So Let's Pretend You Know Nothing...
We live in the age of video games. Out of the 7.4 billion people on the planet there are over 1.2 billion active gamers. For decades educators and developers have been trying to blend video games with education. It’s kind of worked so far, but...
These efforts have led to the development of a branch of pedagogy called Game-Based Learning (GBL). Generally speaking, GBL occurs when students play video games that were designed to help them accomplish defined learning outcomes. GBL has been "emerging" for over 30 years, and now, with the advancement of gaming technology it has the potential to really make a difference in the education of students in a K-12 setting all around the world.
These efforts have led to the development of a branch of pedagogy called Game-Based Learning (GBL). Generally speaking, GBL occurs when students play video games that were designed to help them accomplish defined learning outcomes. GBL has been "emerging" for over 30 years, and now, with the advancement of gaming technology it has the potential to really make a difference in the education of students in a K-12 setting all around the world.
Game-Based Learning Is Not...
Gamification. Yep, you heard us right. Gamification, that other game related educational buzzword, is not the same as GBL. Let us explain it with an example. Pretend you're a student and that you hate doing science homework. Your teacher might employ gamification techniques to help motivate you to get your homework done. The teacher might put your class in teams, and then award points to each student/team that got their homework done. The focus of gamification is encourage certain positive behaviours. By utilizing gaming elements, teachers reward positive behaviour while trying to eliminate undesirable behaviour. The game itself is not directly linked to learning outcomes.
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Both of the images above are examples of successful gamification platforms used in K-12 settings around the world today. Classcraft and ClassDojo both use game elements to manage, motivate and move students through learning experiences. The real difference between gamification and game-based learning is that, in gamification, the learning and game elements run parallel to each other, whereas, in game-based learning, the game context is where the learning takes place. Students play to learn and learn as they play.
Types of Games Used in Game-Based Learning
Over the history of GBL various types of video games have been used to accomplish educational means. The images below outline the basics of each. At GBL, we are all about the last category; Educational Games. These games, as you will see in the description below, are the best of both worlds, They are both chalk full of educational value and engaging, interactive game elements.
Brief History of Game Based-Learning
If you're going to understand us, and trust us with your investment money then you need to know where we come from and where we are heading. Game-based learning is not new, and the market history spans several decades. Look though the timeline below to see how this industry has evolved and how GBLI is emerging as a future leader.
Your Experiences with Video Games in the Classroom
How about you? What have your experiences with game-based learning been? Have you played any of the games mentioned in our timeline above? If you are an educator, have you used games to help teach? Using the Padlet below, please share something from your personal experience with game-based learning. Make sure to record your full name after the post if you do so without an Padlet account. Click the red plus button on the bottom right of the padlet to start sharing.
* GBL International is a fictional company created for the sole purpose of teaching about Game-Based Learning.