Advantages and Disadvantages of Gamification in the Classroom
(AsapSCIENCE, 2014. Can video games make you smarter?)
Advantages
Increases student engagement (Kapp, 2012)
- Lure of the Labryinth engages its players through a story line where monsters want to dominate and leveled math puzzles must be solved to defeat them
- Students develop and practice problem solving strategies across different levels of play or contexts
- Sumdog is an online gaming program that reinforces math and language arts skills, players receive automatic feedback when a question is answered, at the end of a level corrective feedback is given (www.sumdog.com)
- The Radix Endeavor – players explore biomes with unique plants and creatures to test scientific hypotheses and instruments
- World Without Oil – an alternate reality game where participants problem solve and strategize how to survive an oil crisis (www.worldwithoutoil.org)
- Supercharged! – a game from the MIT education arcade where students safely explore how charged particles interact in a simulated space environment
- Minecraft – a sample lesson entitled “Water Challenge” has students explore ways to distribute and conserve water in order to sustain a farming population
- The Louisiana State University Football team had their quarterbacks practice reading defensive formations in a video game before applying their understanding and skills to the real game
- The process of problem solving in gaming develops skills in the learner that can be applied to other problem solving contexts
- Lure of the Labryinth fosters collaboration and a community of learning through its “Tasti Pet Communicator” which allows players to communicate and share problem-solving strategies.
Disadvantages
Requires access to computer and Internet
- School districts do not have budget available to purchase computers
- Students of low income families may not have technology available to them in the home to support learning
- Poor design in game leads to disengagement and confusion
- Teacher fails to implement gaming to effectively support curriculum and learning
- Students manage time poorly because they are determined to pass a certain level in an online game
- Owl pellet dissection is replaced with online simulation
- Clam dissection is replaced with online video
- Auditory learners may struggle without spoken or audible instruction
- Learners that struggle with literacy or who are English language learners (ELL) may not be able to read and follow directions
- Students may not realize danger of chemicals or electrostatics because their only experience in using them has been in simulations online
- Budget is allocated to new computers or server provider when math manipulatives like counters or shape templates are needed
- Budget for field trips to the seashore or forest are cut in order cover the licensing cost for an educational game or program online