Gamification — What’s That — Who Needs It and Why
How to increase motivation and captivate attention at school and at work
Gamification — What’s that — Who Needs it and Why
I heard the thunder roll and my thoughts returned to bowling games where I played gutter ball. That’s what I called it because that ball rarely went down the middle of the lane to strike the pins.
When Wii Sports games came along decades later, I performed better with that ball. It wasn’t heavy at all! Whether I had a high score or low, I laughed. I learned to keep score. We even had a test on keeping bowling scores in high school PE class.
The world of games is still fun for everyone.
Gamification defined
Game on! Games attract attention and tend to increase collaborative teamwork and personal performance goals. You may have been part of a team to win a game. Gamification makes working and learning more enjoyable.
What is gamification?
Gamification, the practice of adding game-like elements to non-gaming environments, improves engagement and boosts performance. It can be competitive, like a contest between salespeople. It can also be collaborative — think, a group of software developers working together during a hackathon. And that’s only the beginning. https://www.salesscreen.com/gamification/
Gamification applied in the workplace
When a visual earning system is linked to monetization, employees tend to concentrate on the job at hand. Greater efficiency and effectiveness are evident within the organization among employees. Meeting customers’ requests boosts performance when gamification is a significant feature. One example is the renovation of Humtown Products where Mark Lamoncha, CEO, developed gamification. He said,
“Not long after the financial markets crash of 2008, Mark was desperate to prevent Humtown from going into bankruptcy. After much prayer, Mark created the framework of what would become the Visual Earnings System, a now patented method of dramatically improving productivity by enhancing Humtown’s workforce through technological innovation. This real-time process of measuring and showing team member’s their rate of productivity would result in sustained increases in productivity of 250 to 400 percent.” Mark Lamoncha,https://www.humtown.com/our-story
“Relentless innovation drives Humtown’s recognition as a global leader. However, innovation is not just about technology. In truth, no one has invented anything better than a human being. That is why Humtown highly values organizational collaboration and personal relationships. Let’s work together to harness the power of technology and human relationships to drive innovation, growth and profitability.” Mark Lamoncha, https://www.humtown.com/
Gamification applied in education
When human beings of all ages are valued and games are part of the learning process, healthy competition and collaborative innovations are possible. Mark Lamoncha is cited with multiple awards. One is with school children. https://www.humtown.com/awards
“Marrying public education with business manufacturing is being spearheaded by Mark Lamoncha. Mark’s knowledge and experience has allowed him to put problem solving techniques in the hands of young students with a breakout program in Crestview Local School District in Columbiana, Ohio. His partnership with SilverApple, a learning community that provides cohorts of educators and their community and/or industry partners an opportunity to explore and implement instructional practices into their classrooms, brought problem based learning to 3rd and 4th grade students tasked with creating a solution for removing excess sand from molds.”
In the classroom, easy contests dividing the room of students in half is a way to do Q&A before a quiz or test the next day. I kept score on the board for whoever answered first on that side. I went through several rounds, repeating questions. Their attention increased. (The noise level for the team cheering may, too!)
As a teacher of Ancient History to 12-year-olds, I did that every Wednesday before their weekly test on Thursday. The Headmaster got used to the extra noise above his office. Parents were pleased with the results of their child’s progress and retention, and the students enjoyed increased motivation to study and pass the tests with higher grades.
To enjoy the process and the benefits, try to identify a way to include gamification in the process. It makes a difference. By the way, if you have not seen The Phantom of the Open (a movie based on a true story), you may want to enjoy the laughter throughout that game of golf, too. Practice. Practice. Practice.
These gamification examples show how to increase motivation and captivate attention at school and at work to boost performance.
Gamification in Medium
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