Hey Oleg!
I am also a big fan of gamification and finding ways to include games in everyday learning wether it be in University, Elementary School, Middle or High School. I have heard some of my students chat about the game Assasin’s Creed and it is interesting to learn it connects to many different history topics. I love how you shared your personal experience and helped me to find new ways to connect with students and impress them. For awhile I played Pokemon Go and I am now able to impress my students with my collection of shiny Pokemon! This is another great example of gamification. Pokemon Go while less relevant now is a great way to encourage exercise, team building, strategy, patience, and jealousy when they see my collection of shiny Pokemon! It is another way you can connect with students and even possibly use it in the classroom for P.E. or Outdoor education.

My gaming experience is rooted in animal crossing and super smash bros both of which while fun offer less learning opportunities other then community building or learning about different kinds of fish. While I don’t have a gaming connection I did have a similar experience when the Musical “Hamilton” was released. This musical provided a lesson in American History as well as revolutionizing musical theatre with the implementation of rap. It also was able to unite people who love musical theatre and those who can appreciate a bop! It is another example of taking something that is fun and entertaining and bringing in those opportunities to learn.

I really liked that you could reflect on the ties to teaching these games had as well as looking at the gamification theory. Gamification provides reluctant learners the opportunities to learn new things while having fun which is what learning is all about.

References

Correa, O. (2022, May 29). Blog 3: Game-based learning – Oleg Correa. Oleg Correa – Think – Thinking – Thought. https://ocorrea.opened.ca/blog-3/