Game mechanics form teaching strategies: a toolkit of gamification elements Discover a comprehensive guide for incorporating gamification in the teaching practices

There are several great elements of gamification in education that can help form the best gamified teaching strategy. Let's discuss game mechanics that should be included in each teaching strategy whether in a school setting or in a gamified education platform.

Leaderboards praise champions

Leaderboards show learners' rankings based on their achievements. They can be broad, showing overall performance, or specific, focusing on individual tasks. Both types often display learners' names or nicknames and their ranking, which can be based on points, completed tasks, grades, or badges earned. This allows learners in an educational setting to compare their progress and performance against their peers (1)(2).

Avatars boost self-esteem

Learners use digital figures called avatars to interact with the world and others. They're like their virtual “me”, and can be simple images or detailed models. Learners often feel connected to their avatars, so students express themselves by choosing their appearance or even abilities. This makes learning more fun as students feel invested and in control. Avatars also provide a safe space to practice social skills by trying different roles.

Challenges support problem-solving

Games have quests, special tasks players/learners do to get rewards. These involve overcoming challenges, like completing a project. Finishing a quest (or a series called a questline) earns players something cool. Schools can use this too! Quest-based learning gives students tasks with a beginning, middle, and end. This helps them learn by solving problems on their own. Quests become fun adventures that teach and help students think critically (3).

Points for progression 

Games often use points to show progress. Players get points for completing tasks or reaching goals. Points not only show how far players have come but also keep them playing by giving them a reward for their actions. Different games use points differently, but they all make learning and completing tasks feel more rewarding.

Turns build self-control 

Turn-based games involve "turns" where players take actions one at a time, allowing them to think before acting. The length of a turn can vary. In wargames, a turn might represent years, while in sports games, it's usually just one action. In education, timed turns or time compression are often used to add pressure and keep players engaged.

Levels form competition

Games are often divided into sections called levels. Completing a level means you're getting better at the game. In education, levels can be like learning milestones. Finishing a level shows you've learned something and are ready for harder topics. Levels in games and education help keep things organized and make learning less overwhelming.

Badges enriching learning process 

Badges are used to reward students for hard work and progress. This keeps them motivated, fosters a sense of community as learners can showcase their badges to others, and helps them see how far they've come. Earning badges even encourages students to think critically and solve problems, enriching the overall learning experience.

Those gamification elements are perfectly used and considered in the school setting and the teaching plans. Analyzing performance, healthy competition, and gamified quizzes are examples for this implementation (4)(5)(6).