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 detour into the English language to understand this better.
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 depersonalized (e.g., board games in which players earn points, play money, or pie charts…).
"Play" refers to the free, spontaneous, and often more creative form of play that is innate in mammals. These activities allow them to experiment with expected social behaviors (e.g., children’s imitation games).
Gamification vs. ludicization… so what about “ludification”?
"Ludification" is simply the French translation of "gamification." But the Anglicism has become the norm in everyday language. "Ludicisation," on the other hand, could be translated as "playification."
For the rest of this article, we will use the French terms: “ludification” vs. “ludicisation.”
In summary: “gamification” refers to the concept of “game,” while “ludicization” refers to the concept of “play.”
What are the specific differences between gamification and ludicization?
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 constant competition and shifting the focus toward rewards, at the expense of the meaning of learning.
Gamification in Education
This is the positive alternative offered by edutainment, as defined by Eric Sanchez, a professor 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 are relatively free to act as they wish; they identify with the characters, immerse themselves in the atmosphere created by the settings or the music, and are moved by the dialogue. In doing so, the amount of information they absorb increases tenfold without any 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 become heroic actions: helping one another, putting in effort, or following instructions lead to special powers or cooperative battles.
So, should you gamify or make your teaching more playful?
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 years of service, experience, pedagogical choices, and grade level.
| Gamification | Gamification | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Concept | Game | Play |
| Principle | Reward Mechanisms Applied to a Non-Gaming Situation | 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 points individually | 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 an ambitious task. The freedom given to students requires a certain willingness to let 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 platform for managing games (not a gaming platform). Its flexibility lets you incorporate gamification a little, a lot, completely, all the time, or just once in a while.