Humans have been playing games for centuries. In fact, some of the earliest instances of gaming tools like dice have been in play since the Ancient Greeks invented them some 3,000 years ago. While today’s gaming might appear more commonly on a screen, historically humans have always intertwined play as a pastime to counteract the work they do.
That’s because playing games directly relates to a number of our brain’s processes that are responsible for activating positive feelings and igniting motivation.
Understanding how gamification works on a neuroscience level might shed some light on one of the oldest and most effective ways to get learners to engage and retain information.
When we play a game, we have the opportunity to win. And the human brain loves winning. Its reward centre is housed in the cerebral cortex and when we win a game, a rush of dopamine is dispatched from the ventral tegmental area (VTA). It makes its way to the pleasure centre in our brain, and just like that, we’re hooked. We want to play again and again to reconnect our brain to the same reward experience. This is one of the reasons why playing a game can be addictive.
Gamification has very tangible benefits– here are 3 ways to keep learners engaged and coming back for more:
- Rewards. Gamification is a rewarding learning method. And, when something feels rewarding, you’re more likely to do it again. Gamification is most effective when learning is designed to be an ongoing process. Playing a game gives users an incentive to focus and keep progressing – and perhaps come back again to try again. This makes it effective for both information delivery and recall. Building rewards into Microlearning design is simple and powerful
- Status. Seeing their names on a leader board can be a major motivator for learners. Competition activates the anterior cingulate cortex, which causes the learner to increase effort almost automatically. And, when their status is confirmed in relation to their peers, it creates those feel-good emotions as learners get another bump in dopamine levels. Scoreboards give learners a palpable way to see the fruits of their labour.
- Achievement. If at first, you don’t succeed, keep trying until you beat the level. Any gamer can tell you about the thrill of succeeding after multiple attempts. It’s a culmination of effort and learning that shows users they’re on the right track. In gamification, achievement via increasing difficulty levels or utilizing new knowledge gives users a chance to put their training to work. Whether it’s beating a level or finishing a module, challenging learners is a great way to ramp up their engagement.
Gamification works, but it’s not just because games are fun. As a learner’s brain plays, it also processes, giving it positive feedback and better recall. Making game-based learning part of your strategy means putting its psychological benefits to the test and then reaping the rewards
