannot comment on if just by adding a game element like time, these courses qualify to be called Gamified. Relevance also plays a major role in making the gamification attempt a meaningful one.