The benefits of gamification
Learning is no longer limited to a classroom. If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, there are other ways that people can attain knowledge, growth, and success.
Gamification has long been an overlooked niche where successful learning and training can take place and where overarching opportunities exist that can benefit not only the developer but the players participating in a world that the developer has created.
The dynamics of gamification are compelling. It is these dynamics that bring out the competitive nature of human beings, drive success and ambition for rewards, fame and altruism. This is true regardless of generation, gender, race, or culture. The affinity for stretching oneself to achieve a goal is a quality evident across all these categories and is part of what makes gamification such a vast adventure.
Board games are a perfect example of how “playful thinking” can take place. They are a tremendous driver for critical thinking. One learns quickly that, “[i]t’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest,” as researcher Carol Dweck affirms. Self-expression is often dominant in board games, creating experiences that are satisfying for the different personality types that come together in this setting.
One huge benefit of gamification is that it can forge new and strong connections, especially when playing with individuals who are from different backgrounds, whether in terms of race, culture or gender. Imagine a group of workers in a large (or small) company, for example, having a game day during training. Playing a game can be a phenomenal way to break the ice, get to know one another and see the personalities behind the professional façade. The nuances of self-expression, competition, reward, and success of a playful exercise can be invaluable.
In the Confidence is Boss board game developed by Sophia Burrell, three to six players embark on a question-driven journey, answering questions that often will generate mindset shift, behavioral changes and facilitate growth. Confidence has a showrunner posture within the game — it demonstrates and initiates the qualities required to win, within the game, and life in general. This is what makes a great board game: a positive impact is generated.
Critical thinking is also a key requirement to develop board games, or any game for that matter. What can happen or what will happen when a player makes certain moves on the board, is often at play in the mind of a developer. It also plays a big role in how players strategize to compete and win. The rules often set the tone. There must be some governing principle to how things are or should be done and how those principles, followed or not, might affect the player long after the game is over.
