Globally engaged: How gamification pedagogy can change the world

It is games that give us something to do when there is nothing to do. We thus call games ‘pastimes’ and regard them as trifling fillers of the interstices of our lives. But they are much more important than that. They are clues to the future. And their serious cultivation now is perhaps our only salvation.
– Bernard Suits (2005)

Playing and gaming is something that all humans share regardless of culture, language, or other factors. Play and gaming are also one of the earlies pedagogies, that is, a means for learning essential competences needed for the sustainable future for humankind.

In the BeGlobal project we experiment in how gamification converts into a pedagogical tool for enhancing global citizenship and global competence. By gamification we refer to a process of incorporating game-like elements into non-game contexts to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals.

Our observation so far within the project has been that adults and young people alike can form an international community of learners by co-creating and playing a variety of games. Gaming is a way to overcome language barriers and cultural differences. It brings joy, happiness and a feeling of hope even when playing with the future of our planet or pondering about local dilemmas of sustainability. These shared oasis of hope and enjoyment are what we need to facilitate global learning and change for the better.

Gaming is not about escaping, it is about being there and here

When we talk about games and gaming, we do not exclusively refer to board games, card games, digital videogames or sports events. Understood broadly, games include drama and theatre, role play and other ways of simulating real-life events.

Agusto Boal juxtaposes theatre with rites and rituals, and right there are also the origin of gaming and play as pedagogical means for learning. To play, in a theatrical sense, is to use the human capacity to observe oneself and others in action. (Boal & Jackson 2001.)

In the context of learning and creating a better future, play can serve as a way toward building something that does not yet exist but could become if we as global citizens commit to it. Boal’s way of applying drama has a similar tone to it. When a play is not a play for a mute and passive audience in a closed space of a theatre, but converted into a communal, interactive practise that invites different stakeholders to join into play and co-create, improvise, shared solutions for local challenges at hand, the world can change.

Playing games is about ‘getting into someone else’s skin’ (Boal & Jackson 2001). Playing is not only about skin, but just as much about heart, and pulse and muscle, and blood and bone. What it does to a learner even in digital mode, is that it engages the emotional and the physical parts of the human-being that in many educational settings are tamed into mere sitting still and listening to and watching as someone else (in most cases the teacher) is doing the work.

It is significant what kind of games we choose to play or create as tools for learning. The realities we engage in games reflect our values and ways of seeing the world. The visuals, the appearances of characters, the background cultures, genders and orientations they represent reenforce or may give an alternative to the existing reality. The languages spoken and the ways to pronounce them transform the linguistic diversity and can create new shared languages. The social and physical spaces recreated in the design of different elements, even the concepts and logic, thought processes within the games are always of both making the world to be what we assume it to be, and constructing the world as we would prefer it to become.

Hence, designing and choosing a game is always an ethical question as well, especially when selecting and building serious games for learning. Playing diverse tunes vibrates connection between and within cultures and communities.

The social and communal dimension of gamification pedagogy

The social dimension of gamification pedagogy emphasizes the importance of interaction between learners. Key elements of this dimension include competition, cooperation, reputation, and social pressure. Without these social aspects, students may experience isolation, which can negatively impact their motivation and engagement. The social dimension of gamification must be carefully designed to focus on interactions between learners rather than interactions with the system. By fostering a balanced environment of those dimensions, educators can enhance student engagement and motivation. (Toda et al 2019.)

Gamification can give many opportunities to succeed socially, interact and learn about yourself and from others. Interacting with others is motivating for learning. Cooperation involves learners working together to achieve common goals. The absence of cooperation can lead to feelings of isolation, increasing the likelihood of demotivation or disengagement. Encouraging collaborative efforts help build a sense of community and shared purpose among learners. When applied to global citizenhip education this transformational process within and between individual learners and within and between local communities can take an enormous leap forward.

Cooperation is a life skill that can be practiced and strengthened by gaming. For instance, assigning peer-review activities can create a sense of accountability and encourage learners to perform well. However, it is important to balance social pressure to avoid causing undue stress or anxiety. The tasks must be accessible so that it is possible to succeed. The same goes for global collaboration. The collaboration pleads for a balanced interaction between all the partners building the networks for sustainable solutions.

A successful game gives good feelings even though you’re not the official winner every time. Reputation pertains to the social status that learners can acquire within the gamified environment. A lack of recognition or acknowledgment can make learners feel that their efforts are meaningless. The recognition can be something very simple, but the meaning will be big to the players. The experience of being included is fundamental in all gaming for learning, and a key element for growing into a global citizen who is aware of our interconnectedness with each other and motivated to do their part for sustainable decisions.

Competition can be a powerful motivator, encouraging learners to strive to outperform their peers. However, it is crucial to manage competition carefully, as it can also discourage more challenged learners if their performance does not meet expectations. Creating a healthy competitive environment is essential to ensure that all learners remain motivated (Toda et al. 2019). A good game for learning leaves everyone with the sense of winning. The social aspect of gamification is crucial when one designs a serious game for global competence, as well.

The changing world calls for feeding the eternal human need to play and learn

From a teacher’s perspective it may seem that both pedagogy and the world are changing with an accelerating speed. Yet, the basics of human essential needs, constant learning being one of them, stay the same.

Climates may change, cultures may divert, technologies keep advancing at a stunning pace and yet the basic human needs and desires to survive, to care for our loved ones and to have a meaningful life – stay the same. Games have formed an essential part of human learning for thousands of years (McGonigal 2012). And they will play a significant role in the global pedagogies of the future.

Picture: Shutterstock