Learning is easy when it is fun and interesting. Have you ever tried to learn a language using a language app, such as Duolingo or Babbel? If yes, you may have noticed that such apps come with a great free learning model that not only makes it easy to learn a language but also fun. Let’s take Duolingo as an example. How does Duolingo make learning fun? A feature of Duolingo is that as you learn new words and phrases, you get experience points and achievements. This kind of reward-based system is mostly found in games. As a result, this kind of learning is called game-based learning, or gamification. Due to its effectiveness, many e learning companies in India and around the world are starting to adopt this approach.

Gamification is basically using principles from video games to make learning more engaging and fun. Compared to traditional learning method, game-based learning can improve the overall
e-learning experience. But how exactly does game-based learning work? Let us go through the characteristics of gamification that form a great part of e-learning content development in Mumbai.

  • Increased Motivation: Gamification helps set learning goals and rewards the learners for meeting those goals. These rewards can be small rewards, such as experience points, badges or achievements, or in some cases, big rewards such as physical prizes.
  • Involved Simulations: If the success of simulation games has anything to say, it is that people love working in fantasy scenarios. With a little creative work, very interesting scenarios can be created, increasing the interest and, thus, the engagement of the learner. Applying the lessons within a gaming context is always fun to see, and can enrich the learning experience. A great example of this is children’s learning games that use cartoons and stories to teach subjects, such as English and mathematics.
  • Instant Feedback: People tend to feel accomplished when they receive instant feedback. This kind of feedback is the best marker of progress, and immediately lets the learner know what corrections need to be made. This increases learner involvement and improves retention.
  • Incites Challenge: Similar to social gaming applications, like FarmVille, game-based learning can also induce a healthy sense of competition. With leaderboards, you have people competing to be on the top, gathering the highest scores and meeting the most goals. This motivates students to learn more and better and ensures that they will keep coming back to learn.
  • Includes Many Fields: Through game-based learning, users learn to develop a lot of skills intuitively. Learners can be taught things like teamwork, time management, task allocation and other mentally demanding skills.

Of course, getting gamification right can be a monumental task. Lots of different types of resources need to be used to make a successful game-based learning module.

Although the learning method is game-based, it is by no means a game. The primary goal of any game-based learning is not fun, but to teach the learners something important in such a way that they do not forget what they have learnt. A balance needs to be maintained between game elements and teaching elements in e-learning modules. If you have too many gaming elements, then the learners would be playing the game for enjoyment and not learn anything. On the other hand, if there are too few game elements, then the experience is not different from a normal e-learning module. Either way, the module fails to accomplish what it set out to do.

The best modules manage to strike this perfect balance between game and lesson, which in turn works very well in imparting knowledge to its learners.

The benefits of gamification done right are obvious to learners and teachers alike, as they can generate an interest in learning like never before. E learning companies in India have taken note of this and are improving their methods to make learning fun. If you have any need for game-based learning content, Stylus Solutions is a great company to fulfill your needs. You can reach out to us at www.stylusolutions.com or mail us at [email protected].