Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American psychologist, introduced the concept of "enjoyment" in his Flow Theory in 1975. Positive psychology, the field in which Csikszentmihalyi's work is rooted, aims to enhance well-being by promoting better understanding and practices—not only in child and adult development but also in education. Flow is a mental state where a person is fully immersed, focused, energised, and enjoying the process of an activity.
Gamification can take many forms, including in-class games, board games, or digital games. A 2022 study showed that gamification can boost student engagement, motivation, and participation across various educational levels. Moreover, when designed and implemented correctly, gamification not only enhances knowledge but also develops critical skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking.
Research has shown that students often experience boredom when learning theory in a traditional classroom setting, especially when listening to lectures for extended periods. This study found that students who learned through gamification felt more challenged and valued their learning time more than those who received traditional lectures.
A Case Study: Gamification from the Students' Perspective
As a part of my PhD project, I developed a web-based digital game to teach Design Thinking to business students. This web-based game, named "Blackout," integrates real-case scenarios from a significant energy crisis a country faced in 2012, applying principles of Experiential Learning Theory to enhance students' innovative problem-solving skills. "Blackout" is a complex form of gamification, featuring 3D elements and offering a medium for learning, assessment, and reflection within the game. The game was piloted in the first semester of 2024 at an Australian university, involving 747 business school students and facilitated by 17 educators.
Preliminary findings revealed that:
- Students preferred learning Design Thinking through gaming over traditional lectures.
- Students felt that the money they had invested in enrolling at the university was justified due innovative educational technologies such as this.
- Students found it easier to adopt real-world problem-solving techniques through the immersive visualisation of Design Thinking stages within the game.
- Students enjoyed the competitive aspect with classmates when the game was the focus of tutorials.
- Students expressed a desire for this gamification approach to be applied to other theoretical concepts they need to learn because it was so enjoyable.
One student, aged 19, remarked:
I didn’t feel like I was in a classroom to learn... Every challenge in the game felt like a mystery I needed to solve, and I was satisfied when I made the right decision. I was amazed at how easily I could answer and explain each stage of Design Thinking when my lecturer asked me. If all theoretical courses could be done through games, I could definitely be the top graduate.
