Gamification and Game-based learning

Gamification and game-based learning instructional strategies are the hottest trends in the eLearning industry today.

Let’s understand how the two concepts differ from each other with an example.

You have content for a cybersecurity awareness training program and you are confused if you should go for a gamification or game-based learning approach for transforming the content into an effective and engaging eLearning module. We at Arsiga Konics will help you with your dilemma. We will analyze your content deeply and will then provide you with a customized solution that is best suited to your content. Not every content is a good fit for these strategies to apply.

Gamification and game-based learning are similar in that they both encourage learners’ participation and involvement.  Both strategies are geared towards achieving desired learning outcomes. However, there is a distinction between them that goes as follows:

Gamification is the way of integrating game elements or game mechanics into “traditional/conventional” learning methods and activities in order to improve the engagement and motivation of the learners. These game elements include point systems, leaderboards, badges, star ratings, and other game-like features.

Game-based learning, on the other hand, entails creating learning activities that incorporate game features and concepts into the learning activities itself.

In a nutshell, gamification involves the addition of game components or frameworks to existing learning activities, whereas game-based learning involves the creation of innately game-like learning activities.

So, for cybersecurity training allowing learners to score points or stars on clearing every level or topic of instruction is Gamification, and teaching a concept of say “Phishing” in a cybersecurity training program through an activity that is a game is a game-based eLearning approach.