Gamification for Real-Life Skill Development

    Gamification is a teaching technique used to develop real-life skills  through the implementation of classroom games that mimic relevant situations. Games are engaging for students particularly in a language learning environment because they are stimulating and utilize a multimedia approach to education. Students are provided a visual stimulus, often supported by sound, in which they must read, write, analyze, and navigate their way through a game’s simulation of reality. This exercises the brain in an authentic manner that develops critical thinking skills while reinforcing the basics at a pace that is appropriate for each individual.

        For my own gaming introduction I chose to play Phantasy Quest. I only played twice, however both rounds took me a very long time because I had to adjust to the simulated world and try and understand my ultimate goal in this “escape the room” game. The goal of the game is to use the resources on an island you've been shipwrecked on to survive and find the girl you supposedly lost. Both times I was deemed a “Fledgling Moron” but I did advance a bit the second time around. If I were playing this game with a class my language learning objective would be to use directional descriptions and exploration for the purpose of creating a map of the island with descriptive language of the available resources at each area. Hopefully this would help students to develop spatial awareness of their virtual surroundings which practicing descriptive words based on their observations. As the teacher, I would give them a word bank that they must include in their drawing and have students present in groups to compare and contrast each concept of the Phantasy Island. I don’t feel that a walkthrough is necessary for this game because it is more about exploration than the ultimate goal of winning or defeating the surroundings. Instead of using images from the game, students would be creating their own mental images and producing them on paper to demonstrate their idea of what the entire gameworld looks like. Their presentation would be an assessment of their understanding because it would affirm their exploration of the game and the level of detail would variably demonstrate their level of understanding.