Gamification for learning

Game-based learning (GBL) has been recognized to impact cognitive development, motivation, and decision making (Gee, 2003). Lazzaro (2004) contended that games trigger human emotions, such as excitement, amazement, sense of achievement, happiness, frustration, etc. Gamifi cation has been applied to diverse fi elds, from education, learning, medicine, business, library, to military science, etc. Educators agree that gaming enhances the ability of learners to gain a new perspective through active engagements in collaborative decision making to solve problems (Gee, 2003; Huang, Yeh, Li, & Chang, 2010; Reese et al., 2011). Researchers have identifi ed that integrating gaming into learning has the potential to support attitude change (Hays, 2005), behavior change (Schoech, Boyas, Black, & Elias-Lambert, 2013), enhance learning motivation (Garris, Ahlers, & Driskell, 2002), encourage collaboration (Schafer et al., 2013), induce problem-based learning, activate communication, promote active engagement (Giannetto, Chao, & Fontana, 2013; Mitchell #$x26; Savill-Smith, 2005), peer-generated user content, motivated informed action (Lee, Ceyhan, Jordan-Cooley, & Sung, 2013), particularly when engaging underserved learners (De Freitas, 2008). In fact, when learners are empowered as game designers in participatory design strategy, the benefi ts are found to be more abundant and more effective (Dickey, 2005).