When we think of gaming, the first image that pops up in our mind is us racing down the roads of GTA or shooting down opponents in the streets of Call of Duty, or saving the princess peach in Super Mario . We all must have spent several hundred hours gaming, discussing about them, missions, XP, Easter eggs, levels, and what not. Even after years of playing one, it will only take a couple of games to brush up those controller skills and time will fly.
But games arenāt just limited to this sort, look around and you will find hundred of examples of gamification which influence our behaviour directly.
Whether itās our buying behaviour (E-commerce), eating behaviour (Food ordering app), entertainment (TikTok, Instagram), or even work life (incentives, targets ā gamified to keep us engaged).
The thing that hasnāt evolved over all these years of virtual evolution in the gamification realm is Education!
There has been some movement in this direction with e-learning, where video based learning, interactive quizzes, virtual modules have tried to excite up the learning process, but majorly itās still done in rudimentary methods of verbal conversations.
Gaming in education may be viewed as an interference to learning but its role in education is to increase a studentās motivation, engagement, to enhance visual skills, to improve studentās interaction, collaboration abilities with their peers and to enable them to apply gaming values in a real-world situation.
Retention of virtual simulations as compared to verbal communication is drastically high. In social simulations, when a team has a time restrained task to do, it stimulates them mentally, emotionally and physically. Itās a fastest and most effective method for kids to develop a grasp over a subject and motivates them to excel rather than grading system which creates a negative impression over their mind.
Games can be used as a support tool to complement traditional teaching methods to improve the learning experience of the learners while also teaching other skills such as following rules, adaptation, problem solving, interaction, critical thinking skills, creativity, teamwork, and good sportsmanship.
Check out some wonderful gaming experiences for kids at Tomo Club.
For more info visit: www.tomoclub.org
