Behaviorism and Gamification of Education

Spoiler alert: I'm probably going to talk about games in general a lot over this semester as they relate to self-efficacy. I apologize in advance.

In class we briefly discussed how video games use conditioning to encourage player behavior. Most video games, be it Flappy Bird or Fortnite or anything in-between, employ very similar methods of positive reinforcement to encourage player behavior. Players gain experience points (XP) depending on how much time they dedicate to playing and how much they improve in their game play, thus allowing them to "level up" to gain rewards. These rewards can include badges, access to new activities, cosmetic changes to the player's avatar, and many games have in-game currency that can either be earned by playing for significant amounts of time or paying real money to unlock certain features within the game itself.* Many games also reward simply logging in on a daily basis, and some of them punish the player missing a day by decreasing or withholding a reward until the next consecutive login. 

These types of reinforcement within the gaming industry have proven incredibly effective, as demonstrated by the dents in many people's wallets** and the rise in awareness of gaming addiction. These games are often seen as guilty pleasures; people recognize that being a level 102 player in Candy Crush may signify a lot of seemingly unproductive time, but it's enjoyable enough that they keep coming back to it (myself included). 

It isn't a stretch to see elements of game conditioning in education. After all, if it's so effective in keeping players engaged, why not students? Students complete tasks and spend time in school to receive good grades (experience points and badges). Students are required to attend classes daily and are punished for skipping in their participation grades (daily-login bonuses). Teachers may employ a special system in their classrooms to reward in-class behavior such as gold stars or points to be redeemed for classroom prizes (in-game currency). Teachers may also offer extra credit to allow the students to increase their grade and encourage them to explore class topics more thoroughly (side-quests). 

 Such activities are examples of gamification of education, whether that is the intent of educators or not. I posit that traditional meritocracy is simply systematic gamification of education, following the principles of behavioral conditioning. As we discussed in class, that is uncomfortable to admit, as it may seem to take the humanity and complexity out of learning and teaching that we cherish. However, as Sutherland discusses, keeping the "self" in mind through the process of teaching and learning allows us to acknowledge the complexity and variability of people back into the equation. Teachers should not only consider their students' individuality, motivation, and interest when it comes to their teaching method, but they should also reflect on their own desires for their students. If a teacher simply wants their student to pass their classes with scores that reflect well on the teacher, then it is easy to gamify their classroom in a way that keeps students superficially engaged. If instead they want their students to be deeply engaged and interested, then accounting for their “selves” may just be the way to do so. With this in mind, I’m excited to engage with the topic of self-efficacy for the semester.

* There has been significant controversy surrounding this topic for multiple reasons, a prominent one being that game developers will put special tools or abilities behind a paywall that will significantly boost game play in a way that is unfair in a competitive setting.
** This link is a fun little collection of stories of people spending too much money on otherwise "free" mobile games.