Learning is an ongoing process; whether in schools as children or in corporate settings as adults, we continuously learn to keep ourselves competitive and up-to-date. In
order to make learning endeavors more enjoyable, to keep
the motivation at the top level, and to provide continuity during the training activities, a lot of institutions try to devise different techniques. Gamification and game-based learning are two of them.
Playing to learn is emerging as an educational approach to motivate learners to engage by using game design techniques and strategies in learning environments. The
goal is to attract and entertain the interest of the attendees so that
they can become more attentive and engaged participants. It is necessary to say that game-based learning is not exactly the same thing as gamification In game-based learning, attendees play an actual game, in contrast, in gamification, game is embedded into the learning activities.
In fact, even if we do not realize it, many companies use these methods to gain customer loyalty. For example, if your favorite coffee place gives you a card with a
hole in it for every coffee you buy, and if the number of holes in the
card is 5 and you are offered free coffee, the coffee shop is trying to use gamification techniques to assure you coming back again and again.
I think that using gamification and game-based learning in education is more important than in other areas. Regardless of the age, playing games has always been a source of motivation for almost everyone. It is an indisputable fact that we need to increase motivation and participation in all types of education and training. In
fact, various methods of gamification and game-based learning have been
tried by various educational institutions with successful results every time.
Vedat YOZKAT
