Why games light up your hippocampus and exams do not. Quotes from researchers and speakers about gamification. Slides from the annual Moodle online conference May 2013. Full recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02nHOIZY7V0
2. Gamification in Moodle
a) I will give you a Moodle for Motivation poster if you ask 2
questions during this presentation
b) What questions do you have about gamification and
education?
c) I bet you can't ask me a question about gamification that I
can't answer!
d) I will feel really sad if no-one asks any questions about
gamification :(
Which statement most motivates
you?
It's not what you do .. but why you do it
Bartle Player Types
5. Gamification in Moodle
Interacting
Players
Acting
http://bit.ly/11XHfOk
Write Essay
Chat - Interview
Database - structured info
Forum asynchronous
discussion
Glossary – define / rate
concepts
Lesson - pathways of
learning
Quiz - Multiple choice
Wiki - collect info
Workshop - peer
assessment
Forum - online debate
Which Moodle Activity BEST
suits each player type?
Killer
Socialiser
Explorer
Achiever
6. Gamification in Moodle
Interacting
Players Acting
Write Essay
Chat - Interview
Database –
structured info
Forum asynchronous
discussion
Glossary – define / rate
concepts
Lesson pathways of
learning
Quiz - Multiple
choice
Wiki
Workshop - peer
assessment
Forum - online debate
Killer
Socialiser
Explorer
Achiever
Which Moodle Activity BEST
suits each player type?
8. Gamification in Moodle
The Hippocampus?
http://blog.superbetter.com/show-me-the-science-resilience-
games-post-traumatic-growth-and-more/
The hippocampus
is the part of our
brain used when
committing
something to long
term memory
”
“
9. Gamification in Moodle
What lights up your hippocampus?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzLjXF--G1w
The more the
hippocampus is lit
up the more likely
we are to repeat a
new behaviour…
400%
improvements in
long term
behaviour change
Jane McGonigal
”
“
10. Gamification in Moodle
What can we borrow from games?
Intheflow
Build resilience by balancing positive and
negative emotions
A feeling of continuous progression
Clear goals, rules, feedback and choices
Use extrinsic motivation to build intrinsic
motivation
Offer status, access, power and stuff - in that order
13. Gamification in Moodle
What is a game?
When you strip
away the genre
differences and the
technological
complexities, all
games share four
defining traits: a
goal, rules, a
feedback system,
and voluntary
participation.
Jane McGonigal,
Reality is Broken
“
”
http://janemcgonigal.com/my-book/
10 million Minecrafters
241,920,000 logins per month
1,000 logins per hour
2,000,000,000 files downloaded
14. Gamification in Moodle
Four Common Elements
Element Angry Birds Tetris Linked In
(a non-game
example)
Goals Kill Pigs Fill an entire row Online Resume - join
discussions
Rules Have to fling the
birds in the right
direction
Within the time given
turn the blocks to
build up rows
Only members can see
Must get connected to
as many people as
possible
Feedback Pigs die
(audio/animation)
Points, Score, Game
ends when top is
reached
Progress Bar
Leaderboard –
Most popular
Voluntary
Participation
Choose your level of
achievement within
each level
Choose to beat your
own score eg 12,000
points
Log in, optional
subscription to
discussions
15. Gamification in Moodle
Four Elements – applied in Education
Element Games 1995 - Paper based
Assessment by
Distance Learning
2015 – Learning
Management
Systems
Goals Small goals Big Goals ( 1 or 2 major
assessments)
??
Rules Clear objectives Too much information
(1000 page text books)
??
Feedback Quick feedback on
achieving objective -
Anonymous
Wait for the results
(often weeks after the
class has finished) -
Public Failure
??
Voluntary
Participation
I can leave at any time
–
I am in control
Teacher centred ??
16. Gamification in Moodle
Four elements – applied in Moodle
Element Course –
eg How to
pour a Beer
Core Moodle LMS Moodle
Plugins
Goals What activities do I
have to do?
(Elements of
Competence)
• Check boxes
• Gradebook
Progress Bar
Rules/
Challenges/
Obstacles
When are they due?
