A history teacher turns his classroom into a medieval role-playing game; a math teacher hands out skill badges… Behind these educational gaming practices lie three concepts that are often confused: gamification, ludification, and ludicization.
Faced with the challenge of keeping students motivated and engaged, many high school teachers are tempted to use these strategies. But not all game-based approaches are created equal.
Educational Games: A Growing Field
Game-based learning refers to all teaching practices that incorporate games. It can take the form of serious games, educational escape rooms, role-playing games, or digital tools inspired by video games.
By sparking a love of learning, these approaches strengthen student engagement and support the development of cognitive, social, and metacognitive skills.
But not all forms of "play" in the classroom are based on the same principles. Let's take a brief look at the English language to better understand this.
Game vs. Play
English speakers distinguish between “game” and “play.” Mathieu Triclot, a philosopher specializing in the epistemology of video games, explains that “game” refers to games as objects, characterized by their hardware and rules, while “play” refers to the players’ activity or the attitude they adopt.
In summary:
"Game" refers to a system of formal rules that must be followed. These are activities that are taken out of context and devoid of personal elements (e.g., board games where players earn points, play money, or prize certificates…).
"Play" refers to the free, spontaneous, and often more creative form of play that is innate in mammals. These activities allow animals to experiment with expected social behaviors (e.g., children’s imitation games).
Gamification vs. ludification… so what about ludification?
"Ludification" is simply the French translation of "gamification." However, the English term has become more common in everyday language. "Ludicisation," on the other hand, could be translated as "playification."
For the remainder of this article, we will use the French terms: ludification vs. ludicisation.
In short: "gamification" refers to the concept of "game," while "ludicization" refers to the concept of "play."
What are the practical differences between gamification and playification?
Gamification of learning
This approach relies on extrinsic motivators (points, levels, rankings, etc.) to make schoolwork more appealing. Game mechanics are applied to non-game contexts, such as a math class.
This approach can be overly simplistic: it risks turning school into a never-ending competition and shifting the focus toward rewards, at the expense of the meaning of learning.
Gamification in Education
This is the positive alternative to edutainment, as defined by Eric Sanchez, a lecturer and researcher in educational technology at the University of Geneva.
This approach goes beyond simply introducing rules of the game. It involves transforming a classroom situation into a game by altering the meaning of interactions through a playful metaphor, which creates a space for students to reflect. They engage differently, regulate their behavior, and discover the range of choices available to them.
Play becomes a way of making sense of school life, helping to give meaning and coherence to the school experience. Here we see spontaneity, creativity, freedom, and the social function of play.
Can you give an example to clarify this?
In most video games, students’ motivation is intrinsic, similar to the “play” described by Sanchez: students have considerable freedom of action, they identify with the characters, immerse themselves in the atmosphere created by the settings or music, and are moved by the dialogue. In doing so, the amount of information they absorb increases tenfold without effort: learning takes place.
In an educational setting, the tools that best facilitate this phenomenon are Classcraft and, now, Actoon. The classroom becomes a world of its own, with its own rules and roles. Expected behaviors are transformed into heroic actions: helping one another, putting in effort, or following instructions lead to special powers or cooperative battles.
So, gamification or making your teaching more fun?
Nothing is set in stone, and a teacher may use either method. As Mathieu Triclot points out, play oscillates between a structured framework (game) and subjective freedom (play). This choice depends on the teacher’s approach, which is influenced by their seniority, experience, pedagogical choices, and the grade level they teach.
| Gamification | Gamification | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial concept | Game | Play |
| Principle | Reward mechanisms applied to a non-gaming context | A playful metaphor: storytelling, immersion |
| Results | Makes schoolwork more engaging | Brings about profound behavioral change |
| Type of motivation | Extrinsic | Intrinsic |
| Example | Take a quiz to earn individual points | Take on the boss as a group to help the avatar community grow |
How can I make my teaching more engaging?
Creating a playful metaphor is a challenging task. The freedom given to students requires a certain degree of letting go, which can make some teachers feel uncomfortable.
That’s why Actoon is here. To provide students with all the context they need for the game, while allowing teachers to remain in control. Actoon is what Eric Sanchez calls a “Play Managing System”: a game management platform (not a gaming platform). Its flexibility lets you incorporate gamification a little, a lot, completely, all the time, or just once in a while.