Gamification is the practice of introducing elements of games, into non-gaming environments to capture the motivational factors found in games (Fulton, 2019). The application of gamification is typically utilised to increase engagement with a product or service. For example, a common example of gamification in practice is the loyalty points system that many stores take advantage of, to increase clients’ overall loyalty as well as their annual spending.
In addition to the business world, the theory of gamification is also prevalent within education because of the notion that people learn best when they are having fun. When people are relaxed and enjoying themselves, they are often more proactive and feel comfortable making mistakes, which effectively furthers their development. Furthermore, by allowing students to think outside of the box, they become more motivated and engaged with important subjects like mathematics.
At ORIGO Education, our mission is to make maths fun, while encouraging students to engage with mathematics. Knowing that games ordinarily involve a winner and a loser, we try to focus on activities that have the same rewarding feeling of a game, with no losers. We believe that by triggering real, powerful human emotions such as curiosity, excitement and accomplishment, maths can be taught in a fun and intriguing way for students. Be sure to check out our variety of Tools, Tunes & Games, for fun and memorable ways to help students develop computational fluency with maths skills both in the classroom and at home.
Sources: Fulton, J. 2019. Theory of Gamification – Motivation. William Howard Taft University.