This Could Be a Game!": Defining Gamification for the Classroom
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San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research Spring 2013 This Could Be a Game!": Defining Gamification for the Classroom Darcy Elaine Osheim San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Osheim, Darcy Elaine, "This Could Be a Game!": Defining Gamification for the Classroom" (2013). Master's Theses. 4304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.e6tp-u2vw https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4304 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “THIS COULD BE A GAME!”: DEFINING GAMIFICATION FOR THE CLASSROOM A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Communication Studies San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Darcy E. Osheim May 2013 ©2013 Darcy E. Osheim ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Designated Thesis Committee Approves the Thesis Titled “THIS COULD BE A GAME!”: DEFINING GAMIFICATION FOR THE CLASSROOM By Darcy E. Osheim APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY May 2013 Dr. Andrew Wood Department of Communication Studies Dr. Deanna L. Fassett Department of Communication Studies Dr. David Terry Department of Communication Studies ABSTRACT “THIS COULD BE A GAME!”: DEFINING GAMIFICATION FOR THE CLASSROOM By Darcy E. Osheim Instructors find a gap between what they experienced in school in the mid-to-late 20th century and the experiences of students entering college in 2012/13. In the United States, the influx of almost universal access to technology has marked this generation in a way the previous generations must work to understand, and gamification is a strategy used in areas like marketing to gain participation from this age group. Gamification is a strategy that employs game mechanics, techniques, and theory in areas that traditionally are not set up to function like a game. The purpose of this study was to define gamification in the context of a college classroom. Using Foucault’s concept of heterotopia, this study employs the method of heterotopian rhetorical criticism and the methodology of autoethnography to analyze World of Warcraft and re-imagine experiences in the game through critical communication pedagogy to enact change in the traditional college classroom. Three fundamentals of gamification emerged from the findings and laid out a general definition of gamification. It must consist of high-choice, low- risk engagements in a clearly structured environment. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my advisor, Dr. Andrew Wood: I owe you a debt of gratitude. Not only did you inspire me to go to grad school, but each class I took with you has made its way into this thesis. Your patience and passion have transformed me into a better writer and a better scholar, for which I am forever grateful. To me, you will always be a big dot. To my committee members, Dr. Deanna L. Fassett: Your words and works have shaped how I view the world, and why I came to do this thesis. You never cease to believe in what I can do. Dr. David Terry: I have never been so challenged as at my first defense with you. Even then you expected nothing but the best I could offer, and I am so grateful to have you on my committee. To my partner, Richard Osheim: Thank you for always encouraging me and believing in me, when I could not believe in myself. You are my rock and my life! To Tiffany: Thank you for being my partner in California. This thesis would not be the same without you. And neither would I. Boop. To Jessica: Thank you for always being up for a knowledge creating discussion on rhetoric in all its forms. “If you’re out on the road, feeling lonely and so cold, all you have to do is call my name and I’ll be there on the next train”. To my cohort, professors, and friends who stood beside me the last three years: Thank you for the opportunities for growth, friendship and most of all love. To my family: Thank you for all your support and love. I love you! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Games ............................................................................................................................. 3 Games are Work ............................................................................................................. 7 Gamification ................................................................................................................. 14 Gamification of the Classroom ..................................................................................... 18 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 22 Critical Communication Pedagogy ............................................................................... 22 Student Interest ............................................................................................................. 23 Strategies that Enhance Learning.................................................................................. 27 Students Outside the Norm ........................................................................................... 30 Pathways to Learner Empowerment ............................................................................. 34 World of Warcraft ......................................................................................................... 39 Chapter Three: Methodology ............................................................................................ 43 Autoethnography........................................................................................................... 43 Heterotopia .................................................................................................................... 46 Heterotopic Rhetorical Criticism .................................................................................. 48 Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter Four: Findings ..................................................................................................... 52 Gamification Fundamental 1: Gamification is Low-Risk ............................................. 53 Gamification Fundamental 2: Form is Function ........................................................... 60 vi Gamification Fundamental 3: Choice is Essential ........................................................ 67 Chapter Five: Discussion, Applications and Limitations ................................................. 74 Structure of a Gamified Classroom............................................................................... 74 Grading in a Gamified Classroom ................................................................................ 75 The Structure of Quests ................................................................................................ 76 Group Structure ............................................................................................................. 80 Death Structure ............................................................................................................. 81 Customization ............................................................................................................... 82 Deadlines....................................................................................................................... 84 Application of Quests ................................................................................................... 85 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 87 Future Success .............................................................................................................. 90 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 91 References ......................................................................................................................... 93 APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................. 109 vii Chapter One: Introduction If you are a gamer, it’s time to get over any regret you might feel about spending so much time playing games. You have not been wasting your time. You have been building up a wealth of virtual experience that… can teach you about your true self: What your core strengths are, what really motivates you, and what make you happiest. – Jane McGonigal from Reality is Broken (2011, p. 12) Instructors find a gap between what they experienced in school in the mid to late 20th century and the experiences of students entering college in 2012/13. This generation, born in the 1990s and known as the Games Generation (Prensky, 2001), Generation Me, or Generation Y, interacts so differently with the world than the generations that came before, even including the Millennial Generation caught between X and Y, born 1980-1989, though these dates are disputed (“Generation of American history,” 2012; “List of Generations,” n.d.). According to the Beloit College, the class