Over the past several years, gamification has become a buzzword, used in everything from driving engagement at conferences to use cases in e-learning. Gamification helps in e-learning because it allows you to leverage the competitiveness to make training more dynamic.

This article will discuss some of the benefits that e-learning can have from implementing gamification.

What Is Gamification?

Before we take a deep dive into the benefits of gamification in e-learning, let’s briefly review what gamification means.

The word gamification in education was used in 2002 by Nick Pelling. However, Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian inventor and chemist used the gamification method in the 19th century to remember the periodic table. If you have been thinking about how gamification and learning connect, consider the works of Dmitri and the neuroscientists.

Over the years, researchers have identified how the interactive learning process benefits humans and how it can be implemented in teaching. Part of that process has evolved into using gamification in e-learning.

Gamification in learning can be explained as implementing the gaming elements like the point system, badges, leader boards, awards, and graduating from one level to the other in a non-gaming environment.

The process adds an element of fun to the online education system, which helps to increase the learner’s engagement and motivates them too.

The gamification elements in e-learning are not about entertainment, although it makes the process a fun-filled one. In e-learning, the use of gamification is based on creating a human-focused design. It means the learning strategy is developed based on the learner’s behavior, goals and targets, fear, and motivation.

Why Use Gamification in E-Learning?

Apart from the fact that it is becoming a mainstream feature in e-learning with a projected CAGR of 30.1 percent between 2020 and 2025, the University of Colorado has stated it helps boosts the skill-based assessment while improving the retention of the materials the individual studies. But that’s not all. The revenue generated by the gamification market in education is expected to garner over $24 million by 2024.

For 2020, the market value of gamification was $9.1 billion.

Added to this, 67 percent of students reported feeling more motivated to study with the gamification of the learning system. Moreover, microlearning increased engagement by 50 percent, and the number multiplies when combined with gamification.

Benefits of Gamification in E-Learning

Gamification brings several benefits to e-learning:

1. Learning experience is interactive and fun. Gamification helps in transforming educational material into exciting and entertaining content. Of course, it doesn’t mean the learning process is changed into a game, but the concept of gamifying helps psychology conceive it as a fun engagement.

The rewards become an intensely satisfying and motivating factor. It also makes the learning process interactive and immersive with the help of role-playing and by adding a competitive angle to it.

2. Retention and addiction to knowledge. Any educationist will say the primary purpose of learning is to gain knowledge and retain it to be used in the future. The gamification of e-learning just does that by retaining the high in the learning.

Since the brain releases dopamine into the body when the brain wants to reward us with gamification, they feel high when the learner achieves in the game. It eventually leads to improvement in retention and going back to learning.

3. Practicality. Getting your hands dirty to learn about new things and how to apply them in real-life scenarios is the best way to gain knowledge. Gamification combines the real-world application of the subject matter as to how their choices in the game result in determining the rewards and consequences.

4. Immediate feedback. Feedbacks are always the best encouragement when we do anything. The lack of self-review that is often associated with a traditional learning system that slows the learning process is easily overcome with gamification. It allows the employees to get immediate, meaningful feedback which helps with the overall improvement and upskilling.

5. Additional benefits

• Improved engagement with the content

• Competition equals motivation

• More cooperation

• Encouraged to read more

• Fun and efficient learning

• Points and prizes mean achievement

Benefits Await

We have all witnessed gamers engaged in their pursuit for virtual rewards. Gamification in e-learning is doing just that. Introducing gamification into a corporate learning system will increase the productivity and awareness of the learner and the overall performance of the organization. Hence, playing can be good for your business when done correctly.