How can I submit
my work?
(Assignments)
• Due Dates (My Home)
• Lesson
• Groups
Collapsed Topic
Feedback Have I done enough
, am I finished yet?
Did I pass
(Gradebook)
• Completion Block
• Gradebook
• Permissions
• Badges Moodle 2.5
Moo Profile
Voluntary
Participation
Self-directed, self-
assessment, self-
paced (RPL)
• Groups
• Conditional Activities
Self enrol
groups based on
choice
18. Gamification in Moodle
Pitfalls of Gamification Design
The introduction of
carefully selected extrinsic
rewards, built around a
design that speaks to
intrinsic motivational
states (sometimes not the
ones most closely aligned
with the behaviour we
seek to change), is the
most powerful design
model we have today.
Status – we do it because other
people will think we’re cool
Access – to something special that
other people don’t have
Power – able to do certain things
Stuff – tangible rewards: Awards,
Badges, Certificates, Virtual
Goods, Points, Levels, Scores
Gabe Zichermann http://www.gamification.co/2011/10/27/intrinsic-and-
extrinsic-motivation-in-gamification/
“
”
19. Gamification in Moodle
Insatiable expectations of the
caudate and thalamus
Since extrinsic incentives
will ultimately decrease a
person’s intrinsic
motivation for the gamified
behaviour…. The key
realization is that
gamification doesn’t have to
work long term to create
sustainable value. It just has
to work long enough for
some other processes to take
over as the primary driver
of value.
Michael Wu : The Gamification Backlash +
Two Long Term Business Strategies
“
”
21. Gamification in Moodle
Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic - conscious satisfaction
Mastery - achieving something
ie. Self-Assessment checkpoints ,
formative Assessment
Autonomy - I’m in control, doing it
by my own free choice. Player’s
choice, not game’s
ie. Self-directed and self-paced
learning pathways
Relatedness - activity is connected to
something beyond myself, meaning
and purpose
ie. Scenarios and simulations
experiential/constructivist learning
Project Based Learning
http://gamifyforthewin.com/
22. Gamification in Moodle
Insatiable Expectations
A positive feedback loop that
ultimately turns the gamified
activity into something
intrinsically motivating for
the player.
So even though gamification
doesn’t work long term, it
doesn’t have to. It just has to
work long enough for the
player to realize the value he
creates.
Michael Wu : The Gamification Backlash + Two Long Term Business
Strategies
“
”
23. Gamification in Moodle
Insatiable Expectations
Make it social, make it meaningful and give people some
freedom. Then, integrate a well thought out reward system
(points, badges etc).
If you do it this way around, you are not creating a system
that relies on the rewards to run. That way, you get the
intrinsically motivated people anyway and those that are
there for rewards are catered for.
http://marczewski.me.uk/user-types/
Andrzej Marczewski
“
”
25. Gamification in Moodle
Define Business Objectives
Delineate target behaviors
Describe your players
Devise your activity loops
Don't forget the fun
Deploy the appropriate tools
6 Step Gamification Design
Framework (Kevin Werbach)
http://gamifyforthewin.com
26. Gamification in Moodle
Summary
But real gamification lies not in
the scattershot application of
points (or badges, or whatever)
but in the design of a learning
experience that engages (and
delights!) learners and helps
them to see where they are
going and how they are doing
at any one time (feedback).
http://mozuku.edublogs.org/2013/02/08/efl-
gamification-1/
“
”
27. Gamification in Moodle
What can we borrow from games?
Intheflow Build resilience by balancing positive and
negative emotions
A feeling of continuous progression
Clear goals, rules, feedback and choices
Use extrinsic motivation to build intrinsic
motivation
Offer status, access, power and stuff - in that order
31. Gamification in Moodle
Further Information
Linked in Group
“Moodle For Motivation”
Share ideas and resources
Natalie Denmeade
@moodlemuse natalie@moojoo.com.au
Credits
Hippo artwork: Gabe Cunnett
gabe@klevar.com
Photos of gamers: Mr Toledano
Unless noted, all images public domain
from wikimedia
www.moojoo.com.au