Top 10 Game Dynamics

Make learning way more enaging, fun and memorable.

 

 

Make no mistake, the video game, social media and entertainment industries have studied brain research and used it to create some powerfully addictive products. The same elements that they use in high-tech games can be adapted for low-tech use in our classrooms. Here are some key game design dynamics to consider when developing new learning modules:

 

 

Achievement

Use rewards like progress bars, points and badges to keep them motivated.

 

Appointment

Create good/bad events that happen at specified times.

 

Avoidance

Create things that must be done in order to avoid a consequence.

 

Behavior Contrast

Create the occasional random award for a mundane, repetitive behavior.

 

Cascading Information

Some achievements can release the next bit of key information.

 

Chain Schedules

Certain things happen at certain times, but you need to have certain resources available at that time to take advantage of the opportunity.

 

Communal Discovery

Some things that are discovered benefit everybody in the game, even potentially your competitors.

 

Blind Scoring

Create some non-transparent scoring in which participants need to figure out which behaviors or tasks are being rewarded and at what value.

 

Extinction

Certain resources will be extinct forever at a designated time.

 

Modifiers

Bonus rounds, variations in resources, changed timeframes, raising and lowering prices can all modify a game and make it possible for a player who is far behind to catch up.

 

Examine the games that you've played throughout your life and you will see many of these dynamics at work. When designing a new learning module, you can use as many or as few of them as you need to make the game interesting.

 

Have fun!