Gamification and Its Many Applications

Gamification refers to using gaming elements and features in other non-gaming industries like marketing, education, and healthcare, as a means to enhance organizational productivity. Typical uses of gamification include recruitment of employees, educational videos, and ranking systems in universities. Over time, gamification has proved to be a crucial tool in improving the credibility of systems. The marketing industry continues to benefit the most from gamification, as it helps increase customer interaction and makes the launch of new products fruitful. In addition to this, gamification has begun greatly influencing the education system. If anything, it has made learning an enjoyable experience for students worldwide.

Uses of Gamification in Education

In recent years, the use of gamification in education has significantly increased. And, there have been proven positive results. Incorporating gaming elements in learning lessons and teaching methods has shown a positive reaction from students. They feel more inclined to show up for classes and display significant interest in their studies. The main goal is to make learning interactive and fun for students. And gamification ensures this perfectly. The use of videos, point systems, and badge awards motivate students to put in extra effort and get ahead of their peers.

Furthermore, gamification is also used in ranking systems, like assigning GPAs (equivalent to getting a high score in a game). Students are given points for every task they complete (e.g., assignments, tests, and mid-year exams). By the end of the semester, the person with the highest number of points tops the class. This system encourages a competitive spirit amongst pupils and has resulted in exceptional overall class performance.

In addition to this, gamification has proven to be very useful in teaching dyslexic students. The use of technology enhances studying methods and helps students maintain focus and attention.

Use of Gamification in Government Training

In the early 21st century, Mike McClory and his teammates introduced game-based training for federal agency employees to train them in writing official government documents and posts in non-colloquial language. The use of jargon was believed to confuse some people and reduced the coherence of the message. Hence, according to the 'Plain Language Act,' it was declared that government officials would use a writing format common to the masses. However, it was only after gamification was employed in training that positive results were observed.

Now, employees can watch videos based on the proper use of plain language, grammatical concepts, and sentence structures. They can also play games that test their understanding and give them insight into their performance. These games are strategically designed, keeping the reward system in mind, and motivate employees to play them frequently. In this way, the process of training has become more engaging than ever before.

These games are termed ‘word puzzles.’ They involve three sets of levels, each having the same objective of forming coherent sentences that are grammatically sound. In the first part, employees are supposed to arrange the given words in the correct order, followed by a second step that requires them to correct the punctuation. The last step involves ensuring that the sentence structure is accurate.

The gamification of the training procedure is a great example that shows how useful this tool can be. In a few more years, gamification is sure to work its way into more and new fields.