In this blog post, I will provide a quick overview of Bohyun Kim’s book chapter, “Gamification in Education and Libraries,” and then provide an argument about why educational institutions should implement gamification projects when possible. I chose this article because I’m a fan of fun and making any situation into a game. I truly believe that people learn more when they actually enjoy the learning process.
In her book chapter titled “Gamification in Education and Libraries,” Bohyun Kim (20 provides examples of various gamification projects in schools and libraries. Gamification, as Kim (2015) explains, is very similar to serious educational games in that both “focus on using commercial video games or creating full-fledged video games for education (pg. 21). The main difference is that serious games are centered on education and learning while gamification is applied more broadly to engage and motivate learners (Kim, 2015, pg. 21). An example of gamification provided by Kim (2015) would be the piano stairs installed in Odenplan, Stockholm (pg. 20). An educational game is more like a traditional video game. For example, I personally remember a game math centric game I played on the school computers in third grade titled JumpStart Adventures:3rd Grade in which a robot child has to solve math problems in order to save his creator’s laboratory. Those were wild times.
So, what’s they hype about gamification and does it really help engage learners? Is it worth the trouble for libraries? I would argue that gamification is a useful tool for many libraries and those in educational settings. Gamification helps individuals learn and care about what they are learning. Engaging patrons and students is the main key to making them care about library projects and instruction. Below I will make an argument about why libraries and other educational institutions should implement gamification when appropriate in order to engage and connect with individuals.
In her brief article “Just a game? Library gamification encourages engagement and learning,” Meredith Farkas (2014) provides an argument for gamification. She provides an example of Gamification that the New York Public Library implemented in 2011. This mobile game, “Find the Future,” encouraged young adults to engage with the special collections by creating a mobile scavenger hunt. In their article “Vocabulary and Gamification,” Tara L. Kingsley and Melissa M. Graner-Hagen (2017) provide examples of how gamification aid students in learning vocabulary. Kingsley and Graner-Hagen (2017) note that effective vocabulary Instruction combined with Quest-Based Learning, and Gameful Course Design result in better vocabulary instruction (pg. 545-546). Framing vocabulary practices through gamification, the authors argue, help to students become more determined to succeed at their instruction (Kingsley and Graner-Hagen, 2017, pg. 553).
Although gamification has been successful in several instances, there are some examples of unsuccessful gamification attempts. In her article, “If you build it…?: One campus’ firsthand account of gamification in the academic library,” Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco (2013) provide in example of a gamification attempt that was not successful. The University of California-Mercd (UC-Merced) Library attempted to engage students through an app-based activity designed to introduce students to the library and campus resources, but the game fell flat when faced with first week stresses such as classes and other various events (McMunn-Tetangco, 2013, par. 14). The event starting location, McMunn-Tentangco (2013) explains, was not ideal because it was not in the path of foot traffic (par. 15). In her article “Gamification: is it right for your library?”, Carli Spina (2013) notes that gamification can decrease motivation over time “if it focuses solely on a rewards system to encourage participation” (pg. 7). Because gamification has a tendency to focus on an extrinsic reward system, it can be hard to sustain.
Although gamification definitely has its risks, I would still argue that libraries and other educational institutions can utilize gamification in beneficial ways. Unless there is a sure way to sustain interest in a gamification process, institutions should plan for gamification projects to be short term. In my job as a GRA for Archives and Special Collections, for example, I have noticed that in the first few weeks of school there will be a surplus of students who come in with a worksheet to ask questions about Archives and Special Collection. These students usually come in as groups and for many of them, it is their first visit to that area of the library. This activity is part of an assigned scavenger hunt for some classes to familiarize students with the library. This is a very short-term activity, but it is also sustainable because there is always a new group of freshman students to replace the previous ones. Every institution should weigh the pros and cons of any project they consider implementing, but I believe that investing in gamification project usually produced beneficial outcomes.
References
Farkas, M. (2014, January). Just a game? Library gamification encourages engagement and learning. American Libraries, 45(1-2), 26. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A355185237/AONE?u=tel_a_utl&sid=AONE&xid=34e3295b
Kim, Bohyun. (2015). Gamification in Education and Libraries. Library Technical Reports, 51(2). https://doi-org.proxy.lib.utk.edu/10.5860/ltr.51n2
Kingsley, T., & Grabner‐Hagen, M. (2018). Vocabulary by Gamification. Reading Teacher, 71(5), 545–555. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1645
McMunn-Tetangco, E. (2013). If you build it …?: One campus’ firsthand account of gamification in the academic library. 208 – 210. Retrieved from http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/0vk582vq
Spina, C. (2013). Gamification: is it right for your library?: The rewards, risks, and implications of gamification, AALL Spectrum, 17(6), 7-25. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.lib.utk.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lls&AN=87367117&scope=site
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