What’s in a Game?

Abstract

School education in the early part of the 21st century is coming under increasing fire for not preparing young people for 21st century society and workplaces, for not adapting to emerging trends in how people learn in a connected society, and for holding decreasing attraction to young people who have at their fingertips a world of information, networks and entertainment. Game-based learning and gamification are positioned as possible pedagogical approaches schools could adopt to engage young people in learning in ways that more closely reflect how people learn in a digital and networked world, and that can address some of the key 21st century skills that are more in demand in this digital age. This chapter takes a critical perspective on game-based learning and gamification and argues that, whilst there are inherent features of game-based learning and gamified curriculum that appear to have potential for addressing some of the current perceived shortcomings of schools, the context in which such approaches are applied is crucial.