As I watched my daughter carve her first pumpkin over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice her intense focus and determination to make perfect cuts around the eyes and nose. While her pumpkin ended up looking a little cross-eyed and lopsided, she was certainly happy with the outcome; she clapped and grinned sheepishly as we lit tea candles and turned out the lights. However, as I watched her carve, I realized that she was simply playing. She had never carved a pumpkin before; this was all trial and error for her. But when she started playing, with no real consequences in mind, she created a product that she was proud of.
Similar situations NEED to be presented in our classrooms! In his article "Why We Play: How Our Desire for Games Shapes our World", Ben Reeves discusses why people of all ages are attracted to playing video games and how that attraction affects the real world. He goes on to mention three "invisible needs" that people have that explains their desire for play: the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.
While I do provide my students with opportunities to play video games in my classroom, all teachers can find a way to "gamify" their classrooms to reach the needs of their students. And, moreover, these are the needs that drive much of the real world.
In the end, Reeves says, "When used correctly, video games hold the potential to show us the world through a different set of lenses - to craft experiences that engage both cognitively and socially and ultimately make us feel like an active participant in shaping our destiny". This sounds exactly like what I want my students to do everyday...to feel like they are a participant in shaping their destiny.
To read Reeves' full article "Why We Play: How Our Desire for Games Shapes our World" go to www.gameinformer.com.
