Defining game-based learning and gamification

When we think of game play in education it is important to differentiate between gamification and game-based learning. In a nutshell, gamification is based on providing incentives to learn whereas game-based learning is learning through play.

Gamification uses techniques we find in everyday leisure games to motivate students to engage in a task they otherwise would not find attractive. In the mid-2000s, the idea of collecting points, badges or certificates as an incentive as you completed tasks became popular. Examples can be seen in rewards for loyalty from shops or services to breaking down examinations into modules and the open publishing of the mark schemes. One scheme popular in schools that uses this technique is Accelerated Reader, which encourages students to read for pleasure through the awarding of points. Chapter 8 considers gamification, but the greater proportion of this book is concerned with game-based learning.

Most definitions of game-based learning emphasise that it is a type of game play with defined learning outcomes (Shaffer et al., 2005). In schools, games are often employed to help students to understand a process or concept through play. Games-based learning could be used to introduce a perhaps quite boring subject in a fun way, for example teaching the Dewey Decimal System of Classification or learning to write an academic bibliography. Conversely, the technique might be used purely for engagement and promotion of library services. Game-based learning can be used in many educational areas. Andrew Walsh (2018) at Huddersfield University has used it to great effect in a library setting. Although he is based in higher education many of the ideas he proposes can be used in school libraries too. However, most research on game-based learning at school level has been about measuring its impact on classroom teaching and learning outcomes. There are many publications and websites brimming with ideas for game-based learning but for a game to be successful and effective in achieving learning objectives, we first need to understand the theory behind this approach to learning. Only then can we make an informed choice about what we decide to implement in our school library setting.